Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Wichita, KS

April 12, 1991Kingman County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 12, 1991, 6:39 PM CDT for Kingman County, Kansas. It was in force for 51 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 12, 1991, 6:39 PM CDT (23:39 UTC)
Expired
Apr 12, 1991, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Kingman County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 12, 7:00 PM CDTHail 1.5Kingman, KS
Apr 12, 7:00 PM CDTHail 1.5Kingman, KS

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 157 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1991-04-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1583 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1991-04-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 133 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1583 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-47 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
695 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
4.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KICT 122341
TORICT
KSC095-130030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
639 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...NORTHWESTERN KINGMAN COUNTY
 
AT 640 PM CDT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING TORNADOS WERE MOVING FROM
THE PRATT AREA INTO KINGMAN COUNTY OR 50 MILES WEST OF WICHITA. THE
TOWN OF CUNNINGHAM IS IN THE APPARENT PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
 
THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS STORM.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE.
OTHERWISE... GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A
STURDIER BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 12, 3:35 PM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
335 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

AT 330 PM...THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL KANSAS.

A LARGE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED MIDWAY BETWEEN RUSSELL AND GREAT BEND.
IT HAD REINTENSIFIED SINCE 300 PM.  ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED
TO INTENSIFY IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.  THEY COULD THREATEN THE HARPER
AND SUMNER COUNTY AREAS IN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO.  THERE IS NO IMMEDIATE
DANGER IN EITHER AREA AT THIS TIME.  THESE STORMS ARE BEING MONITORED CLOSELY.

MOVEMENT OF ALL STORMS WAS NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.  THE ATMOSPHERE
OVER CENTRAL KANSAS REMAINS VERY UNSTABL8E AND ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON.

*TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 125 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
UNTIL 800 PM CDT.
LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 4:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
405 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

AT 400 PM...THUNDERSTORMS IN OKLAHOMA BEING MONITORED.

A LARGE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA.  IT'S HISTORY
HAS INCLUDED THREE INCH HAIL AND NUMEROUS TORNADO WARNINGS.  ALTHOUGH IT
IS NOT AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...IT IS MOVING NORTH
NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.  PRESENT MOVEMENT AND DIRECTION WOULD BRING IT
INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...SOMEWHERE ALONG THE HARPER OR SUMNER COUNTY LINE
...WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO.  IT IS BEING MONITORED CLOSELY.

THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL KANSAS REMAINS VERY UNSTABLE AND ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON.

*TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 125 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
UNTIL 800 PM CDT.
LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 4:20 PM CDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
420 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

AT 415 PM...A LINE OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE BUSTING IN CENTRAL KANSAS.

WICHITA RADAR INDICATED THREE LARGE THUNDERSTORMS.  THE FIRST WAS LOCATED
ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF RUSSELL.  THE SECOND...NEWLY DEVELOPED...HAD RAPIDLY
FORMED SINCE 400 PM ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF MEDICINE LODGE...OR 25 MILES
SOUTH OF PRATT.  THE THIRD...AND AT THIS TIME MOST DANGEROUS STORM...CONTINUED
IN NORTHERN OKLAHOMA...NORTHWEST OF ENID.  ALL OF THESE STORMS ARE BEING
MONITORED CLOSELY AS THEY MOVE ABOUT THE SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS REGION.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FURTHER UPDATES.

*TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 125 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
UNTIL 800 PM CDT.

LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 4:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
430 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

AT 430 PM...A LINE OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WAS BUSTING IN CENTRAL KANSAS.

A BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED IN WEST CENTRAL KANSAS...GENERALLY
FROM RUSSELL TO PRATT TO THE OKLAHOMA BORDER 75 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA...
AND SOUTH INTO OKLAHOMA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED IN NORTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA...NORTH OF ENID AND IN THE RUSSELL AREA.  OTHER RAPIDLY DEVELOPING
STORMS WERE IN THE MEDICINE LODGE AREA...ABOUT 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA
AND WEST OF THAT AREA.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT
20 MPH.  STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FURTHER UPDATES.

*TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 125 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
UNTIL 800 PM CDT.

LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 4:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
453 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

AT 445 PM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WEST AND SOUTH OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

TWO AREAS OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEING MONITORED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE AT THIS TIME.  THE FIRST WAS IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...NORTHWEST
OF ENID.  NUMEROUS TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS
STORM.  PRESENT MOVEMENT WILL BRING IT INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS IN THE
NEXT HOUR OR TWO.

THE OTHER STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF PRATT.  THIS STORM HAS
DEVELOPED RAPIDLY...HOWEVER AT THIS TIME THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTS OF
SEVERE WEATHER ASSOCIATED WI!TH IT.  BOTH STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST
AT ABOUT 20 MPH.

*TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 125 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
UNTIL 800 PM CDT.             LEIVERS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 5:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
508 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

AT 500 PM...STORMS WEST AND SOUTH OF WICHITA BEING MONITORED.

TWO AREAS OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEING MONITORED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE AT THIS TIME.  THE FIRST WAS IN NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA...NORTHWEST
OF ENID.  NUMEROUS TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS
STORM.  PRESENT MOVEMENT WILL BRING IT INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS IN ABOUT
AN HOUR.

THE OTHER STORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF PRATT.  A TORNADO HAS
JUST BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.

BOTH STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 15 MPH.  PEOPLE NEAR THESE
AREWAS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION.
*TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 125 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
UNTIL 800 PM CDT.             LEIVERS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wichita, KS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 12, 5:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper69 min
Apr 12, 5:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman55 min
Apr 12, 5:54 PM CDTTornado WarningICTSumner53 min
Apr 12, 6:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.