Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Wichita, KS

April 12, 1991Reno County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 12, 1991, 11:00 PM CDT for Reno County, Kansas. It was in force for 60 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, 11:00 PM CDT (04:00 UTC)
Expired
Apr 13, 1991, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Reno County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 12, 11:25 PM CDTHail 1Reno, KS
Apr 12, 11:30 PM CDTHail 1.5Reno, 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 00:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 161 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 00:00Z on 1991-04-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1991-04-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -22 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3500 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
184 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 130402 RRA
TORICT
KSC155-130500-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1100 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...RENO COUNTY
 
A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS OBSERVED AT 1100 PM CDT 20
MILES WEST OF HUTCHINSON NEAR SYLVIA. THE FUNNEL CLOUD WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. IF YOU LIVE IN OR NEAR SYLVIA, PEACE
CREEK, OR HUNTSVILLE, TAKE COVER THIS FUNNEL CLOUD COULD TOUCH DOWN AT
ANY MOMENT.
 
ALSO A THUNDERSTORM WITH POSSIBLE LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS
MOVING INTO SOUTHERN RENO COUNTY ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF
HUTCHINSON, OR 5 SOUTHWEST OF PRETTY PRAIRIE. THIS STORM WAS ALSO
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
 
THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS STORM.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO

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, 5:07 PM CDT, 5 hours 53 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
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 8:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 21 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-130230-

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

...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS STILL MOVING SLOWLY ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS.

AT 830 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE NEBRASKA
BORDER NORTHEAST OF CONCORDIA...TO SALINA TO HUTCHINSON...TO PRATT.  TRAILING
THUNDERSTORMS NOT CONNECTED WITH THIS LINE WERE LOCATED SOUTH OF PRATT INTO
OKLAHOMA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED EAST OF CONCORDIA AND 20 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON.  OTHER INTENSE STORMS CONTINUED IN NORTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA.  VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SOME HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THE STORM
NEAR HUTCHINSON.  THE SYSTEM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

*TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 130 COVERS ALL OF CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 100 AM CDT.

LEIVERS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 12, 9:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey61 min
Apr 12, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno63 min
Apr 12, 9:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman55 min
Apr 12, 10:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman42 min
Apr 12, 10:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMarion58 min
Apr 12, 11:34 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningICTReno116 min
Apr 12, 11:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey65 min
Apr 12, 11:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno68 min
Apr 13, 12:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper, Kingman57 min
Apr 13, 12:29 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningICTKingman2 hr
Apr 13, 12:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey50 min
Apr 13, 1:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Sedgwick69 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.