Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 35, NWS Wichita, KS

May 13, 1991Marion County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 13, 1991, 8:08 PM CDT for Marion County, Kansas. It was in force for 22 min. 1 report 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
May 13, 1991, 8:08 PM CDT (01:08 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 1991, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
22 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Marion County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 13, 8:15 PM CDTTornado F0Marion, 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

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 145 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 1991-05-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1055 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 1991-05-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 4 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1055 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-86 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2070 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
101 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 140111
TORICT
KSC115-140130-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
808 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...NORTHERN MARION COUNTY
 
AT 805 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN NORTHERN MARION
COUNTY...NEAR THE TOWN OF HILLSBORO...OR 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SALINA.
PERSONS IN HILLSBORO...CANADA...AND PILSEN SHOULD TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY. YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM.
 
 
GET TO A BASEMENT IF ONE IS AVAILABLE.  IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR
APARTMENT... SEEK SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST PORTIONJ OF THE
BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. AVOID WINDOWS AND PROTECT YOUR BODY
FROM FLYING DEBRIS WITH CUSHIONS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.
 
HEDGES

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, May 13, 4:34 PM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-132230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
434 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

AT 430 PM...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ACROSS PARTS OF
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

ONE WAS 50 MILES NORTH OF WICHITA OR JUST TO THE SOUTHEAST OF
MC PHERSON. THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN.
ANOTHER STORM WAS 25 MILES TO THE NORTHWEST OF CHANUTE.

STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT ONLY 5 MPH.

WILSON
Special weather statement, May 13, 5:29 PM CDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-132330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
529 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

AT 525 PM...A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW OF WHICH WERE PRODUCING
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...LARGE HAIL AND DEADLY LIGHTNING...PERSISTED
ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS.

THESE WERE IN AN AREA BETWEEN MC PHERSON...50 MILES NORTH OF WICHITA...
TO JUST SOUTHWEST OF MANHATTAN.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 15 5MPH.

WILSON
Special weather statement, May 13, 6:03 PM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-140030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
602 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

AT 556 PM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PERSISTED ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS
BETWEEN SALINA AND JUNCTION CITY.

THESE STORMS WERE PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL...TORRENTIAL RAINS
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVED TO THE NORTH AT 15 MPH.

AT 600 PM...THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL
OR SOUTHEAST KANSAS REGION.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 328 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS UNTIL 11 PM TONIGHT.

WILSON
Special weather statement, May 13, 6:29 PM CDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-140130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
629 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

AT 625 PM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS REMAINED ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS. THESE
WERE FROM SALINA...EXTENDING EAST ALONG INTERSTATE 70 TO THE
JUNCTION CITY AREA.

THESE STORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL...VERY
HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING WHILE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 10 MPH.

AT 629 PM...THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL
OR SOUTHEAST KANSAS REGION.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 328 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS UNTIL 11 PM TONIGHT.

WILSON
Special weather statement, May 13, 7:04 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-140100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
704 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

AT 657 PM...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL PERSISTED ACROSS CENTRAL
KANSAS...20 MILES EAST OF SALINA OR NEAR SOLOMON. OTHER STORMS WERE IN
THIS GENERAL AREA FROM SALINA EAST ACROSS SOLOMON TO JUST SOUTH OF
MANHATTAN.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT ONLY 5 MPH.

AT 657 PM...THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN[ THE SOUTH CENTRAL
OR SOUTHEAST KANSAS REGION.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 328 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS UNTIL 11 PM TONIGHT.

WILSON
Special weather statement, May 13, 7:31 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-140130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
731 PM CDT MON MAY 13 1991

AT 725 PM...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN
REMAINED ACTI

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 7:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMarion49 min
May 13, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMarion45 min
May 13, 9:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChase66 min
May 14, 7:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTLabette, Montgomery58 min
May 14, 9:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTLabette, Montgomery59 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.