Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 38, NWS Wichita, KS
NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 16, 1991, 6:00 PM CDT for Butler County, Kansas. It was in force for 45 min. 4 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
- May 16, 1991, 6:00 PM CDT (23:00 UTC)
- Expired
- May 16, 1991, 6:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wichita, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Butler County, KS
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 6:20 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Butler, KS | |
| May 16, 6:25 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Butler, KS | |
| May 16, 6:42 PM CDT | Hail 4 | Butler, KS | |
| May 16, 6:45 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Butler, 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 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 171 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 676 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -51 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 762 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 86 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 66 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KICT 162301 TORICT KSC015-162345- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 600 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS ...WESTERN BUTLER COUNTY THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WESTERN BUTLER COUNTY HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A TORNADO WARNING. A TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND 4 MILES SOUTH OF MCCONNELL AFB AND MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. IF YOU ARE IN OR NORTH OF ROSE HILL GET TO A BASEMENT, THE TORNADO WILL BE MOVING INTO THE COUNTY IN THE NEXT 10 MINUTES. 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, May 16, 3:03 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-162100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 305 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 ...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CROSSING SOUTHEAST KANSAS. AT 255 PM CDT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 MILES WIDE EXTENDED FROM 10 MILES WEST OF FT. SCOTT SOUTH TO 30 MILES EAST OF COFFEYVILLE. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED OVER GIRARD...OR 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF PITTSBURG. THE PITTSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED 1/2 INCH HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH...WHILE THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS LINE WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. OTHER INTENSE AND SEVERE WEATHER CONTINUED IN WETST CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...BUT DOES NOT POSE A THREAT TO SOUTH CENTRAL OR SOUTHEAST KANSAS AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...PERSONS THROUGHOUT THE AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-162100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 305 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 ...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CROSSING SOUTHEAST KANSAS. AT 255 PM CDT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 MILES WIDE EXTENDED FROM 10 MILES WEST OF FT. SCOTT SOUTH TO 30 MILES EAST OF COFFEYVILLE. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED OVER GIRARD...OR 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF PITTSBURG. THE PITTSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED 1/2 INCH HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH...WHILE THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS LINE WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. OTHER INTENSE AND SEVERE WEATHER CONTINUED IN WETST CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...BUT DOES NOT POSE A THREAT TO SOUTH CENTRAL OR SOUTHEAST KANSAS AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...PERSONS THROUGHOUT THE AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. *TORNADO WATCHES #345 AND #346 COVER CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 9 PM CDT. LEIVERS *CORRECTED TO INCLUDE WATCHES
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:23 PM CDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-162130- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 322 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 ...SHOWERS DEVELOPING IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. AT 315 PM CDT...A FEW SHOWERS HAD DEVELOPED WEST AND SOUTH OF WICHITA. AT THIS TIME...THESE STORMS WERE VERY WEAK...HOWEVER THE ATMOSPHERE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS REMAINS VERY UNSTABLE AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. PERSONS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS SHOULD STAY ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS: LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. *TORNADO WATCHES #345 & #346 COVER CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 9 PM CDT. LEIVE%RS
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-162200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 405 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 ...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. AT 400 PM CDT...A THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED IN NORTHEAST HARPER COUNTY... 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA OR 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MILTON. THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTS ON THIS STORM...HOWEVER RESIDENTS IN THAT AREA ARE REMINDED THAT A TORNADO WATCH...REPEAT WATCH...IS IN EFFECT. PERSONS IN THAT AREA SHOULD STAY ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE READY TO TAKE COVER AT A MOMENTS NOTICE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. *TORNADO WATCHES #345 & #346 COVER CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 9 PM CDT. LEIVERS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Wichita, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 3:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Bourbon | 65 min |
| May 16, 4:22 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Harper, Sumner | 38 min |
| May 16, 5:22 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Sedgwick, Sumner | 68 min |
| May 16, 5:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Butler | 51 min |
| May 16, 6:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Butler | 50 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.