Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Wichita, KS

March 26, 1991Reno County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Mar 26, 1991, 7:16 PM CST for Reno County, Kansas. It was in force for 29 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 26, 1991, 7:16 PM CST (01:16 UTC)
Expired
Mar 26, 1991, 7:45 PM CST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Reno County, KS

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 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 1991-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 86 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 122 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
86 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2959 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
77 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
168 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 270118
TORICT
KSC155-270145-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
716 PM CST TUE MAR 26 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  745 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...NORTHERN RENO COUNTY
 
RENO COUNTY CIVIL DEFENSE REPORTED THAT AT 7:15 PM A TORNADO WAS ON
THE GROUND 5 MILES NORTH OF HUTCHINSON. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
 
THIS STORM WILL GO THROUGH MEDORA. TAKE COVER NOW!!
 
 
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.
OTHERmWISE... 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, Mar 26, 3:17 PM CST, 3 hours 59 minutes before
KSZ011-012-017-262215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
315 PM CST TUE MAR 26 1991

AT 300 PM CST THUNDERSTORMS HAVE STARTED TO DEVELOP RAPIDLY IN EASTERN
KANSAS. THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE 60 MILES NORTHEAST OF WICHITA NEAR
COTTONWOOD FALLS. NO MOVEMENT HAS BEEN NOTED.

A TORNADO WATCH 63 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CST.

LR
Special weather statement, Mar 26, 3:42 PM CST, 3 hours 34 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-262245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
340 PM CST TUE MAR 26 1991

AT 1525 PM CST THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED RAPIDLY ON A LINE FROM THE
TOPEKA AREA TO EMPORIA SOUTH TO ARKANSAS CITY. SMALL HAIL WAS REPORTED
IN CHASE COUNTY NEAR CEDAR POINT OR 65 MILES NORTHEAST OF WICHITA.
OTHER STORMS WERE ALSO DEVELOPING IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS ON THE OKLAHOMA
BORDER SOUTHWEST OF COLDWATER.

THE STORMS WERE ,MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
LR
Special weather statement, Mar 26, 5:39 PM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-262245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
535 PM CST TUE MAR 26 1991

...TORNADO WATCHES 63 AND 64 REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS UNTIL 10 PM.

AT 530 PM CST THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM 75 MILES NORTHWEST OF WICHITA NEAR
ELLSWORTH TO COLDWATER AREA OR 75 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA.  LIGHT SHOULD
BE STARTING IN RENO COUNTY 25 MILES WEST OF HUTCHINSON BY 545 PM.

OTHER STORMS WERE IN NORTHEAST KANSAS AROUND THE TOPEKA...KANSAS CITY AREA.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
LR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 26, 6:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman55 min
Mar 26, 6:31 PM CSTTornado WarningICTReno44 min
Mar 26, 6:43 PM CSTTornado WarningICTHarper, Kingman47 min
Mar 26, 7:27 PM CSTTornado WarningICTKingman33 min
Mar 26, 7:38 PM CSTTornado WarningICTSedgwick48 min
Mar 26, 8:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSumner60 min
Mar 26, 8:53 PM CSTTornado WarningICTSumner52 min
Mar 26, 9:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley67 min
Mar 26, 9:28 PM CSTTornado WarningICTCowley62 min
Mar 26, 9:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman53 min
Mar 26, 10:06 PM CSTTornado WarningICTKingman39 min
Mar 26, 10:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno61 min
Mar 26, 10:20 PM CSTTornado WarningICTCowley40 min
Mar 26, 10:55 PM CSTTornado WarningICTWilson50 min
Mar 26, 11:08 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno37 min
Mar 26, 11:24 PM CSTTornado WarningICTReno36 min
Mar 26, 11:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTWoodson48 min
Mar 26, 11:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey42 min
Mar 26, 11:41 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTAllen49 min
Mar 26, 11:50 PM CSTTornado WarningICTReno40 min
Mar 27, 12:03 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBourbon27 min
Mar 27, 12:09 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey36 min
Mar 27, 12:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley47 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.