Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 47, NWS Wichita, KS

July 12, 1991Elk County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Jul 12, 1991, 4:52 PM CDT for Elk County, Kansas. It was in force for 53 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
Jul 12, 1991, 4:52 PM CDT (21:52 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 1991, 5:45 PM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Elk County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 12, 5:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 55Elk, KS
Jul 12, 5:24 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61Elk, 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, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 180 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 12:00Z on 1991-07-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 965 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 12:00Z on 1991-07-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
965 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1046 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
44 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 122154
TORICT
KSC049-122245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
452 PM CDT FRI JUL 12 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS
 
   ...ELK COUNTY
 
AT 452 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 20 MILES TO THE
NORTHWEST OF HOWARD...OR 40 MILES TO THE EAST OF WICHITA.
 
THIS STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH. IF YOU LIVE IN THE TOWNS OF
HOWARD...MOLINE AND GRENOLA...TAKE COVER IN Y0UR BASEMENT 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.
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.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
PRESTON

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, Jul 12, 11:29 AM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-120500-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KANSAS
1127 AM CDT FRI JUL 12 1991

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS:

BUTLER        HARPER        MARION        SUMNER
CHASE         HARVEY        RENO
COWLEY        KINGMAN       SEDGWICK

AND IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS:

ALLEN         CHEROKEE      GREENWOOD     NEOSHO
BOURBON       CRAWFORD      LABETTE       WILSON
CHAUTAUQUA    ELK           MONTGOMERY    WOODSON

SYNOPSIS:  A WEAK FRONTAL SYSTEM EXTENDED FROM NORTHEAST KANSAS TO NEAR
PRATT AT LATE MORNING. THIS WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
DEVELOPE AFTER 3 PM...BUT AT THIS TIME THEY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE
SEVERE.

SPOTTER ACTIVITATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

ROSNER
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 2:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
241 PM CDT FRI JUL 12 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEGINNING TO INCREASE IN INTENSITY ACROSS
SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

AT 231 PM CDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH PERIODS OF VERY
HEAVY RAIN...HAD DEVELOPED RAPIDLY AROUND AND SOUTH OF THE WICHITA VICINITY.
ALSO...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS A LARGE PART OF
CENTRAL KANSAS.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED IN A BAND 15 MILES WIDE FROM KINGMAN
TO 20 MILES SOUTH OF WICHITA...AND FROM RUSSELL TO SOUTH OF HAYS.

THESE STORM WERE PART OF AN AREA OF STORMS 100 MILES WIDE AND CENTERED
ALONG A LINE FROM ARKANSAS CITY TO NORTH OF HAYS.

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15 MPH.
.
THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTAIN PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS TO
40 MPH AND DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.  IF YOU SEE THE STORMS
APPROACHING YOUR AREA...BE SURE TO GET INDOORS.  STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS
AND TRY NOT TO USE ELECTICAL EQUIPMENT OR TELEPHONES UNTIL THE STORMS
HAVE PASSED.

THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTEAST KANSAS REMAINS RIPE
FOR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS.  THESE STORMS WILL BECOME
MORE WIDESPREAD AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES.  BE SURE TO TUNE TO
COMMERICAL TELEVISION AND RADIO...OR LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO
FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS ON THE DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS THE AREA.

PRESTON
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 3:15 PM CDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122110-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
310 PM CDT FRI JUL 12 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN INTENSITY ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS AND IN THE WICHITA AREA.

AT 3:05 PM THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER EASTERN WICHITA AND PARTS
OF SOUTH WICHITA SOUTHWESTWARD INTO THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY.

SOFT PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA IN
THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SEDGWICK COUNTY.

PERSONS DIRECTLY UNDER THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKLEY EXPERIENCE
HEAVY RAINS...GUSTY WINDS TO AROUND 30 MPH...POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.
ELAND
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 4:17 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KANSAS
416 PM CDT FRI JUL 12 1991

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHERN COWLEY HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

AT 415 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE STORM 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
WICHITA...OR EAST OF UDALL HAD DECREASED IN INTENSITY AND IS NO
LONGER SEVERE.

HOWEVER...THUNDERSTORMS STILL CONTINUE IN A BAND 20 MILES WIDE FROM
JUST NORTH OF ARKANSAS CITY TO 40 MILES EAST OF WICHITA.  THESE
STORMS ARE STILL CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH...
SMALL HAIL..DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND RAINS OF GREATER THAN 1 INCH IN
LESS THAN A HOUR.

IF YOU SEE THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHING YOUR VICINITY...TAKE SHELTER
IN A STURDY BUILDING.  LISTEN TO COMMERICAL TELEVISION OR RADIO...OR
TUNE INTO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

PRESTON
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 4:38 PM CDT, 14 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-122300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KANSAS
435 PM CDT FRI JUL 12 1991

AT 426 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS 35 MILES EAST
OF WICHITA AND 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WICHITA HAVE DECREASED IN
INTENSITY.

THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND WINDS TO 30 MPH WERE
LOCATED 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WICHITA OR JUST EAST OF WINFIELD...
35 MILES EAST OF WICHITA  OR 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF AUGUSTA AND 40
MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA NEAR ANTHONY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS 40 MILES
WIDE AND CENTERED FROM 45 MILES EAST OF WICHITA OR JUST NORTHEAST
OF EL DORADO KANSAS TO 20 MILES NORTH OF ARKANSAS CITY TO 40 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA NEAR ANTHONY KANSAS. AN AREA OF SHOWERS 40 MILES
WIDE WAS CENTERED FROM 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SALINA TO PRATT KANSAS.
ELAND

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 12, 3:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley56 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.