Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 47, NWS Wichita, KS
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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 5:00 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 55 | Elk, KS | |
| Jul 12, 5:24 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 61 | Elk, 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.
- 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
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 3:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Cowley | 56 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.