Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1991

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Topeka, KS

April 12, 1991Washington County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 12, 1991, 8:30 PM CDT for Washington County, Kansas. It was in force for 40 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: Apr 12, 1991, 8:30 PM CDT (01:30 UTC)
Expired: Apr 12, 1991, 9:10 PM CDT
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Whole counties

County Washington County, KS

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 12, 8:45 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Washington, KS
Apr 12, 8:45 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Washington, 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, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 152 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 392 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -136 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1502 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 219 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Apr 12, 2:38 PM CDT, 5 hours 52 minutes before

KSZ007-008-010-011-122030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
235 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 125 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EAST OF A LINE FROM
PHILLIPSBURG TO COLDWATER AND WEST OF A LINE FROM BELLEVILLE TO SALINA
TO WICHITA...

AT 235 PM CONCORDIA RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS FROM 10 MILES WEST OF
GREAT BEND TO JUST SOUTH OF RUSSELL.  THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE NORTH AT
35 MPH.

THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON.

LS

Special weather statement, Apr 12, 3:09 PM CDT, 5 hours 21 minutes before

KSZ007-008-010-011-122100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
3XX PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 125 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EAST OF A LINE FROM
PHILLIPSBURG TO COLDWATER AND WEST OF A LINE FROM BELLEVILLE TO SALINA
TO WICHITA...

AT 305 PM CONCORDIA RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS FROM GREAT BEND TO 15 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF GREAT BEND.  AT 305 PM CDT THE GREAT BEND SHERIFF REPORTED
PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL JUST SOUTHWEST OF GREAT BEND.

OTHER SHOWERS WERE FROM JUST SOUTH OF CONCORDIA TO SALINA TO JUST NORTH OF
MCPHERSON.  ALL THE THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WER MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.

THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON.

LS

Special weather statement, Apr 12, 7:26 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before

KSZ013>016-130115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
725 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991

...THERE ARE NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEAST KANSAS AT 725 PM...

AT 725 PM CDT...THERE WERE NO SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEAST
OR EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. HOWEVER...STRONG TO SEVER THUNDERSTORMS WERE
CONTINUING OVER CENTRAL KANSAS WITH THE CLOSEST THUNDERSTORMS TO
NORTHEAST KANSAS JUST TO THE WEST OF CLAY CENTER AT 720 PM THIS
EVENING. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED SOUTH SOUTHWEST TO NEAR SALINA
AND INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS WEST OF WICHITA.

ALL THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT AROUND
30 MILES AN HOUR. THE STORMS NEAR CLAY CENTER WOULD MAKE IT TO NEAR
BLUE RAPIDS AND MARYSVILLE BY 830 PM IF THEY HOLD TOGETHER AND CONTINUE
CURRENT MOVEMENT.

PB

Special weather statement, Apr 12, 8:20 PM CDT, 10 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Apr 12, 8:21 PM CDT, 9 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 12, 7:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Mitchell	44 min
Apr 12, 7:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Clay	30 min
Apr 12, 7:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Washington	42 min
Apr 12, 9:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Marshall	54 min
Apr 12, 9:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	McPherson	49 min
Apr 12, 10:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Riley	58 min
Apr 12, 10:20 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Washington	6 hr
Apr 12, 10:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	McPherson	49 min
Apr 12, 11:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson	41 min
Apr 13, 12:34 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Jackson, Pottawatomie, Shawnee, Wabaunsee	41 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1991 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.