Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 10, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 11, 1991, 7:30 PM CDT for Smith County, Kansas. It was in force for 15 min. 1 report 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 11, 1991, 7:30 PM CDT (00:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 11, 1991, 7:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 15 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Smith County, KS
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 7:35 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Smith, 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
N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 214 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 935 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 90 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 141 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 220 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 KCNK 120031 TORCNK KSC183-120045- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 730 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 745 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS ...NORTHERN SMITH COUNTY AT 726 PM THE SMITH COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND 10 MILES NORTH OF SMITH CENTER MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH. 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. KLEYLA
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, Apr 11, 3:02 PM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before
KSZALL-112100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 301 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991 ...THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER PATRS OF KANSAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL KANSAS. ALL OF THE INGRIEDIENTS NEEDED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD COME TOGETHER BY LATE AFERNOON OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL KANSAS. PEOPLE IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL KANSAS SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CLOSELY AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. STORMS THAT DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON MAY SPREAD INTO EASTERN KANSAS LATER TONIGHT. WOYNICK
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 3:22 PM CDT, 4 hours 8 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-DDHHMM- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 321 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991- ...TORNADO WATCH 117 IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS EXCEPT FOR WASHINGTON AND CLAY COUNTIES... AT 320 PM CONCORDIA RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS FROM 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG OR 15 MILES NORTH OF SMITH CENTER KANSAS TO KEARNEY IN NEBRASKA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEWLY DEVELOPED AND NO MOVEMENT HAD BEEN DETERMINED. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND RAPID THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE IN THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS ACROSS THE REGION. KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 4:31 PM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-DDHHMM- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 430 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991- ...TORNADO WATCH 117 IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS EXCEPT FOR WASHINGTON AND CLAY COUNTIES... AT 430 PM CONCORDIA RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH EXTENDED FROM 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG OR 10 MILES NORTH OF SMITH CENTER KANSAS TO KEARNEY IN NEBRASKA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND RAPID THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE IN THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS ACROSS THE REGION. WHITMORE
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 4:33 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-112232- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 432 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991- ...TORNADO WATCH 117 IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS EXCEPT FOR WASHINGTON AND CLAY COUNTIES... AT 430 PM CONCORDIA RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH EXTENDED FROM 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG OR 10 MILES NORTH OF SMITH CENTER KANSAS TO KEARNEY IN NEBRASKA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND RAPID THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE IN THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS ACROSS THE REGION. WHITMORE
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 5:57 PM CDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-120000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 555 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH 117 IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS EXCEPT FOR WASHINGTON AND CLAY COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 5:50 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG TO 40 NMILES NORTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG OR JUST NORTH OF SMITH CENTER. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN ..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTH OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES SOUTH OF PHILLIPSBURG TO 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF CONCORDIA TO SUPERIORK NEBRASKA. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND RAPID THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING. LS
Special weather statement, Apr 11, 6:46 PM CDT, 44 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-120100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 645 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH 117 IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS EXCEPT FOR WASHINGTON AND CLAY COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 645 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SMITH CENTER. HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS..HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THIS STORM..THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH AND WILL BE IN THE SMITH CENTER AREA BY 7 PM CDT. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR HILL CITY TO 20 MILES NORTH OF RUSSELL TO JUST WEST OF SUPERIOR NEBRASKA. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND RAPID THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING. LS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 7:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Smith | 30 min |
| Apr 11, 9:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Smith | 52 min |
| Apr 11, 10:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Smith | 30 min |
| Apr 12, 3:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Barton | 43 min |
| Apr 12, 3:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Russell | 49 min |
| Apr 12, 4:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Lincoln | 41 min |
| Apr 12, 4:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Lincoln | 31 min |
| Apr 12, 4:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Osborne, Russell | 53 min |
| Apr 12, 5:12 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Lincoln | 33 min |
| Apr 12, 5:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Osborne | 50 min |
| Apr 12, 5:49 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Lincoln, Mitchell, Ottawa | 26 min |
| Apr 12, 5:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Russell | 51 min |
| Apr 12, 6:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Barton | 45 min |
| Apr 12, 6:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Cloud, Mitchell | 44 min |
| Apr 12, 6:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Cloud, Ottawa | 54 min |
| Apr 12, 6:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Cloud | 33 min |
| Apr 12, 6:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Clay, Republic, Washington | 51 min |
| Apr 12, 6:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Russell | 46 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.