Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 18, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 12, 1991, 7:48 PM CDT for Washington County, Kansas. It was in force for 42 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 12, 1991, 7:48 PM CDT (00:48 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 12, 1991, 8:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 42 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Washington County, KS
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 8:00 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | 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, 0.8 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.
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCNK 130049 TORCNK KSC201-130130- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 748 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS ...WASHINGTON COUNTY AT 747 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 15 MILES EAST OF CONCORDIA NEAR CLIFTON MOVING NORTHEAST 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 12, 1:56 PM CDT, 5 hours 52 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-122000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 155 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 155 PM CONCORDIA RADAR SHOWED RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS FROM 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GREAT BEND NEAR LARNED TO 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF GREAT BEND NEAR GALATIA. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL 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. RK/LS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 2:38 PM CDT, 5 hours 10 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, 4 hours 39 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, 22 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
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, 8:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Washington | 40 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
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.