Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 19, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 1991, 1:22 PM CDT for McPherson County, Kansas. It was in force for 23 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 17, 1991, 1:22 PM CDT (18:22 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 17, 1991, 1:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 23 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County McPherson County, KS
The nearest sounding before it
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 187 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
- NaN m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 216 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 232 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 4.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCNK 171822 TORCNK KSC113-171915- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 122 PM CDT WED APR 17 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 215 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN CENTRAL KANSAS ...MCPHERSON COUNTY AT 120PM...THE PUBLIC REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUDS 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON...OR JUST SOUTHEAST OF INMAN. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS IN THE AREA. IF YOU ARE IN INMAN TAKE COVER. 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. FREDERICK
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 17, 9:34 AM CDT, 3 hours 48 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-171600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 930 AM CDT WED APR 17 1991 AT 830 AM CDT SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM 20 MILES SOUTH/ EAST OF SALINA TO JUST SOUTH OF ABILENE. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS AND DAGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED FORM THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THE REST OF CENTRAL AND NORTHCENTRAL KANSAS CAN EXPECT MOSTLY CLOUDY SHIES TODAY WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING LATE THIS AFTERNOON... GENERALLY AFTER 4 PM. HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL RANGE NEAR 75 AT GREAT BEND..MCPHERSON AND SALINA AND IN THE LOW 60S ALONG THE KANSAS NEBRASKA BORDER. THE WIND WILL BLOW FROM THE EAST TO THE NORTHEAST AT 10 TO 20 MPH. LS
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 10:17 AM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-171615- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1015 AM CDT WED APR 17 1991 ... A SMALL AREA OF SHOWERS WITH IMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE INTO NORTHEAST KANSAS... AN AREA OF SHOWERS WITH A FEW IMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WAS CENTERED ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SALINA. THIS AREA HAS WEAKENED SOME AND IS MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. FORT RILEY CAN EXPECT SHOWERS TO START AROUND 1030 AM AND IN THE MANHATTAN AREA AROUND 11 AM. GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM LATER THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOME STORMS BEING SEVERE SOME OF THE KANSAS RIVER. LOO0K FOR HIGH TEMPERATURES TO RANGE BETWEEN 70 AND 75 DEGREES. METZE
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 10:23 AM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-171615- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS...CORRECTION TO 2ND PARA... 1015 AM CDT WED APR 17 1991 ... A SMALL AREA OF SHOWERS WITH IMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE INTO NORTHEAST KANSAS... AN AREA OF SHOWERS WITH A FEW IMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WAS CENTERED ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SALINA. THIS AREA HAS WEAKENED SOME AND IS MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. FORT RILEY CAN EXPECT SHOWERS TO START AROUND 1030 AM AND IN THE MANHATTAN AREA AROUND 11 AM. GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...AND OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM LATER THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOME STORMS BEING SEVERE SCOUTH OF THE KANSAS RIVER. LOOK FOR HIGH TEMPERATURES TO RANGE BETWEEN 70 AND 75 DEGREES. METZE
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 10:36 AM CDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-171700- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 1035 AM CDT WED APR 17 1991 AT 1035 AM CDT SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF SALINA NEAR ABILENE. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THESE STORMS AS THEY MOVE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. OTHER SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY SOME THUNDER WAS INDICATED 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON AND WERE LASO MOVIzNG NORTH NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THESE SHOWERS WILL BE IN THE LYONS AREA BY 1130 AM CDT. LS
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 12:45 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
KSZ013>016-171845- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1242 PM CDT WED APR 17 1991 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING... AT 1240 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF TOPEKA...NEAR OR OVER WILLARD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT AROUND 10 MILES AN HOUR. THIS MOVEMENT WILL TAKE THE STORM ACROSS SILVER LAKE TO JUST SOUTHWEST OF HOYT BY 130 PM. HOYT IS ABOUT 11 MILES NORTH OF TOPEKA. BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...GUSTY WINDS TO AROUND 40 MILES AN HOUR AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY WITH THE STORM AS IT PASSES. SOME HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCOH COVERS THAT PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS WEST OF A HIAWATHA TO TOPEKA TO BURLINGTON LINE AND INCLUDES THE CITIES OF MANHATTAN...JUNCTION CITY...EMPORIA...TOPEKA AND MARYSVILLE. BILLS
Special weather statement, Apr 17, 1:19 PM CDT, 3 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-171915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 117 PM CDT WED APR 17 1991 ...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL KANSAS ARE HEADED FOR NORTHEAST KANSAS... AT 115 PM CDT...ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW MODERATE INTENSITY THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM JUST NORTH OF TOPEKA NORTHWEST TO BLUE RAPIDS WHICH IS ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF MARYSVILLE. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL KANSAS. THESE STORMS EXTENDED FROM AROUND CONCORDIA TO NEAR ABILENE TO ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF WICHITA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE TO THE JUNCTION CITY...MANHATTAN AND COUNCIL GROVEAREAS BY AROUND 2 PM. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...WEST OF A HIAWATHA TO TOPEKA TO BURLINGTON LINE UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING. BILLS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 11:50 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Rice | 55 min |
| Apr 17, 12:02 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | McPherson | 43 min |
| Apr 17, 12:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Cloud, Ottawa | 49 min |
| Apr 17, 1:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Cloud, Republic | 45 min |
| Apr 17, 1:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Geary, Riley | 67 min |
| Apr 17, 1:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Pottawatomie | 67 min |
| Apr 17, 2:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee | 51 min |
| Apr 17, 2:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Riley | 36 min |
| Apr 17, 3:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Wabaunsee | 47 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.