Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 28, NWS Topeka, KS

April 26, 1991Morris County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 26, 1991, 6:02 PM CDT for Morris County, Kansas. It was in force for 21 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 26, 1991, 6:02 PM CDT (23:02 UTC)
Expired
Apr 26, 1991, 6:23 PM CDT
In force
21 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Morris County, KS

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 94 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 1991-04-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 1991-04-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 507 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
507 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
536 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KTOP 262302
TORTOP
KSC127-262345-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
602 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  645 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...MORRIS COUNTY
 
A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF COUNCIL GROVE AND
WAS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. THIS TORNADO SHOULD
MOVE CLOSE TO COUNCIL GROVE BETWEEN 6 AND 630 PM.
 
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 LOWESTP FLOOR
POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A
STURDIER BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
 
FELDT

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 26, 2:53 PM CDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before
KSZ009-010-011-012-013-014-015-016-017-262100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
252 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS PARTS OF KANSAS PRODUCING UP
TO BASEBALL SIZE HAIL...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL INTO
NORTHEAST KANSAS.

AT 245 PM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL
KANSAS...ROUGHLY FROM CONCORDIA TO SALINA TO WEST OF WICHITA.  SEVERE
STORMS WERE LOCATED JUST EAST OF CONCORDIA AND IN KINGMAN COUNTY...OR
30 MILES SOUTH OF HUTCHINSON.  BASEBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED WITH
THE KINGMAN STORM.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE
NIGHT ACROSS CENTRAL AND EAST KANSAS.  BETWEEN 3 AND 5 PM...THE STORMS
WILL BE CONFINED TO CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS...THEN...AFTER 5
PM...THE STORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO EAST SECTIONS INCLUDING THE TOPEKA
AREA.

PEOPLE IN THIS AREA SHOULD KEEP ALERT ...DONT STRAY TOO FAR FROM A
PROTECTED SHELTER...AND LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

FELDT
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 3:22 PM CDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
KSZ009-010-011-012-013-014-015-016-017-262130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
321 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IS HEADED TOWARDS EMPORIA FROM THE
SOUTHWEST...

AT 315 PM...A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 20 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF EMPORIA ALONG THE KANSAS TURNPIKE IN CHASE COUNTY.  THIS STORM IS
DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AND COULD PRODUCE HAIL.

BETWEEN 315 AND 345 PM...THIS STORM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE RAPIDLY NORTNORTHEAST INTO LYON COUNTY CLOSE TO EMPORIA AND THE COMMUNITY OF
PLYMOUTH.

PEOPLE IN THIS AREA SHOULD KEEP ALERT TO THIS RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER
SITUATION...AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF CONDITIONS WARRENT OR A
WARNING IvS ISSUED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
KANSAS UNTIL 8 PM.

FELDT
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 3:57 PM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
KSZ010-011-012-013-014-015-016-017-262200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
357 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

...A TORNADO WATCH COVERS CENTRAL AND EAST KANSAS...

AT 4 PM...A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED ALONG THE
MORRIS...CHASE...LYON COUNTY BORDERS.  THIS STORM PRODUCED PEA SIZE
HAIL AS IT PASSED DUNLAP...20 MILES NORTHWEST  OF EMPORIA.

BETWEEN 4 AND 430 PM..THIS STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS EAST MORRIS AND WEST
LYON COUNTIES....BETWEEN EMPORIA AND COUNCIL GROVE.

PEOPLE IN THIS AREA SHOULD KEEP ALERT AND LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

FELDT
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 5:16 PM CDT, 46 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-262300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
510 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

AT 516 PM VERY STRONG WINDS OF 70-80 MPH WERE OCCURRING OVER PARTS OF
RUSSELL COUNTY.  THESE WINDS WERE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS
IN THE AREA AND WERE DUE TO THE PASSAGE OF A FRONT IN THE AREA.

PERSONS IN THE WILSON LAKE AREA SHOULD TAKE SHELTER AS THESE WINDS APPROACH
DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF BLOWING DEBRIS.

KLEYLA
Local storm report, Apr 26, 5:33 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
530 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

PARTIAL STORM REPORT..COMPLETE REPORT LATER

AT 3:37 A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 3 MILES WEST OF WASHINGTON IN WASHINGTON
COUNTY..AT 525 PM CDT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED EXTENSIVE
PROPERTY DAMAGE 3 MILES WEST OF WASHINGTON AND NORTH OF HANOVER.  AT
THIS TIME NO REPORTS OF INJURIES OR DEATHS...THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY
A TORNADO.
LS
Special weather statement, Apr 26, 5:49 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-262345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
545 PM CDT FRI APR 26 1991

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PART OF CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL
KANSAS UNTIL 8 PM CDT.

AT 545 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING BRIEF HAVRY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS..
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HAIL WERE NORTHEAST OF CONCORDIA NEAR WASHINGTON
AND NEAR NARKA AND MAHASKA.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDE&RSTROMS WAS FROM WICHITA TO COUNCIL GROVE TO
NORTHWEST OF TOPEKA.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 26, 1:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOttawa65 min
Apr 26, 1:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCloud57 min
Apr 26, 2:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPRepublic45 min
Apr 26, 2:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWashington61 min
Apr 26, 2:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCloud28 min
Apr 26, 3:00 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPWashington45 min
Apr 26, 3:40 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPWashington17 min
Apr 26, 3:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWashington61 min
Apr 26, 4:06 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPLyon, Morris, Wabaunsee39 min
Apr 26, 4:44 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPWabaunsee31 min
Apr 26, 4:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMcPherson24 min
Apr 26, 5:04 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPPottawatomie, Shawnee, Wabaunsee56 min
Apr 26, 5:04 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPJackson56 min
Apr 26, 5:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMorris40 min
Apr 26, 5:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPGeary52 min
Apr 26, 5:28 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPJackson47 min
Apr 26, 5:28 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPShawnee18 min
Apr 26, 5:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMorris50 min
Apr 26, 5:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWabaunsee40 min
Apr 26, 6:16 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPAtchison, Brown, Jackson44 min
Apr 26, 6:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWabaunsee47 min
Apr 26, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Shawnee38 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.