Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 37, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 16, 1991, 1:37 PM CDT for Ellsworth County, Kansas. It was in force for 53 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 16, 1991, 1:37 PM CDT (18:37 UTC)
- Expired
- May 16, 1991, 2:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 53 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Ellsworth County, KS
The nearest sounding before it
Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 180 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
- 1548 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -120 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 947 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 22 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 23 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 161838 TORCNK KSC053-161930- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 137 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 230 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN CENTRAL KANSAS ...ELLSWORTH COUNTY AT 135 PM CDT...THE ELLSWORTH SHERRIF REPORTED POSSIBLE TORNADOS 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF GREAT BEND NEAR LORRAINE. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE NEAR ELLSWORTH BY 2PM. IF YOU ARE NEAR THIS STORM 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. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LASTv RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. 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, May 16, 12:40 PM CDT, 57 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-161830- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 1239 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH #342 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR OZBORNE...SMITH...RUSSELL... AND BARTON COUNTIES OF CENTRAL AND NORTHCENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 8PM TONIGHT... AT 1235PM...RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS...THAT WAS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING AND EXTENDED FROM 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON...TO NEAR GOODLAND KANSAS. THEY WERE MOVING NORTH-NO_RTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...HIGH WINDS...AND POSSIBLE TORNADOS. STAY AWARE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS IN YOUR AREA AND LISTEN TO RADIO OR T.V. FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. JF
Special weather statement, May 16, 1:08 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-161915- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 107 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 AT 105PM CDT...RADAR SHOWED DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF GREAT BEND NEAR OLMITZ AND 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GREAT BEND. THESE THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL AND WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 30 MPH. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR BARTON...RUSSELL...OSBORNE AND SMITH COUNTIES UNTIL 8PM TONIGHT. IF YOU ARE IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA STAY AWARE OF CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. JF
The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Russell | 44 min |
| May 16, 2:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Ottawa | 25 min |
| May 16, 3:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Lincoln, Mitchell, Osborne | 33 min |
| May 16, 3:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Cloud | 50 min |
| May 16, 3:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Russell | 28 min |
| May 16, 4:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Clay | 46 min |
| May 16, 4:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Washington | 52 min |
| May 16, 4:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Cloud | 46 min |
| May 16, 5:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Washington | 31 min |
| May 16, 5:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Barton | 33 min |
| May 16, 5:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Barton | 48 min |
| May 16, 5:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Marshall | 42 min |
| May 16, 5:49 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Russell | 41 min |
| May 16, 6:28 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Barton, Ellsworth, Rice | 47 min |
| May 16, 6:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Russell | 43 min |
| May 16, 6:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Lincoln | 43 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.