Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 38, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 16, 1991, 2:46 PM CDT for Russell County, Kansas. It was in force for 44 min. 2 reports 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
- May 16, 1991, 2:46 PM CDT (19:46 UTC)
- Expired
- May 16, 1991, 3:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 44 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Russell County, KS
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 3:35 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Russell, KS | |
| May 16, 3:40 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Russell, 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
Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 161 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 161946 TORCNK KSC167-162030- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 246 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN CENTRAL KANSAS ...RUSSELL COUNTY AT 245PM...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF RUSSELL MOVING NORTH AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR WALDO AND LUARY BY 310PM. TAKE COVER IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM. 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.
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, 2 hours 6 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, 1 hour 38 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
Special weather statement, May 16, 2:34 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-162030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 232 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 345 IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS TILL 9 PM THIS EVENING. AT 230 PM A SHOWERS WAS LOCATED 20 MILES SOUTH OF OTTAWA OVER SOUTHEASTERN ANDERSON COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOLPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS. BE ALERT IF SEVERE WEATHER IS INDICATED BE PREPARTED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFTEY. RWC
Special weather statement, May 16, 2:39 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-162045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 238 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND NORTHCENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 8PM CDT TONIGHT... AT 236PM...AN AREA OF RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL WERE LOCATED MOSTLY WEST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF CONCORDIA NEAR MANKATO...TO JUST WEST OF SALINA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF SALINA AND 50 MILES WEST OF CONCORDIA NEAR HARLAN. THESE STORMS WERE ALL MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH. STAY AWARE AND ALERT AND STAY UP WITH CURRENT WEATHER INFORMATION. LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS. JF
The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 1:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Ellsworth | 53 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.