Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 41, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 16, 1991, 6:28 PM CDT for Barton County, Ellsworth County, Rice County, Kansas. It was in force for 47 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, 6:28 PM CDT (23:28 UTC)
- Expired
- May 16, 1991, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 47 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Barton County, KS, Ellsworth County, KS, Rice County, KS
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 6:28 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Barton, KS | |
| May 16, 6:45 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Rice, 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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 156 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 162328 TORCNK KSC009-053-159-170015- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 628 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN CENTRAL KANSAS ...EASTERN BARTON COUNTY...WESTERN ELLSWORTH COUNTY ...NORTHWESTERN RICE COUNTY AT 625PM...THE BARTON COUNTY SHERRIFF REPORTED A TORNADO ON THE GROUND JUST NORTH OF ELLINWOOD OR 10 MILES EAST OF GREAT BEND...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE IN THE BUSTON AREA BY 645PM. 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...SEEFK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. JF
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, 2:39 PM CDT, 3 hours 49 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
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:05 PM CDT, 3 hours 23 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-162100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 303 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 345 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS TILL 9 PM. AT 255 PM SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM 5 TO 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OTTAWA. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. OTHER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS MOVING TO THE NORTH. VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP ANYPLACE OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BE PREPARED SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER BE INDICATED. RWC
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:40 PM CDT, 2 hours 48 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-162145- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 339 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 345 FOR MUCH OF THE WESTERN PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS TILL 9 PM. NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN NORTHEAST KANSAS BETWEEN 230 AND 330 PM. AT 330 PM A VERY STRONG THUNDESTORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF OTTAWA IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF MIAMI COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MILE AN HOUR. VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS ABOUT 15 MILES EAST OF CHANUTE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. OTHER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LCOATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 MEILES AN HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. BE ALERT FOR SEVERE CONDITIONS. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOW 60S. RWC
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:04 PM CDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-162200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 403 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 TORNADO WATCH FOR THE WESTERN PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS TILL 9 PM. NO SEVERE WEATEHR HAS BEEN REPORTED IN NORTHEAST KANSAS BETWEEN 300 AND 400 PM. AT 355 PM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED NEAR OLATHE. A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR FORT SCOTT IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AROUND 20 MILES AN HOUR. A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED SOUTHEAST OF CONCORDIA IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER ALL OF NORTHEAST KANSAS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. BE ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOW 60S. RWC
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:06 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-162200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 403 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 TORNADO WATCH FOR THE WESTERN PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS TILL 9 PM. NO SEVERE WEATEHR HAS BEEN REPORTED IN NORTHEAST KANSAS BETWEEN 300 AND 400 PM. AT 355 PM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED NEAR OLATHE. A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR FORT SCOTT IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AROUND 20 MILES AN HOUR. A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED SOUTHEAST OF CONCORDIA IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER ALL OF NORTHEAST KANSAS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. BE ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOW 60S. RWC
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-162245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 439 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 345 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEASTERN PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN NORTHEAST KANSAS BETWEEN 330 AND 430 PM. AT 430 PM VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE REPORTED NORTHEAST OF FORT SCOT MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. ANOTHER VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED 10 TO 15 MILES EAST OF CONCORDIA IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER ALL OF NORTHEAST KANSAS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. BE ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOW 60S. RWC
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, 2:46 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, 6:32 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.