Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 46, NWS Topeka, KS

May 29, 1991Russell County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 29, 1991, 6:08 PM CDT for Russell County, Kansas. It was in force for 52 min. 3 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 29, 1991, 6:08 PM CDT (23:08 UTC)
Expired
May 29, 1991, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Russell County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 29, 6:25 PM CDTHail 1.75Russell, KS
May 29, 6:55 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61Russell, KS
May 29, 7:08 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 80Russell, 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, 11.1 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1991-05-29Temperature 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1991-05-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2331 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
72 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 KCNK 292309
TORCNK
KSC167-300000-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
608 PM CDT WED MAY 29 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...RUSSELL COUNTY
 
AT 606 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 25 MILES EAST OF HAYES OR
5 MILES NORTH OF RUSSELL MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THIS TORNADO MAY
BE NEAR LURAY BY 620 PM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM TAKE COVER NOW!!
CAMPERS IN THE WILSON LAKE AREA TAKE COVER NOW!!
 
 
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.
 
KLEYLA

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 29, 2:48 PM CDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-292030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
248 PM CDT WED MAY 29 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 426 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM FOR ALL OF CENTRAL
AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS...

AT 245 PM THUNDERSTORM CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...GUSTY
WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING FROM 25 MILES MILES NORTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON
NEAR LITTLE RIVER AND 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON JUST NORTH OF
NICKERSON.

TGHE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE ANY WHERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, May 29, 3:21 PM CDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-292120-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
321 PM CDT WED MAY 29 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 426 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM FOR ALL OF CENTRAL
AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS...

AT 320 PM THUNDERSTORM CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...GUSTY
WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING FROM 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SALINA NEAR FALUN
AND 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF HUTCHINSON NEAR INMAN.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE ANY WHERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, May 29, 3:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
KSZ013>016-292200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
342 PM CDT WED MAY 29 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 426 IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN
PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS TILL 9 PM THIS EVENING. AT 345 PM NO
THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN NORTHEAST KANSAS...HOWEVER CONDITIONS
REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPEMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS. PERSONS SHOULD
BE ALERT FOR THREATENING CONDITIONS.

RWC
Special weather statement, May 29, 4:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-292230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
425 PM CDT WED MAY 29 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 426 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM FOR ALL OF CENTRAL
AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS...

AT 425 PM THUNDERSTORM CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...GUSTY
WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WERE 30 MILES WEAT OF SALINA NEAR ELLSWORTH
20 MILES SOUTH OF SALINA NEAR LINDSBORG.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THE ATMOSPHERE OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS IS VERY UNSTABLE AND
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE ANYWHERE ACROSS THE AREA
INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

LLS
Special weather statement, May 29, 4:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
KSZ013>016-292300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
450 PM CDT WED MAY 29 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 426 IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN
PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS TILL 9 PM THIS EVENING. AT 445 PM NO
THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN NORTHEAST KANSAS...HOWEVER CONDITIONS
REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS. PERSONS SHOULD
BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY IN THE WATCH
AREA.

KAYS
Special weather statement, May 29, 5:49 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
KSZ013>016-300000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
550 PM CDT WED MAY 29 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 426 IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN
PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS TILL 9 PM THIS EVENING. AT 545 PM NO
THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN NORTHEAST KANSAS...HOWEVER CONDITIONS
REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS. PERSONS SHOULD
BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY IN THE WATCH
ARqEA.

KAYS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 28, 10:51 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPSmith54 min
May 28, 11:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsborne46 min
May 29, 12:46 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPRussell4 hr
May 29, 5:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBarton, Russell66 min
May 29, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsborne65 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.