Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 48, NWS Topeka, KS

June 1, 1991Cloud County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 1, 1991, 2:31 PM CDT for Cloud County, Kansas. It was in force for 14 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 1, 1991, 2:31 PM CDT (19:31 UTC)
Expired
Jun 1, 1991, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
14 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Cloud County, KS

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 181 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 1991-06-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3284 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1991-06-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 102 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3284 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
661 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCNK 011932
TORCNK
KSC029-011945-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
231 PM CDT SAT JUN 1 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...EASTERN CLOUD COUNTY
 
AT 229 PM FUNNEL CLOUD WAS JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE IN CONCORDIA MOVING MORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THIS FUNNEL
WAS MOVING TOWARD CLYDE. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM 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.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A STAIRWELL OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
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, Jun 1, 10:45 AM CDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-011630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
1044 AM CDT SAT JUN 1 1991

AT 1040 AM RADAR SHOWED A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES SOUTH
OF GREAT BEND NEAR ST. JOHN MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.  THIS STORM
MAY CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...STRONG WINDS ALONG WITH DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.  THE STORM SHOULD MOVE INTO THE ELLINWOOD AREA BY 1115 AM.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA7 TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!!

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Jun 1, 11:15 AM CDT, 3 hours 16 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-011700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
1114 AM CDT SAT JUN 1 1991

THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING RAPIDY ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL
KANSAS.

AT 1110 AM CDT AN AREA 20 MILES WIDE WAS FROM 20 MLIES SOUTH OF GREAT
BEND TO GREAT BEND TO 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF HAYS NEAR NATOMA.  OTHER
THUNERSTORMS WERE 30 MILES WEST OF SALINA NEAR ELLSWORTH..NEAR OSBORNE
AND FROM SALINA NORTHEAT TO CLAY CENTER.

HEAVY RAIN..HAIL..GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN
BE EXPECTED FROM THESE STORMS.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT
30 MPH.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP MOST ANYPLACE
ACROS CENTRAL AND NORTHCENTRAL KANSAS INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
LLS
Special weather statement, Jun 1, 1:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
KSZ013>016-011930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
130 PM CDT SAT JUN 1 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 464 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8PM CDT FOR
THAT PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS GENERALLY NORTH OF LINE FROM OLATHE TO
JUNCTION CITY. SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE TOPEKA...LAWRENCE
...MANHATTAN...JUNCTION CITY...MARYSVILLE AND ATCHISON.

AT 130PM...NO THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS...
HOWEVER VERY STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WERE BETWEEN MANHATTAN AND
CONCORDIA MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 40 MPH. THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS VERY
UNSTABLE AND HUMID OVER ALL OF NORTHEAST KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON...THUS
STORMS COULD FORM AND BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY.

STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TV FOR LATER INFORMATION.

AKULOW
Special weather statement, Jun 1, 2:21 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
KSZ013>016-012020-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
220 PM CDT SAT JUN 1 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 464 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8PM CDT FOR
THAT PART OF NORTHEAST KANSAS GENERALLY NORTH OF LINE FROM OLATHE TO
JUNCTION CITY. SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE TOPEKA...LAWRENCE
...MANHATTAN...JUNCTION CITY...MARYSVILLE AND ATCHISON.

AT 220PM...NO THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS...
HOWEVER VERY STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WERE LINING UP ACROSS CENTRAL
KANSAS FROM CONCORDIA TO JUST WEST OF SALINA. THIS LINE WAS HEADING
EAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH COULD REACH FROM MARYSVILLE TO JUNCTION CITY BY
ABOUT 330PM TO 4PM.

STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR L{OCAL RADIO AND TV FOR LATER INFORMATION.

AKULOW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 1, 11:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPRussell45 min
Jun 1, 11:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay, Dickinson54 min
Jun 1, 1:12 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPSmith33 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.