Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 49, NWS Topeka, KS

June 14, 1991Pottawatomie County, Riley County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 14, 1991, 6:25 PM CDT for Pottawatomie County, Riley County, Kansas. It was in force for 35 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
Jun 14, 1991, 6:25 PM CDT (23:25 UTC)
Expired
Jun 14, 1991, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Pottawatomie County, KS, Riley County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 14, 6:35 PM CDTHail 2Riley, KS
Jun 14, 7:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60Riley, 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

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 86 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 1991-06-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2866 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 1991-06-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 145 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
2866 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-171 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1081 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
200 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 KTOP 142326
TORTOP
KSC149-161-150000-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
625 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHEAST KANSAS
 
   ...WESTERN POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY...RILEY COUNTY
 
AT 620 PM THE PUBLIC REPORTED AT TORNADO AT UNIVERSITY PART OR 15 MILES
NORTH OF MANHATTAN. THIS TORNADO SHOULD MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AND CROSS
TUTTLE CREEK LAKE TOWARD OLSBURG AND FOSTORIA BY 700 PM.
 
 
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.

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 14, 4:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-142225-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
432 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 526 IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND
NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 11 PM...

AT 430 PM RADAR SHOWED RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR SALINA
TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF SALINA NEAR MCPHERSON.  ANOTHER ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM
HAD ALSO DEVELOPED RAPIDLY 10 MILES NORTH OF HAYS.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS
MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD NOT BEEN DETERMINED.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!!

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 5:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-142300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
505 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 526 IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND
NORTH-CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 11 PM...

AT 500 PM RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS IN A 15 MILE
MILE WIDE BAND EXTENDING FROM 40 MILES SOUTHEAST AT CONCORDIA NEAR
WAKEFIELD SOUTHWEST TO 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS,HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS
THEY MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG NEAR
GAYLORD TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF PHILLIPSBURG NEAR STOCKTON AND ARE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN, HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE EAST AT
15 MPH. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!!!

SW
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 5:46 PM CDT, 39 minutes before
KSZ006>017-150000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
546 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 1991

AT 530 PM VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN
PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST KANSAS. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 15 MILES
NORTHWEST OF MANHATTAN AND 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF JUNCTION CITY. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND
COULD PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN...INTENSE LIGHTNING AND
HAIL AS THEY MOVE TO ACROSS TUTTLE CREEK LAKE AND VERY NEAR THE
MANHATTAN AREA BY 630 PM.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS TO THE SOUTHWEST OF JUNCTION CITY COULD MOVE
INTO JUCTION CITY AREA BY 630 PM.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN INCREASING IN INTENSIyTY AND SHOULD
THREATENING APPROACH BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY.

CRANDALL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 14, 5:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay36 min
Jun 14, 6:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMarshall, Pottawatomie, Riley41 min
Jun 14, 6:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson57 min
Jun 14, 6:58 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPPottawatomie, Riley32 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.