Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 50, NWS Topeka, KS

June 14, 1991Pottawatomie County, Riley County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 14, 1991, 6:58 PM CDT for Pottawatomie County, Riley County, Kansas. It was in force for 32 min. 1 report 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, 6:58 PM CDT (23:58 UTC)
Expired
Jun 14, 1991, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Pottawatomie County, KS, Riley County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
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, 12.0 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 150000 RRA
TORTOP
KSC149-161-150030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
658 PM CDT FRI JUN 14 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHEAST KANSAS
 
   ...POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY...EASTERN RILEY COUNTY
 
NUMEROUS FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM THUNDERSTORMS
AROUND MANHATTEN BETWEEN 645 PM AND 7 PM. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX IS MOVING TOWARD THE
WESTMORELAND AND FLUSH AREA IN POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY. THEY WILL ALSO PASS
ACROSS THE TUTTLE CREEK RESERVOIR.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PA#TH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO
TO A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A
TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

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, 2 hours 25 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 52 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, 1 hour 12 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
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 6:49 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
KSC117-149-161-150045-

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

A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM THIS FRIDAY EVENING FOR
WESTERN POTTAWATOMIE AND RILEY COUNTIES. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
FOR SOUTHERN MARSHALL AND NORTHWEST POTTAWATOMIE COUNTIES EXPIRED AT
645 PM.

AT 635 PM RILEY COUNTY SPOTTERS HAD OBSERVED FUNNELS CLOUD ALOFT ABOUT
10 TO 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF MANHATTEN. THESE FUNNELS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH
THUNDERSTORMS IN RILEY AND WESTERN POTTAWATOMIE COUNTIES.

THE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH BUT
SEEM TO BE REDEVELOPING FURTHER SOUTH IN RILEY COUNTY.  PERSONS IN ALL
OF RILEY AND ADJACENT COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR SEVERE WEATHER DURING
THE EARLY EVENING HOURS.

KML

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, 6:25 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPPottawatomie, Riley35 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.