Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 53, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Aug 16, 1991, 4:52 PM CDT for McPherson County, Kansas. It was in force for 30 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
- Aug 16, 1991, 4:52 PM CDT (21:52 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 16, 1991, 5:22 PM CDT
- In force
- 30 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County McPherson County, KS
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 5:05 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Mcpherson, KS | |
| Aug 16, 5:10 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 52 | Mcpherson, 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, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 187 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1151 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -63 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -221 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 162152 TORCNK KSC113-162245- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 452 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 545 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN CENTRAL KANSAS ...MCPHERSON COUNTY AT 450PM...A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY SPOTTERS 8 MILES WEST OF MCPHERSON...NEAR CONWAY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. IF YOU LIVE IN CONWAY OR MCPHERSON TAKE COVER. 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...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT..w.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, Aug 16, 1:39 PM CDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-161945- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 138 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 1991 AT 135 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 MILES WIDE EXTENDING FROM 60 MILES EAST OF CONCORDIA TO 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CONCORDIA...NEAR WAKEFIELD TO SALINA TO 25 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF SALINA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR SALINA AND 25 MILES WEST SOUTH- WEST OF SALINA NEAR CARNEIRO. BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...DEADLY LIGHTNING... GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE STRONGER THUNDER- STORMS AS THEY MOVE TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. SW
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 2:24 PM CDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-162030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 223 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 1991 AT 220 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 MILES WIDE EXTENDING FROM NEAR JUNCTION CITY SOUTHWEST TO 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SALINA TO 20 MILES SOUTH OF SALINA NEAR LINDSBORG. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 5 MILES WEST AND 5 MILES EAST OF LINDSBORG. BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...GUSTY WIND$S AND POSSIBLE HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS AS THE MOVE TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. SW
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 2:31 PM CDT, 2 hours 21 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-162030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 231 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 1991 THE LEADING EDGE OF AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 30 MILES WIDE EXTENDED FROM JUST WEST OF ST JOSEPH MISSOURI TO ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF TOPEKA...NEAR ROSSVILLE TO COUNCIL GROVE OR ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TOPEKA AT 210 PM CDT. SOME GUSTY WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS WERE POSSIBLE WITH A FEW OF THE STORMS. AT 210 PM STRONGEST STORMS WERE NEAR SENECA...ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH OF TOPEKA AND NEAR ALMA OR 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF TOPEKA. PARALLEL ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF MANHATTAN REPORTED /.77/ OF RAINFALL IN A SHORT TIME AROUND 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON. THE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AT ABOUT 25 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR. CURRENT MOVEMENT WOULD HAVE THE STORMS GOING THROUGH ATCHISON AND TOPEKA BETWEEN 230 PM AND 330 PM AND POSSIBLY IN THE EMPORIA VICINITY BETWEEN 330 AND 4 PM. THE CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION WILL KEEP AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE 80S BUT THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD DROP SOME READINGS BACK INTO THE 70S. THIS EVENING WILL FIND A CONTINUE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS WITH TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE 70S AT EARLY EVENING. FRANTZ
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 3:16 PM CDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
KSZ013-014-015-016-162115- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 316 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 1991 ...THUNDERSTORMS SHOWING A DECREASE IN INTENSITY OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS... A 30 TO 40 MILE BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHEAST KANSAS AT ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR. FOR THE MOST PART THE AREA HAS SHOWN A DECREASE IN INTENSITY BETWEEN 230 AND 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON. JUST BEFORE 3 PM CDT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SHOWERS EXTENDED FROM LEAVENWORTH TO NEAR LAWRENCE TO JUST NORTH OF EMPORIA. STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST TO THE NORTH OF HIAWATHA...ABOUT 60 MILES NORTH OF TOPEKA NEAR THE NEBRASKA BORDER. THE CLOUDS WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES IN THE 80S OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON WHILE IN THE VICINITY OF THE SHOWERS TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE 70S FOR A TIME. THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS WITH EVENING TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S. EXCEPT STRONGER NEAR THUNDERSTORMS...WINDS INTO THE EVENING HOURS WILL BE FROM THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 20 MPH FRANTZ
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 3:41 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-162130- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 340 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 1991 AT 335 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING LOCATED 30 MILES NORTH OF CONCORDIA ON THE KANSAS...NEBRASKA BORDER AND WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SALINA AND 20 MILES SOUTH OF SALINA...JUST WEST OF LINDSBORG. TH4ESE STORMS ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE SOUTH- EAST AT 30 MPH. SW
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 4:28 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-162230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS 427 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 1991 AT 420 PM...RADAR SHOWED A THUNDERSTORM 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SALINA OR 10 MILES NORBTHWEST OF MCPHERSON. THIS STORM CONTAINS TORRENTIAL RAINS AND POSSIBLY HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. IT WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL BE NEAR MCPHERSON BY 5PM. IF YOU ARE IN THE MCPHERSON AREA BE AWARE OF THIS STORM. JF
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.