Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1992

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Wichita, KS

March 17, 1992Harvey County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 17, 1992, 5:01 PM CST for Harvey County, Kansas. It was in force for 49 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
Mar 17, 1992, 5:01 PM CST (23:01 UTC)
Expired
Mar 17, 1992, 5:50 PM CST
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Harvey County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 17, 5:30 PM CSTHail 1.75Harvey, 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, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 188 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 1992-03-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 147 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 1992-03-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 60 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
147 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-226 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
649 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 172304
SVRICT
KSC079-180000-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
501 PM CST TUE MAR 17 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...HARVEY COUNTY
 
AT 500 PM CST...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN
SOUTHWEST HARVEY COUNTY 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HUTCHINSON OR NEAR
PATTERSON. IT WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. IT WILL AFFECT THE CITY
OF HALSTED AROUND 530 PM AND ZIMMERDALE AROUND 545 PM. PEOPLE IN THE
PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD TAKE COVER NOW.
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM FOR
SOUTHCENTRAL COUNTY.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY... SO
DON'T DRIVE ONTO WATER-COVERED ROADS.
 
STEWART

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Mar 17, 11:05 AM CST, 5 hours 56 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-180500-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KANSAS
1105 AM CST TUE MAR 17 1992

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS:

BUTLER        HARPER        MARION        SUMNER
CHASE         HARVEY        RENO
COWLEY        KINGMAN       SEDGWICK

AND IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS:

ALLEN         CHEROKEE      GREENWOOD     NEOSHO
BOURBON       CRAWFORD      LABETTE       WILSON
CHAUTAUQUA    ELK           MONTGOMERY    WOODSON

SYNOPSIS:  A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
...COMBINED WITH AN INCREASINGLY MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL PROVIDE
THE INGREDIENTS FOR AN ACTIVE THUNDERSTORM DAY TODAY.  SOME OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LEVELS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...BUT PRIMARILY SOUTH OF WICHITA.

THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS MORNING WAS PRETTY MUCH JUST NUISANCE
ACTIVITY.  THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF A
DRYLINE LOCATED OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AT LATE MORNING.  THE DRYLINE
IS PROJECTED TO REACH SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS BY LATE AFTERNOON.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BY LATE AFTERNOON IN EXTREME SOUTH
CENTRAL KANSAS.

HEDGES
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 11:18 AM CST, 5 hours 43 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-171800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1115 AM CST TUE MAR 17 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE HEADING FOR EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS...

AT 1110 AM...RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS INTENSIFYING OVER EXTREME
NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA...MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CLIP THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST CORNER OF KANSAS...IN
THE BAXTER SPRINGS...GALENA AREA DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN BE
EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE OUT OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS BY NOON.

HEDGES
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 2:32 PM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-172145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
230 PM CST TUE MAR 17 1992

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
UNTIL 8 PM...

CONDITIONS FAVORING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE
COME TOGETHER OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

AT 225 PM...THE WICHITA RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER
NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA.  THIS IS WHERE POTENTIAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
EXPECTED TO BEGIN.  NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS YET BEEN REPORTED...BUT UNDER
THESE CONDITIONS...THE SITUATION CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY.

AN ISOLATED LIGHT RAINSHOWER REMAINED OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS NEAR CHANUT|E.

REMAIN ALERT AND STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION...AND NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.
                                                                 .
HEDGES
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 3:13 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-172215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
312 PM CST TUE MAR 17 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS...

AT 310 PM...RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN
SOUTHEASTERN CHASE COUNTY...OR 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF EMPORIA.  THIS
THUNDERSTORM WAS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BREIF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL
HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.  THE STORM WAS
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  MOTORIST ALONG THE KANSAS TURNPIKE
SOUTHWEST OF EMPORIA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND
NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA.  THIS ACTIVITY WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INTO SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS AROUND 5 PM.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 78 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS UNTIL 8 PM.

HEDGES
Special weather statement, Mar 17, 3:49 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-172245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
347 PM CST TUE MAR 17 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTH KANSAS...

AT 330 PM...RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING
OVER SOUTHWEST KANSAS.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF PRATT.  THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL...
GUSTY WINDS...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO DEVELOPING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...
20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF EMPORIA...AND 20 MILES SOUTH OF EMPORIA.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

MOTORISTS ALONG THE KANSAS TURNPIKE BETWEEN MATFIELD GREEN AND EMPORIA
SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO TO THE NORTH AT 20 MILES PER HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS...AND NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH  REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL KANSAS.

HEDGES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 17, 4:17 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman53 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1992Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1992

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.