Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Topeka, KS

June 15, 1992Osborne County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 15, 1992, 5:15 PM CDT for Osborne County, Kansas. It was in force for 45 min. 3 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 15, 1992, 5:15 PM CDT (22:15 UTC)
Expired
Jun 15, 1992, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Osborne County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 15, 5:17 PM CDTHail 1.5Osborne, KS
Jun 15, 5:51 PM CDTTornado F0Osborne, KS
Jun 15, 5:51 PM CDTTornado F1Osborne, 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

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 201 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1992-06-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 734 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1992-06-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 340 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
734 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-501 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1565 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
340 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
307 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCNK 152216
TORCNK
KSC141-152300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
515 PM CDT MON JUN 15 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...OSBORNE COUNTY
 
AT 513 PM CDT OSBORNE COUNTY SHERIFF CONTINUES TO REPORT A TORNADO NEAR
ALTON OR 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG AND MOVING TO THE EAST
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. PERSONS IN THE BLOOMINGTON AND OSBORNE AREAS MAY BE
AFFECTED BY THIS STORM BY 530 PM CDT.
 
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 IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE ChAR 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.
PACKETT

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 15, 11:24 AM CDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
KSZ013>016-152300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST KANSAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1123 AM CDT MON JUN 15 1992

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST KANSAS:

ANDERSON     DOUGLAS      JEFFERSON     NEMAHA          SHAWNEE
ATCHISON     FRANKLIN     LYON          OSAGE           WABAUNSEE
BROWN        GEARY        MARSHALL      POTTAWATOMIE
COFFEY       JACKSON      MORRIS        RILEY

A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS COVERS NORTHEAST KANSAS AT LATE MORNING.
SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MORE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR
INTO NORTHEAST KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. A BOUNDRY LAY FROM JUST NORTH
OF SALINA TO JUST SOUTHEAST OF EMPORIA. AN UPPER LEVEL JET STREAM
OVER NORTHERN KANSAS WILL COMBINE WITH THE MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS
TO INITATE STORNG THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

IT IS LIKELY THAT SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER...AND SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THIS
AFTERNOON OR EVENING.

WOYNICK
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 1:12 PM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before
KSZALL-152200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
112 PM CDT MON JUN 15 1992

SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES REMAIN A STRONG POSSIBILITY THROUGH MUCH
OF KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

THE AREA WITH THE HIGHEST RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS CENTRAL AND
EASTERN KANSAS. IN GENERAL TERMS...THE RISK AREA IS EAST OF LINE FROM
GOODLAND TO DODGE CITY...AND WEST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE FROM TOPEKA
TO WICHITA.

ALTHOUGH NO TORNADO AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES ARE YET IN EFFECT
AT 1PM FOR KANSAS, THEY ARE LIKELY BY MID AFTERNOON.

ALL PERSONS ACROSS KANSAS...ESPECIALLY CENTRAL AND EASTERN SECTIONS...
SHOULD REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES...KNOW WHERE TO SEEK SHELTER
FROM DANGEROUS WEATHER AND KEEP TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO
AND TV FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER
SITUATION.

AKULOW
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 3:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
KSZ013>016-152200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
354 PM CDT MON JUN 15 1992

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM FOR A SMALL PART OF NORTHEAST
KANSAS. THE WATCH COVERS RILEY...GEARY AND MORRIS COUNTIES WHICH
INCLUDES THE MANHATTAN...JUNCTION CITY AND COUNCIL GROVE AREAS.

THE WATCH ALSO EXTENDS INTO CENTRAL KANSAS.

SHORTLY BEFORE 4PM...NO THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED ACROSS
NORTHEAST KANSAS. HOWEVER THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS VERY UNSTABLE
AND HUMID. THUS STORMS COULD DEVELOP RAPIDLY AND BECOME SEVERE
IN A SHORT TIME.

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

AKULOW
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 4:51 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
KSZ013>016-152300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
452 PM CDT MON JUN 15 1992

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM FOR A SMALL PART OF NORTHEAST
KANSAS. THE WATCH COVERS RILEY...GEARY AND MORRIS COUNTIES WHICH
INCLUDES THE MANHATTAN...JUNCTION CITY AND COUNCIL GROVE AREAS.

THE WATCH ALSO EXTENDS INTO CENTRAL KANSAS.

SHORTLY BEFORE 5PM...NO THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED ACROSS
NORTHEAST KANSAS. HOWEVER THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS VERY UNSTABLE
AND HUMID. THUS STORMS COULD DEVELOP RAPIDLY AND BECOME SEVERE
IN A SHORT TIME.

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

AKULOW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 15, 9:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWabaunsee60 min
Jun 15, 10:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPLyon, Osage36 min
Jun 15, 3:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsborne63 min
Jun 15, 4:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPSmith39 min
Jun 15, 4:29 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPOsborne46 min
Jun 15, 5:56 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPMitchell, Osborne64 min
Jun 15, 6:58 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPMitchell62 min
Jun 15, 6:58 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPOsborne31 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes 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.