Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 31, NWS Topeka, KS

July 24, 1992Smith County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Jul 24, 1992, 7:44 PM CDT for Smith County, Kansas. It was in force for 31 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
Jul 24, 1992, 7:44 PM CDT (00:44 UTC)
Expired
Jul 24, 1992, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Smith County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 24, 7:50 PM CDTHail 1Smith, 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

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 214 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 1992-07-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1586 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 1992-07-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 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
1586 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1469 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCNK 250045
TORCNK
KSC183-250115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
744 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CONCORDIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...NORTHERN SMITH COUNTY
 
AT 741PM...SPOTTERS REPORTED A POSSIBLE TORNADO ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHEAST
OF PHILLISBURG OR ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF SMITH CENTER NEAR HIGHWAY
EIGHT. IT WAS MOVING SLOWLY EAST AT AND WILL PASS OVER OPEN COUNTRY IN
NORTHERN SMITH COUNTY. RURAL PEOPLE OVER NORTHERN SMITH COUNTY SHOULD
KEEP AN EYE ON THIS STORM AND GET TO SAFE SHELTER IF IT APPROACHES YOU.
 
 
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.

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, Jul 24, 5:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-242345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
545 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 1992

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #677 IS IN EFFECT FOR SMITH...JEWELL...
REPUBLIC AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL 11PM THIS EVENING...

AT 545PM...RADAR SHOWED A THUNDERSTORM JUST NORTH OF THE NEBRASKA BORDER
ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF NORTH BRANCH OR ABOUT 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF
PHILLIPSBURG. THIS STORM SHOULD STAY IN NEBRASKA AS IT HEADS EAST
NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THE NORTH BRANCH AREA MAY GET SOME RAIN AND HERE
THUNDER FROM THE STORM BY 6PM.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER WESTERN KANSAS INTO SOUTHCENTRAL NEBRASKA.
THESE WERE NORTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM NEAR HILL CITY TO NEAR RED CLOUD
NEBRASKA TO BEATRICE NEBRASKA.

LISTEN FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THESE STORMS.
...JF...
Special weather statement, Jul 24, 6:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
KSZ013>016-250030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
627 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 1992

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 677 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM FOR
MARSHALL...NEMAHA...AND BROWN COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST KANSAS...

AT 625PM NO PRECIPITATION WAS INDICATED ON RADAR IN NORTHEAST KANSAS.
HOWEVER, THUNDERSTORMS WERE JUST NORTH OF THE BORDER IN NEBRASKA.  THESE
COULD MOVE INTO NORTHERN BROWN AND NORTHERN NEMAHA COUNTIES NORTH OF
HIAWATHA AND SENECA BY 730 PM.

TEMPERATURES AROUND 90 DEGREES AND A HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY HAVE RAISED
THE HEAT INDEX TO AROUND 100 DEGREES.  AFTER SUNSET, TEMPERATURES WILL
FALL AND REACH THE MID 80S BY MIDNIGHT ON THE WAY TO A SUNRISE LOW OF
70 TO 75.
LWS
Special weather statement, Jul 24, 6:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-250030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
632 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 1992

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE APPROACHING NORTHWEST SMITH COUNTY...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #677 IS IN EFFECT FOR SMITH...JEWELL...
REPUBLIC AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL 11PM THIS EVENING...

AT 630PM...A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL WAS
ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAS0T
NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL GET INTO NORTHWEST SMITH COUNTY...TO THE
NORTH OF KENSINGTON BY 7PM.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES GET TO SAFE SHELTER.

JF
Special weather statement, Jul 24, 7:10 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
KSZ007-008-010-011-250030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONCORDIA KS
709 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 1992

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL CLIP THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SMITH COUNTY
BY 730PM...

AT 705PM...RADAR SHOWED A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL
ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF PHILLIPSBURG OR ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF
KENSINGTON. IT WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND SHOULD MAKE IT INTO
NEBRASKA BY 730PM.

PEOPLE IN THE NORJTHWEST CORNER OF SMITH COUNTY SHOULD KEEP AN EYE ON THIS
STORM AND MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE UNTIL IT PASSES.

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #677 IS IN EFFECT FOR SMITH...JEWELL...
REPUBLIC AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL 11PM THIS EVENING...

JF
Special weather statement, Jul 24, 7:29 PM CDT, 15 minutes before
KSZ013>016-250130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
629 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 1992

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 677 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM FOR
MARSHALL...NEMAHA...AND BROWN COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST KANSAS...

AT 625PM RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM 55 MILES NORTHEAST OF MANHATTAN
OR JUST NORTHEAST OF ST BENEDICT IN NORTHWEST NEMAHA COUNTY.  ANOTHER
THUNDERSTORM WAS 65 MILES NORTH OF TOPEKA NEAR THE TOWN OF RESERVE IN
NORTHERN BROWN COUNTY.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE SOME WIND GUSTS
TO 30 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE TO THE EAST ABOUT 10 MPH.
PEOPLE IN NORTHERN NEMAHA AND BROWN COUNTIES NORTH OF HIAWATHA AND SENECA
SHOULD STAY ALERT AND GO, TO SAFE COVER IF ANY SEVERE WEATHER IS SEEN OR
REPORTED IN YOUR AREA.

TEMPERATURES WILL FALL AFTER SUNSET TO THE MID 80S BY MIDNIGHT ON THE
WAY TO A SUNRISE LOW OF 70 TO 75.
LWS
Special weather statement, Jul 24, 7:30 PM CDT, 14 minutes before
KSZ013>016-250130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR TIMES...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
729 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 1992

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 677 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM FOR
MARSHALL...NEMAHA...AND BROWN COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST KANSAS...

AT 725PM RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM 55 MILES NORTHEAST OF MANHATTAN
OR JUST NORTHEAST OF ST BENEDICT IN NORTHWEST NEMAHA COUNTY.  ANOTHER
THUNDERSTORM WAS 65 MILES NORTH OF TOPEKA NEAR THE TOWN OF RESERVE IN
NORTHERN BROWN COUNTY.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE SOME WIND GUSTS
TO 30 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE TO THE EAST ABOUT 10 MPH.
PEOPLE IN NORTHERN NEMAHA AND BROWN COUNTIES NORTH OF HIAWATHA AND SEN.ECA
SHOULD STAY ALERT AND GO TO SAFE COVER IF ANY SEVERE WEATHER IS SEEN OR
REPORTED IN YOUR AREA.

TEMPERATURES WILL FALL AFTER SUNSET TO THE MID 80S BY MIDNIGHT ON THE
WAY TO A SUNRISE LOW OF 70 TO 75.
LWS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 25, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWashington60 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.