Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1993
Tornado Warning 12, NWS Wichita, KS
NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1993, 7:23 PM CDT for Elk County, Kansas. It was in force for 52 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 1993, 7:23 PM CDT (00:23 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1993, 8:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 52 min
- Issued by
- NWS Wichita, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Elk County, KS
The nearest sounding before it
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 180 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
- 543 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 77 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 108 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 KICT 180023 TORICT KSC049-180115- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 723 PM CDT MON MAY 17 1993 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 815 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS ...ELK COUNTY AT 723 PM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 5 MILES WEST OF HOWARD OR 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ELDORADO. PEOPLE IN HOWARD SHOULD GO TO THEIR TORNADO SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A STAIRWELL OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS... OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
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, May 17, 3:39 PM CDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-172145- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 339 PM CDT MON MAY 17 1993 ...TORNADO WATCH # 263 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM FOR PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: HARPER..KINGMAN..RENO.. HARVEY..SEDGWICK..SUMNER AND MARION. AT 330 PM CDT...NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS OCCURING IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. HOWEVER...SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURING IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THE STRONGEST SHOWERS...CAPABLE OF BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTH OF RUSSELL TO 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF RUSSELL. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. THESE SHOWERS ARE PART OF A LARGER AREA OF LIGHT SHOWERS WHICH EXTENDED IN A BAND 60 MILES WIDE...FROM NORTHWEST KANSAS THROUGH CONCORDIA AND INTO NORTHEAST KANSAS. IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS...SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS WERE DEVELOPING BETWEEN CHANUTE AND COFFEYVILLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THE TORNADO WATCH OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS. NOONAN
Special weather statement, May 17, 3:40 PM CDT, 3 hours 43 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-172145- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 339 PM CDT MON MAY 17 1993 ...TORNADO WATCH # 263 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM FOR PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: HARPER..KINGMAN..RENO.. HARVEY..SEDGWICK..SUMNER AND MARION. AT 330 PM CDT...NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS OCCURING IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. HOWEVER...SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURING IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THE STRONGEST SHOWERS...CAPABLE OF BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTH OF RUSSELL TO 30 MILES NORTHEAST OF RUSSELL. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. THESE SHOWERS ARE PART OF A LARGER AREA OF LIGHT SHOWERS WHICH EXTENDED IN A BAND 60 MILES WIDE...FROM NORTHWEST KANSAS THROUGH CONCORDIA AND INTO NORTHEAST KANSAS. IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS...SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS WERE DEVELOPING BETWEEN CHANUTE AND COFFEYVILLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THE TORNADO WATCH OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS. NOONAN
Special weather statement, May 17, 4:38 PM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-172245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 438 PM CDT MON MAY 17 1993 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH # 263 CONTINUES FOR PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... AT 430 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS BEGINNING TO ENTER INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THE STORM WAS LOCATED 20 MILES NORTH OF PRATT. THIS STORM WILL ENTER INTO WESTERN RENO COUNTY...30 MILES WEST OF HUTCHINSON NEAR THE TOWNS OF SYLVIA AND TURON BY 500 PM. IF TREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES MOVE TO A REINFORCED SHELTER UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS NORTH OF A LINE FROM RUSSELL TO MANHATTAN. IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS... SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED AROUND COFFEYVILLE. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY HAVE INCREASED SINCE 330 PM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. NOONAN
Special weather statement, May 17, 4:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-172245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 438 PM CDT MON MAY 17 1993 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH # 263 CONTINUES FOR PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... AT 430 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS BEGINNING TO ENTER INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THE STORM WAS LOCATED 20 MILES NORTH OF PRATT. THIS STORM WILL ENTER INTO WESTERN RENO COUNTY...30 MILES WEST OF HUTCHINSON NEAR THE TOWNS OF SYLVIA AND TURON BY 500 PM. IF TREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES MOVE TO A REINFORCED SHELTER UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS NORTH OF A LINE FROM RUSSELL TO MANHATTAN. IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS... SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED AROUND COFFEYVILLE. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY HAVE INCREASED SINCE 330 PM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. NOONAN
Special weather statement, May 17, 4:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
KSZ009-011-012-014-017-172245- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTION TO HEADLINE. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 438 PM CDT MON MAY 17 1993 ...TORNADO WATCH # 263 CONTINUES FOR PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... AT 430 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS BEGINNING TO ENTER INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THE STORM WAS LOCATED 20 MILES NORTH OF PRATT. THIS STORM WILL ENTER INTO WESTERN RENO COUNTY...30 MILES WEST OF HUTCHINSON NEAR THE TOWNS OF SYLVIA AND TURON BY 500 PM. IF TREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES MOVE TO A REINFORCED SHELTER UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS NORTH OF A LINE FROM RUSSELL TO MANHATTAN. IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS... SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED AROUND COFFEYVILLE. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE SHOWERS. AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY HAVE INCREASED SINCE 330 PM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. NOONAN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Wichita, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 7:08 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Butler | 67 min |
| May 17, 7:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Harper | 60 min |
| May 17, 7:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Cowley | 58 min |
| May 17, 7:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Montgomery | 64 min |
| May 17, 7:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Sumner | 63 min |
| May 17, 8:42 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Cowley | 63 min |
| May 17, 8:46 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Montgomery | 44 min |
| May 17, 9:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Labette | 61 min |
| May 17, 9:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Cherokee | 63 min |
| May 17, 10:01 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ICT | Labette, Montgomery | 29 min |
| May 17, 10:34 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ICT | Montgomery | 4 hr |
| May 18, 12:01 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ICT | Chautauqua | 4 hr |
| May 18, 12:01 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ICT | Cherokee | 4 hr |
| May 18, 2:26 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ICT | Cherokee, Labette | 4 hr |
| May 18, 2:26 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ICT | Chautauqua, Montgomery | 4 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1993Every tornado warning in 1993Tornadoes in 1993
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.