Alert archive / Kansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1994

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Wichita, KS

April 21, 1994Elk County, Wilson County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this flash flood warning at Apr 21, 1994, 5:38 PM CDT for Elk County, Wilson County, Kansas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 21, 1994, 5:38 PM CDT (22:38 UTC)
Expired
Apr 21, 1994, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Elk County, KS, Wilson County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:38 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 1994-04-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 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 1994-04-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 93 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
619 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
93 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
307 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 212239
FFWICT
KSC049-205-211445-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
538 PM CDT THU APR 21 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS
 
   ...ELK COUNTY...WILSON COUNTY
 
SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO BE OBSERVED ON RADAR FROM 10
MILES SOUTH OF EUREKA...OR 20 MILES EAST OF EL DORARO...TO 10 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF CHANTUE.
 
RADAR PRECIPITATION ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT BETWEEN TWO AND THREE INCHES
OF RAIN FELL FROM THESE STORMS IN AN HOUR'S TIME.  TRAINED OBSERVERS
REPORTED 2 1/2 INCHES OF RAIN IN FALL RIVER IN SOUTHERN GREENWOOD
COUNTY.
 
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR AND
WILL LIKELY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING IN ELK AND WILSON COUNTIES INCLUDING
HOWARD AND FREDONIA.
 
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURnRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES... DIPS... OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM... EVEN A SMALL
ONE... ON FOOT.
 
HYSELL
 
&

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Apr 21, 12:22 PM CDT, 5 hours 16 minutes before
KSZ032-033-047>053-067>073-082-083-091>101-220600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KANSAS
1223 PM CDT THU APR 21 1994

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN CENTRAL KANSAS:

BARTON      COWLEY      HARVEY      MARION      RENO        SEDGWICK
BUTLER      ELLSWORTH   KINGMAN     MC PHERSON  RUSSELL     SUMNER
CHASE       HARPER      LINCOLN     RICE        SALINE

AND IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS:

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

SYNOPSIS:

AT MIDDAY...A COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM A LOW NORTH OF WICHITA TO NEAR
JOPLIN MISSOURI.  WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF THIS FRONT.
AS THE FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH SOUTH TODAY...SOME THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.  THE BEST
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WOULD BE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM COFFEYVILLE TO
ELDORADO TO HUTCHINSON.  SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE SOME SMALL
HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

HOWERTON
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 3:31 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
KSZ052-053-070-071-072-095-096-100-212130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
329 PM CDT THU APR 21 1994

AT 325 PM..RADAR INDCATED AN 80 MILE LONG LINE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. THE LINE EXTENDED FROM 20 MILES EAST OF MCPHERSON NEAR
HILLSBORO...TO CHANUTE. THE LINE WAS 20 MILES WIDE MOVING EAST AT 20
MILES AN HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE CHANUTE...IOLA AREA BY 345
PM AND IN THE MARION...EUREKA AREA BY 335 PM.x YOU CAN EXPECT HEAVY RAINS
AND PEA SIZE HAIL.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES GO TO A SAFE PLACE AND STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.

LFW
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 4:58 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
KSZ052-053-067-068-069-082-083-091-092-093-212300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
456 PM CDT THU APR 21 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE RUMBLING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

AT 450 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A 30 MILE WIDE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM NEAR RAGO...OR 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF MEDICINE LODGE...OR
15 MILES NORTH OF EL DORADO.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR...AND ARE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND TORRENTIAL RAINS.

SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WERE NOTED JUST NORTHWEST OF VIOLA OR 15
MILES SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA. ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS FOUND JUST WEST OF
WHITEWATER...OR 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF ELDORADO.

PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS...INCLUDING THE TOWNS OF
VIOLA...WHITEWATER..NORTHWICH...AND ANNELLY ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE
STORMS AND SHOULD MOVE INSIDE UNTIL THE STORMS PASS.

THESE STORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF DROPPING TWO TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN
IN AN HOUR...SO IF YOU ENCOUNTER WATER COVERED ROADWAYS...TURN AROUND
AND FIND ANOTHER ROUTE.

*SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #106 CONTINUED FOR SOUTHEAST AND PARTS OF
SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 1000 PM.*

HYSELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 21, 5:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSumner56 min
Apr 21, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTWilson, Woodson54 min
Apr 21, 3:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTGreenwood63 min
Apr 21, 4:36 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningICTGreenwood4 hr
Apr 21, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTGreenwood63 min
Apr 21, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman57 min
Apr 21, 5:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler65 min
Apr 21, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTElk63 min
Apr 21, 5:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTWilson47 min
Apr 21, 5:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler64 min
Apr 21, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper60 min
Apr 21, 6:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley45 min
Apr 21, 6:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMontgomery68 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Kansas, 1994Every flash flood warning in 1994

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.