Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Topeka, KS

May 16, 1995Douglas County, Osage County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 16, 1995, 8:59 PM CDT for Douglas County, Osage County, Kansas. It was in force for 46 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
May 16, 1995, 8:59 PM CDT (01:59 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1995, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Douglas County, KS, Osage County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 16, 9:30 PM CDTTornado F1Baldwin City, KSA small tornado formed along the north edge of a strong downburst and moved mainly across open fields. The tornado skipped across the county destroying several farm buildings, a motorhome and farm equipment. However, with widespread straightline wind damage i

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 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 28 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 00:00Z on 1995-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 426 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 00:00Z on 1995-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -35 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
426 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-256 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1533 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTOP 170200
TORTOP
KSC045-139-170245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
859 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...SOUTHWESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY...NORTHEASTERN OSAGE COUNTY
 
AT 855 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A TORNADO LOCATED
ABOUT 25 MILES WEST OF OTTAWA...OR ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF CARBONDALE.
 
THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH...AND SOME TOWNS IN
THE PATH OF THE STORM ARE OVERBROOK...WHICH IS 20 MILES WEST OF
OTTAWA...AND GLOBE WHICH IS ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF OTTAWA.
 
THIS STORM HAS PRODUCED A DAMAGING TORNADO...AND PEOPLE IN ITS PATH NEED
TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER AT ONCE!
 
 
THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS STORM.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILdABLE.
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.
 
DDN
 
&

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 16, 4:57 PM CDT, 4 hours 2 minutes before
KSZ001>101-162300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
456 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1995

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 407 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR PART OF KANSAS.
THE WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

...CENTRAL...
BARTON          ELLSWORTH       LINCOLN         RICE
RUSSELL

...SOUTH CENTRAL...
HARVEY          RENO            STAFFORD

THE FOLLOWING CITIES ARE NO LONGER INCLUDED IN THE TORNADO
WATCH...

GREAT BEND      HUTCHINSON      RUSSELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 7:22 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPMorris53 min
May 16, 7:31 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDickinson4 hr
May 16, 7:57 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPLyon, Wabaunsee33 min
May 16, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson, Geary55 min
May 16, 8:34 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPOsage26 min
May 16, 9:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOttawa53 min
May 16, 9:10 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDickinson, Geary, Morris4 hr
May 16, 9:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPGeary40 min
May 16, 9:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPFranklin48 min
May 16, 9:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson43 min
May 16, 9:39 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDouglas, Osage, Shawnee4 hr
May 16, 9:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDouglas36 min
May 16, 10:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPLyon, Morris, Wabaunsee41 min
May 16, 11:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsage36 min
May 16, 11:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDouglas, Franklin32 min
May 17, 1:05 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDickinson, Geary3 hr
May 17, 1:21 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDouglas, Osage, Shawnee3 hr
May 17, 1:21 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPFranklin3 hr
May 17, 1:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOttawa49 min
May 17, 1:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson44 min
May 17, 1:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOttawa48 min
May 17, 2:05 AM CDTTornado WarningTOPDickinson25 min
May 17, 2:19 AM CDTTornado WarningTOPGeary41 min
May 17, 2:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay44 min
May 17, 2:51 AM CDTTornado WarningTOPWabaunsee39 min
May 17, 2:54 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPWabaunsee3 hr
May 17, 3:12 AM CDTTornado WarningTOPShawnee34 min
May 17, 3:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDouglas, Jefferson37 min
May 17, 3:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMorris35 min
May 17, 3:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson30 min
May 17, 3:59 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDickinson, Geary4 hr
May 17, 4:09 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDouglas, Franklin, Osage, Shawnee4 hr
May 17, 4:20 AM CDTTornado WarningTOPMorris28 min
May 17, 4:41 AM CDTTornado WarningTOPLyon37 min
May 17, 4:52 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPWabaunsee4 hr
May 17, 5:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsage36 min
May 17, 5:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCoffey25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes in 1995

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.