Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Topeka, KS

May 17, 1995Wabaunsee County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1995, 2:51 AM CDT for Wabaunsee County, Kansas. It was in force for 39 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 17, 1995, 2:51 AM CDT (07:51 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 1995, 3:30 AM CDT
In force: 39 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Whole counties

County Wabaunsee County, KS

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 49 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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 170752
TORTOP
KSC197-170830-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
251 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  330 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...WABAUNSEE COUNTY
 
AT 250AM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 20 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF MANHATTAN NEAR ALMA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AROUND 35 MPH AND
WILL BE EFFECTING ALMA AND VERA BY 330AM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY!
 
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.
 
KAYS

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

Local storm report, May 16, 11:32 PM CDT, 3 hours 19 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1132 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1995

TIME****   LOCATION OF EVENT*******  ST   TYPE OF EVENT/DAMAGE******
DATE****   COUNTY INVOLVED*********       FATALITIES AND INJURIES***
                                          REMARKS*******************
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1621       61ST & VALENCIA ROAD      KS   60 MPH WIND
5/16/95    WAUBAUNSEE

1937       51/2 SE WHITE CITY        KS   2.00+ HAIL, WINDOWS KNOCKED
5/16/95    MORRIS                         OUT,  POSSIBLE FUNNEL

2110       3N BURLINGAME             KS   SMALL TREES (6 INCH DIAM)
5/16/95    OSAGE                          DOWN, HAIL 2 INCHES DEEP

2115       45TH AND STUBBS           KS   POSSIBLE FUNNEL
5/16/95    SHAWNEE
LWS

Local storm report, May 16, 11:48 PM CDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1148 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1995

TIME****   LOCATION OF EVENT*******  ST   TYPE OF EVENT/DAMAGE******
DATE****   COUNTY INVOLVED*********       FATALITIES AND INJURIES***
                                          REMARKS*******************
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2103       HARVEYVILLE               KS   K-31 HIGHWAY CLOSED EAST
5/16/95    WAUBAUNSEE                     OF TOWN FROM RUNOFF

2105       N OF BURLINGAME           KS   TREES DOWN
5/16/95    OSAGE

2115       45TH AND STUBBS           KS   POSSIBLE FUNNEL
5/16/95    SHAWNEE

2122       1E 45TH & STUBBS          KS   POSSIBLE FUNNEL
5/16/95    DOUGLASS
LWS

Local storm report, May 16, 11:56 PM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1156 PM CDT TUE MAY 16 1995

TIME****   LOCATION OF EVENT*******  ST   TYPE OF EVENT/DAMAGE******
DATE****   COUNTY INVOLVED*********       FATALITIES AND INJURIES***
                                          REMARKS*******************
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2135       1W 61ST & WANAMAKER       KS   FLOODING
5/16/95    SHAWNEE

2136       BALDWIN CITY              KS   1.75 HAIL
5/16/95    DOUGLAS

2145       SW OF BALDWIN CITY        KS   ALL WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF
5/16/95    DOUGLAS                        HOUSE

2147       NEAR BALDWIN CITY         KS   POSSIBLE TORNADO, PART$ OF
5/16/95    DOUGLAS                        ROOF BLOWN OFF OF BARN
LWS

Local storm report, May 17, 12:07 AM CDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT...PRELIMINARY REPORT FOR THE 16TH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1207 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1995

TIME****   LOCATION OF EVENT*******  ST   TYPE OF EVENT/DAMAGE******
DATE****   COUNTY INVOLVED*********       FATALITIES AND INJURIES***
                                          REMARKS*******************
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2015       NEAR ADMIRE               KS   TORNADO
5/16/95  l  LYON

2200       1E HIWY 56/59 JCT         KS   MOTOR HOME OVERTURNED
5/16/95    DOUGLAS

2230       6E BALDWIN CITY           KS   ROOF BLOWN OFF AND WINDOWS
5/16/95    DOUGLAS                        BLOWN OUT OF HOUSE
LWS

Local storm report, May 17, 12:24 AM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1223 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1995

TIME****   LOCATION OF EVENT*******  ST   TYPE OF EVENT/DAMAGE******
DATE****   COUNTY INVOLVED*********       FATALITIES AND INJURIES***
                                          REMARKS*******************
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1620       61ST & VALENCIA           KS   60 MPH WIND, TREES DOWN
5/16/95    WAUBAUNSEE

2048       MILEPOST 156 OF TURNPIKE  KS   TRUCK FLIPPED OVER BY
5/16/95    OSAGE                          TORNADO

2120       NORTHWEST CORNER          KS   60 MPH WIND
5/16/95    FRANKLIN
LWS

Local storm report, May 17, 12:43 AM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1243 AM CDT WED MAY 17 1995

TIME****   LOCATION OF EVENT*******  ST   TYPE OF EVENT/DAMAGE******
DATE****   COUNTY INVOLVED*********       FATALITIES AND INJURIES***
                                          REMARKS*******************
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2253       CENTROPOLIS TO OTTAWA     KS   CREEK OUT OF BANKS WITH
5/16/95    FRANKLIN                       AGRICULTURAL FLOODING

2330       LYNDON                    KS   FUNNEL CLOUD
5/16/95    OSAGE

2340       SW OF LYNDON              KS   0.75 HAIL
5/16/95    OSAGE

0000       OTTAWA                    KS   2.75 HAIL
5/17/95    FRANKLIN
LWS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 16, 7:22 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Morris	53 min
May 16, 7:31 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Dickinson	4 hr
May 16, 7:57 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Lyon, Wabaunsee	33 min
May 16, 8:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson, Geary	55 min
May 16, 8:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Osage	26 min
May 16, 8:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Douglas, Osage	46 min
May 16, 9:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Ottawa	53 min
May 16, 9:10 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Dickinson, Geary, Morris	4 hr
May 16, 9:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Geary	40 min
May 16, 9:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Franklin	48 min
May 16, 9:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson	43 min
May 16, 9:39 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Douglas, Osage, Shawnee	4 hr
May 16, 9:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas	36 min
May 16, 10:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Lyon, Morris, Wabaunsee	41 min
May 16, 11:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osage	36 min
May 16, 11:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas, Franklin	32 min
May 17, 1:05 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Dickinson, Geary	3 hr
May 17, 1:21 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Douglas, Osage, Shawnee	3 hr
May 17, 1:21 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Franklin	3 hr
May 17, 1:26 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Ottawa	49 min
May 17, 1:46 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson	44 min
May 17, 1:57 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Ottawa	48 min
May 17, 2:05 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Dickinson	25 min
May 17, 2:19 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Geary	41 min
May 17, 2:46 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay	44 min
May 17, 2:54 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Wabaunsee	3 hr
May 17, 3:12 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Shawnee	34 min
May 17, 3:38 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas, Jefferson	37 min
May 17, 3:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Morris	35 min
May 17, 3:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson	30 min
May 17, 3:59 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Dickinson, Geary	4 hr
May 17, 4:09 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Douglas, Franklin, Osage, Shawnee	4 hr
May 17, 4:20 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Morris	28 min
May 17, 4:41 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Lyon	37 min
May 17, 4:52 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	TOP	Wabaunsee	4 hr
May 17, 5:10 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osage	36 min
May 17, 5:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Coffey	25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1995 Every tornado warning in 1995 Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.