Alert archive / Kansas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Wichita, KS

May 26, 1996McPherson County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this flash flood warning at May 26, 1996, 5:30 AM CDT for McPherson County, Kansas. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 26, 1996, 5:30 AM CDT (10:30 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 1996, 7:30 AM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County McPherson County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:33 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 00:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 187 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 1996-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 137 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 1996-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 57 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
137 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-149 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
978 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
151 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 261051 COR
FFWICT
KSC113-261230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
550 AM CDT SUN MAY 26 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN CENTRAL KANSAS

   ...MCPHERSON COUNTY

AT 430 AM RADAR AND STORM SPOTTERS WERE INDICATING THAT THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS MCPHERSON COUNTY WERE PRODUCING 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN PER HOUR.
THE HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING...PRODUCING
FLASH FLOODING OF STREAMS AND LOW LYING AREAS.

DO NOT DRIVE INTO MOVING WATER OR TRY TO CROSS FLOODED STREAMS ON FOOT.

&

MATT

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.

NWS Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at May 26, 4:00 AM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 4:00 AM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
400 AM CDT SAT MAY 25 1996

CONTENDING WITH LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS THIS
MORNING SO NOT MUCH TIME FOR FORECAST.  MAIN FORECAST PROBLEM THIS AM IS
HEAVY RAIN. LOCAL REPORTS FROM RUSSELL COUNTY HAVE INDICATED ALMOST 2.50
IN ABOUT AN HOUR WITH MANY OTHER LOCATIONS REPORTING SIMILAR VALUES.
WITH A REPEAT PERFORMANCE EXPECTED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...WILL GO
FOR FFA ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL KANSAS. STAGNANT FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO
REMAIN ACROSS STATE TODAY WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE AROUND SO WILL KEEP
POPS HIGH TODAY AND TONIGHT. COOLER TEMPS TO PREVAIL.

RSL 073/059 76   SLN 074/061 76
ICT 080/062 66   HUT 079/061 66
CNU 081/062 66

URBAN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 26, 12:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton, Russell61 min
May 26, 1:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth, Lincoln, Russell61 min
May 26, 1:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton61 min
May 26, 2:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSaline80 min
May 26, 2:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTRice60 min
May 26, 3:48 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningICTEllsworth, Rice4 hr
May 26, 3:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley41 min
May 26, 4:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSaline24 min
May 26, 4:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChautauqua, Elk34 min
May 26, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTGreenwood41 min
May 26, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChase, Marion31 min
May 26, 5:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton29 min
May 26, 6:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton, Russell44 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Kansas, 1996Every flash flood warning in 1996

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.