Alert archive / Missouri / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 74, NWS Kansas City, MO
NWS Kansas City, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1997, 8:31 PM CDT for Clay County, Missouri. It was in force for 59 min. 2 reports 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 18, 1997, 8:31 PM CDT (01:31 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1997, 9:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 59 min
- Issued by
- NWS Kansas City, MO
- Area
- Whole counties
County Clay County, MO
The radar
The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:31 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 8:46 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Kearney, MO | A storm spotter reported one inch diameter hail in Kearney along I-35. |
| May 18, 8:55 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 60 | Kearney, MO | A spotter reported a 60 MPH wind gust along I-35 in Kearney during a severe thunderstorm. |
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.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 5:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 111 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
- 2665 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -12 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2061 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 28 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 85 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 3.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
419
WUUS1 KMCI 190132 RRA
SVRMCI
MOC047-190235-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PLEASANT HILL/KANSAS CITY MO
831 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
CLAY COUNTY - NORTHWEST MISSOURI
* UNTIL 930 PM CDT
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
KEARNEY BY 845 PM
GLADSTONE BY 9PM
LIBERTY BY 915 PM
* AT 830 PM WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM NEAR KCI AIRPORT AND ANOTHER SEVERE STORM JUST SOUTH
OF SMITHVILLE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF
GOLFBALLS HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS.
PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM CAN EXPECT HAIL TWO INCHES IN
DIAMETER OR LARGER AND 65 MPH WINDS.
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING.
BUNTING
&What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 18, 2:43 PM CDT, 5 hours 48 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 18, 2:43 PM CDT, 5 hours 48 minutes before
NORTHWEST MISSOURI FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PLEASANT HILL/KANSAS CITY MO 240 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997 ROUND THREE...ALTHO SITN NOT AS CLEAR CUT AS I WOULD PREFER. VERY/XTRMLY UNSTABLE AIR IN PLACE TODAY WITH CAPES FCST TO REACH AOA 3000 J/KG GIVEN A SFC PARCEL OF 90/64. HOWEVER...STILL SOME NEGATIVE AREA ON SOUNDING WITH THOSE NUMBERS...AND IT'S MORE THAN WAS IN PLACE YDAY. SPOT WE WERE KIND OF LOOKING AT FOR CONVECTIVE INITIATION...NW MO...HAS BEEN UNDER BKN AC DECK...REDUCING HEATING. CONVERGENCE ALONG PRE-FRONTAL TROF FROM SERN NEB TO SWRN KS NOT ALL THAT STRONG...THO HAS BEEN INCRG PAST COUPLE OF HOURS PER ADAP. INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT IS SECONDARY SFC LOW TAKING SHAPE ACRS SWRN KS. ETA FCSTS THIS LOW TO DEEPEN THRU MIDNIGHT WHICH IN TURN SHD HELP KEEP OUR LOW LVL WINDS FROM VEERING AROUND TOO TERRIBLY MUCH. CONVERGENCE ALONG FRONT THEN SHOULD BE ENHANCED WHICH SHOULD FINALLY GET STUFF GOING. JUST TOOK AT LOOK AT 18Z SOUNDING FROM TOP AND CIN (NEG AREA) A BIT MORE STOUT THAN I HAD EXPECTED BASED ON 12Z RUN. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE IT WILL BE A LATE SHOW...LATER THAN LAST NIGHT. 15Z RUC SHOWS NO PCPN IN CWA THRU 03Z AND I'M INCLINED TO THINK IT'S GOT THE RIGHT IDEA (DESPITE THE FACT THAT RUC BLEW IT LAST NIGHT). BOTTOM LINE THO CONVGC ALG FRONT SHOULD EVENTUALLY OVERCOME CAP WITH ETA GENERATING COPIOUS QPF'S IN 03-12Z TIME FRAME. NOT QUITE READY TO JUMP ONTO FWC'C CATEGORICAL POPS BANDWAGON THO (WILL PROBABLY JUST USE COVERAGE VS POPS FOR NRN ZONES WITH AS PERSISTENT SHRA/TSRA CONTINUE). GIVEN THUNDER...SVR SHD FOLLOW AND CURRENT ZONES HAVE THIS MENTIONED. MID-LVL WINDS STILL PRETTY WEAK...BUT STRONGER ALG IA BORDER WHERE TOR THREAT IS PROBABLY HIGHER THAN SRN ZONES. WITH 3000 CAPE THO...ALL BETS OFF DESPITE LACK OF GOOD TURNING IN LOW LVL WINDS. ENUF ABOUT 1ST PD. STILL SOME Q-VECTOR CONVGC AND UPWARD VV'S AFT 12Z MON AS UPR WAVE DOESN'T QUITE CLEAR AREA UNTIL MIDDAY. THO THINK LINE OF TSRA WILL HAVE CLEARED CWA BY 12Z MON...PSBLTY OF PCPN LINGERING INTO 2ND PERIOD WARRANTS CONTINUING CHC POPS FOR NOW. SIGNIFICANT COOLING TO TAKE PLACE IN 2ND AND 3RD PERIODS WITH 850 ZERO C DEG LINE FCST TO DROP INTO NRN MO BY 48 HRS. SORT OF PREFER WARMER FWC...THO NOT QUITE READY NUDGE TEMPS BACK UPWARD FOR MON. SFC RIDGE AXIS JUST TO OUR WEST BY 12Z TUE SO WINDS LOOK LIKE THEY MAY STAY UP JUST ENUF MON NIGHT TO KEEP MINS FROM BOTTOMING OUT TOO BAD. NICE DAY SET FOR TUE AND GUIDANCE FINE. MCI EU 057/064 045/070 050 99740 MANION
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 18, 7:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PLEASANT HILL/KANSAS CITY MISSOURI
725 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
...CORRECTION TO TIMES...TO ADD REPORT...AND TO CHANGE COUNTY..,
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0617 PM LAREDO MO 1 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 GRUNDY
0628 PM 4 SSW HUMPHRIES MO 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 SULLIVAN
0636 PM 2 W BROWNING MO .88 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 LINN
0659 PM BROWNING MO 1 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 SULLIVANLocal storm report, May 18, 7:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PLEASANT HILL/KANSAS CITY MISSOURI
725 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
...CORRECTION TO TIMES...TO ADD REPORT...AND TO CHANGE COUNTY..,
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0617 PM LAREDO MO 1 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 GRUNDY
0628 PM 4 SSW HUMPHRIES MO 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 SULLIVAN
0636 PM 2 W BROWNING MO .88 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 LINN
0659 PM BROWNING MO 1 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 SULLIVAN @The office that day
Everything else NWS Kansas City, MO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 7:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Adair | 68 min |
| May 18, 7:21 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Andrew, DeKalb | 69 min |
| May 18, 7:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Sullivan | 34 min |
| May 18, 7:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Schuyler | 47 min |
| May 18, 8:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Platte | 56 min |
| May 18, 8:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Adair | 47 min |
| May 18, 8:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Caldwell, Livingston | 61 min |
| May 18, 8:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Linn, Macon | 61 min |
| May 18, 8:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Ray | 70 min |
| May 18, 9:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Adair | 57 min |
| May 18, 9:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Clay | 53 min |
| May 18, 9:54 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Cass, Jackson | 51 min |
| May 18, 10:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Ray | 55 min |
| May 18, 10:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Johnson, Lafayette | 53 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Missouri, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.