Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Wichita, KS

March 24, 1997Harvey County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 24, 1997, 6:04 PM CST for Harvey County, Kansas. It was in force for 56 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
Mar 24, 1997, 6:04 PM CST (00:04 UTC)
Expired
Mar 24, 1997, 7:00 PM CST
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Harvey County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:08 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 24, 6:10 PM CSTHail 0.75Whitewater, KS

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 24, 3:30 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 188 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 1997-03-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 853 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 1997-03-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 48 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
853 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1673 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 250005 RRA
SVRICT
KSC079-250100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
604 PM CST MON MAR 24 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  EASTERN HARVEY COUNTY - SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 700 PM CST
 
* SOME TOWNS AFFECTED
    MCLAINS
    ANNELLY
    AREAS EAST OF I-135

* AT 603 PM CST RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ALONG THE
SEDGWICK-HARVEY COUNTY LINE OR 10 MILES SOUTH OF NEWTON
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...BE PREPARED FOR WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 55 MPH AND HAIL UP TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER.  IF YOU ARE
CAUGHT OUTSIDE...MOVE TO AN INDOOR SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

TORNADO WATCH #103 IS ALSO IN EJFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST. SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE
OR NO ADVANCED WARNING.

MARIEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 6:16 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler59 min
Mar 24, 7:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler61 min
Mar 24, 9:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTWilson48 min
Mar 24, 9:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTWoodson35 min
Mar 24, 9:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTAllen50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 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.