Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 40, NWS Wichita, KS

May 13, 1997Chautauqua County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 13, 1997, 10:05 PM CDT for Chautauqua County, Kansas. It was in force for 45 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 13, 1997, 10:05 PM CDT (03:05 UTC)
Expired: May 13, 1997, 10:50 PM CDT
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS
Area: Whole counties

County Chautauqua County, KS

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 13, 10:10 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 61	Sedan, KS
May 13, 10:10 PM CDT	Hail 1	Sedan, 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 nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 212 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 2213 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 270 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KICT 140306 RRA
SVRICT
KSC019-140350-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1005 PM CDT TUE MAY 13 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY - SOUTHEAST KANSAS

* UNTIL 1050 PM CDT
 
* SOME TOWNS AFFECTED
    SEDAN BY 1015 PM

* AT 1003 PM RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTH
  OF SEDAN OR ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF COFFEYVILLE MOVING
  SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...EXPECT WINDS
OF 75 MPH OR GREATER...HAIL LARGER THAN AN INCH IN DIAMETER AND
TORRENTIAL RAIN.  SEEK A STRONG INDOOR SHELTER AWAY FROM WINDOWS
IMMEDIATELY.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY.  YOU SHOULD NEVER
TRY TO CROSS WATER COVERED ROADS.


PETERSEN

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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 13, 3:31 PM CDT, 6 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 3:31 PM CDT, 6 hours 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
329 PM CDT TUE MAY 13 1997

...SHORT TERM...
LATEST SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY ALONG THE OK/KS BORDER.
ANIMATED SFC STREAMLINES SHOW THIS BOUNDARY LIFTING NORTH SLOWLY...WITH
CONTINUED MOISTURE CONVERGENCE RESULTING IN THE POOLING OF 55 TO 60
DEWPOINTS ALONG THE BOUNDARY. MODIFIED SOUNDINGS FROM SHARP ARE INDICATING
CAPES 1500-2000 J/KG ALONG THE BOUNDARY WITH ERODED CAP. SO FAR 1KM
VISIBLE NOT EVEN INDICATING CU ALONG THE BOUNDARY.

INCREASINGLY FAVORABLE UPPER AIR SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF A 700 MB SHORTWAVE
WILL MOVE SOUTH INTO THE FA THIS EVENING. THIS...COUPLED WITH LOW LEVEL
CONVERGENCE...SHOULD ALLOW TSTMS TO DEVELOP. MAIN CHC OF TSTMS WILL BE
ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE SFC WARM FRONT...AND WILL AFFECT ONLY SC/SE KS THIS
EVENING...WITH THE BEST CHC IN THE OK BORDER COUNTIES.

TROF CURRENTLY OVER THE HIGH PLAINS WILL SWEEP EAST TONIGHT...TURNING
WINDS NORTH. WITH SUBSIDENCE AND DRY AIR...SHOULD SEE SKIES CLEAR AFTER
MIDNIGHT. WILL GENERALLY FOLLOW GUIDANCE FOR TEMPERATURES.

DAVIS

...LONG TERM...
CLOUD TRENDS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WED/THU...
CNTRL/SERN KS TO RMN IN NWLY FLO ALOFT THRU THE FCST AS SERIES OF
S/WVS DROP SEWD ARND UPR GRTLKS TROF. INITIAL CDFNT WL BRING DRIER
BUT ONLY SLGTLY COOLER AMS INTO THE AREA WED WITH LTL IN THE WAY OF
WX XPCTD. STGR H5 S/W PROGD BY ALL MODELS ACRS THE UPR MDWST WED
NGT. THIS WL PUSH THE SECONDARY CDFNT WITH THE COLDER CANADIAN AND
MODIFIED ARCTIC AMS INTO THE CNTRL PLAINS. WKR S/W OVR THE ROCKIES
AND ASSOCD MID LVL MSTR ALSO PROGD SEWD INTO KS WED NGT. WL
THEREFORE TREND TWD INCRSG CLDS WED NGT. MAY BE ENUF LIFT/MSTR
FOR VIRGA/SPRINKLES INTO THU MRNG...BUT FOR NOW WL OMIT MENTION.
FWC/FAN TEMPS LUK RSNBL AND WL DEVIATE ONLY SLGTLY.

DARMOFAL

RSL   045/073 041/067     13-0-
SLN   046/073 041/067     13-0-
ICT   050/074 045/069 043 133--
HUT   050/074 044/068     131--
CNU   049/074 043/067     132--

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 13, 7:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Reno	59 min
May 13, 8:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Neosho	63 min
May 13, 8:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler	45 min
May 13, 9:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Elk	45 min
May 13, 9:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Cowley	46 min
May 13, 10:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Cowley	46 min
May 13, 10:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Montgomery	46 min
May 13, 10:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Chautauqua	47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1997 Every 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.