Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Wichita, KS

May 18, 1997Kingman County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1997, 7:17 PM CDT for Kingman County, Kansas. It was in force for 43 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
May 18, 1997, 7:17 PM CDT (00:17 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 1997, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Kingman County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 18, 8:10 PM CDTHail 0.75Cunningham, 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
May 18, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 157 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 1997-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 419 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 1997-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -2 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
419 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-81 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2816 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

872 
WFUS1 KICT 190019 RRA
TORICT
KSC095-190100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
717 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  KINGMAN COUNTY - SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT
 
* SOME TOWNS AFFECTED
    CUNNINGHAM BY 725 PM
    PENALOSA BY 735 PM
    KINGMAN BY 750 PM

* AT 714 PM A TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED A TORNADO 15 MILES WEST OF
  CUNNINGHAM OR 7 MILES NORTH OF PRATT MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
  PEOPLE TRAVELING ON US 54 WEST OF KINGMAN SHOULD BE ALERT FOR
  LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES.

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.

ROSNER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 7:29 PM CDTTornado WarningICTReno66 min
May 18, 7:56 PM CDTTornado WarningICTKingman59 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes 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.