Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 33, NWS Wichita, KS

June 29, 1997Wilson County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 29, 1997, 8:34 PM CDT for Wilson County, Kansas. It was in force for 61 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
Jun 29, 1997, 8:34 PM CDT (01:34 UTC)
Expired
Jun 29, 1997, 9:35 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Wilson County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:35 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
Jun 29, 8:34 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61Fredonia, KS
Jun 29, 8:51 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61Altoona, 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
Jun 29, 5:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 160 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 1997-06-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1009 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 1997-06-30The 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
1009 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-66 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1114 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 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.

305 
WFUS1 KICT 300135 RRA
TORICT
KSC205-300235-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
834 PM CDT SUN JUN 29 1997

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  WILSON COUNTY - SOUTHEAST KANSAS

* UNTIL 935 PM CDT
 
* SOME TOWNS AFFECTED
    ALTOONA
    BUFFVILLE
    NEODESHA

* AT 832 PM RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR FREDONIA OR 20 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF CHANUTE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A STAIRWELL OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF
NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS
A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS
TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

RENO

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 29, 7:00 PM CDTTornado WarningICTSumner30 min
Jun 29, 7:03 PM CDTTornado WarningICTCowley42 min
Jun 29, 7:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper64 min
Jun 29, 7:18 PM CDTTornado WarningICTGreenwood62 min
Jun 29, 7:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley45 min
Jun 29, 7:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTElk64 min
Jun 29, 7:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTWilson, Woodson59 min
Jun 29, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper62 min
Jun 29, 8:54 PM CDTTornado WarningICTNeosho61 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.