Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 34, NWS Topeka, KS

May 16, 1997Ottawa County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 1997, 5:57 PM CDT for Ottawa County, Kansas. It was in force for 48 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 16, 1997, 5:57 PM CDT (22:57 UTC)
Expired: May 16, 1997, 6:45 PM CDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Whole counties

County Ottawa County, KS

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 16, 5:58 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Bennington, 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 16, 3:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 174 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: 1688 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 202 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.

266 
WUUS1 KTOP 162258 RRA
SVRTOP
KSC143-162345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
557 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
     EASTERN OTTAWA COUNTY - NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
     BENNINGTON
     NILES
     VINE CREEK

* AT 555 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 30 MILES SOUTH
  OF CONCORDIA NEAR MINNEAPOLIS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE STORM WILL BE NEAR
     BENNINGTON AROUND 610 PM
     NILES AROUND 615 PM
     VINE CREEK ALSO AROUND 615 PM

* REPORTS
     DIME SIZE HAIL IN MINNEAPOLIS AROUND 545 PM CDT
 
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE LIKELY.  GO INSIDE A STURDY
BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

&

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 16, 4:52 PM CDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
452 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0447 PM    3 W DELPHOS               KS   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/97   OTTAWA

Local storm report, May 16, 4:54 PM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
452 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0447 PMl    3 W DELPHOS               KS   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/97   OTTAWA

Local storm report, May 16, 5:18 PM CDT, 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
518 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0505 PM    ADA                       KS   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/97   OTTAWA

Local storm report, May 16, 5:21 PM CDT, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
518 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0505 PMt    ADA                       KS   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/97   OTTAWA

Local storm report, May 16, 5:50 PM CDT, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
550 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0545 PM    MINNEAPOLIS               KS   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/97   OTTAWA

Local storm report, May 16, 5:52 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
550 PM CDT FRI MAY 16 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0545 PM    MINNEAPOLIS               KS   .75 INCH HAIL
05/16/97   OTTAWA

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 16, 4:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Cloud	59 min
May 16, 4:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Ottawa	38 min
May 16, 4:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Ottawa	47 min
May 16, 5:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Ottawa	45 min
May 16, 5:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Marshall	63 min
May 16, 6:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Pottawatomie, Riley	43 min
May 16, 6:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Marshall	33 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.