Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 74, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1997, 9:47 PM CDT for Franklin County, Kansas. It was in force for 48 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 18, 1997, 9:47 PM CDT (02:47 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1997, 10:35 PM CDT
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Franklin County, KS
The radar
The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:50 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 10:05 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Ottawa, KS | |
| May 18, 10:05 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Ottawa, 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 18, 5:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 57 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2665 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -12 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2061 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 28 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 85 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 3.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KTOP 190247 RRA
SVRTOP
KSC059-190335-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
947 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
FRANKLIN COUNTY - EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
* UNTIL 1035 PM CDT
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
OTTAWA
* AT 945 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES WEST
OF OTTAWA MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.
* THE STORM WILL BE NEAR
OTTAWA AROUND 1000 PM
LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY. GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS!
SD/DDNWhat 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 18, 9:02 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
901 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0857 PM 4 SW CARLTON KS .75 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 DICKINSONLocal storm report, May 18, 9:11 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
911 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0910 PM OSKALOOSA KS 1 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 JEFFERSONLocal storm report, May 18, 9:12 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
911 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0910 PMB OSKALOOSA KS 1 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 JEFFERSONLocal storm report, May 18, 9:14 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
914 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0900 PM 5 S OSKALOOSA KS .75 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 JEFFERSON
0900 PM 5 S OSKALOOSA KS 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/18/97 JEFFERSONLocal storm report, May 18, 9:15 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
914 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0900 PM` 5 S OSKALOOSA KS .75 INCH HAIL
05/18/97 JEFFERSON
0900 PM 5 S OSKALOOSA KS 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/18/97 JEFFERSONLocal storm report, May 18, 9:46 PM CDT, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
946 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0750 PM AUBURN KS 80 MPH TSTM GUST
05/18/97 SHAWNEE 8 POWER POLES DOWN. SHED
DAMAGED BETWEEN 69TH AND
77TH STREETS. ON AUBURN
ROAD.The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 7:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Dickinson | 64 min |
| May 18, 7:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Shawnee, Wabaunsee | 46 min |
| May 18, 7:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Lyon | 46 min |
| May 18, 7:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Douglas, Jefferson | 61 min |
| May 18, 7:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Osage | 61 min |
| May 18, 7:52 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Morris | 48 min |
| May 18, 7:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Shawnee, Wabaunsee | 64 min |
| May 18, 7:59 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Morris | 31 min |
| May 18, 8:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Douglas, Jefferson | 60 min |
| May 18, 8:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Lyon, Osage | 59 min |
| May 18, 8:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Dickinson | 61 min |
| May 18, 9:07 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Osage | 48 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.