Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 85, NWS Topeka, KS

June 11, 1997Douglas County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 11, 1997, 7:19 PM CDT for Douglas County, Kansas. It was in force for 31 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
Jun 11, 1997, 7:19 PM CDT (00:19 UTC)
Expired
Jun 11, 1997, 7:50 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Douglas County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:22 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 11, 7:30 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61Lawrence, 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 11, 5:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 33 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 1997-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 833 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 1997-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 35 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
833 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1485 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
3.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

247 
WUUS1 KTOP 120018 RRA
SVRTOP
KSC045-120050-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
719 PM CDT WED JUN 11 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
     NORTHEASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY - EAST CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 750 PM CDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
     MIDLAND
     NORTHEAST SIDE OF LAWRENCE

* AT 716 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES
  NORTH OF LAWRENCE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN
PRODUCE TORNADOES.

 
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE LIKELY.  GO INSIDE A STURDY
BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

JW/DDN

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, Jun 11, 4:40 PM CDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
439 PM CDT WED JUN 11 1997

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

0438 PM    MARYSVILLE                KS   1 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   MARSHALL
Local storm report, Jun 11, 5:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
547 PM CDT WED JUN 11 1997

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

0455 PM    HOME                      KS   60 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   MARSHALL
Local storm report, Jun 11, 6:45 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
645 PM CDT WED JUN 11 1997

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

0610 PM    AXTELL                    KS   60 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   MARSHALL                       TREE BRANCHES DOWN.

0610 PM    AXTELL                    KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   MARSHALL

0625 PM    2 S MAYETTA               KS   70 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   JACKSON                        DAMAGE TO SWING SET.

0625 PM    2 S MAYETTA               KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   JACKSON

0637 PM                              KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   JACKSON
Local storm report, Jun 11, 6:46 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
645 PM CDT WED JUN 11 1997

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

0610 PM    AXTELL                    KS   60 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   MARSHALL                       TREE BRANCHES DOWN.

0610 PM    AXTELL                    KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   MARSHALL

0625 PM    2 S MAYETTA               KS   70 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   JACKSON                        DAMAGE TO SWING SET.

0625 PM    2 S MAYETTA               KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   JACKSON

0637 PM                              KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   JACKSON
Local storm report, Jun 11, 6:54 PM CDT, 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
654 PM CDT WED JUN 11 1997

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

0610 PM    AXTELL                    KS   60 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   MARSHALL                       TREE BRANCHES DOWN.

0610 PM    AXTELL                    KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   MARSHALL

0625 PM    2 S MAYETTA               KS   70 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   JACKSON                        DAMAGE TO SWING SET.

0625 PM    2 S MAYETTA               KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   JACKSON

0637 PM    OZAWKIE                   KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   JACKSON
Local storm report, Jun 11, 6:55 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
654 PM CDT WED JUN 11 1997

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

0610 PM    AXTELL                    KS   60 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   MARSHALL                       TREE BRANCHES DOWN.

0610 PM    AXTELL                    KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   MARSHALL

0625 PM    2 S MAYETTA               KS   70 MPH TSTM GUST
06/11/97   JACKSON                        DAMAGE TO SWING SET.

0625 PM    2 S MAYETTA               KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   JACKSON

0637 PM    OZAWKIE                   KS   .75 INCH HAIL
06/11/97   JACKSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 8:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJefferson47 min
Jun 11, 10:05 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPCloud65 min
Jun 11, 10:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOttawa60 min
Jun 11, 11:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay, Dickinson63 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.