Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 43, NWS Topeka, KS

September 20, 1998Clay County, Geary County, Riley County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Sep 20, 1998, 6:09 PM CDT for Clay County, Geary County, Riley County, Kansas. It was in force for 46 min. 3 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: Sep 20, 1998, 6:09 PM CDT (23:09 UTC)
Expired: Sep 20, 1998, 6:55 PM CDT
In force: 46 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Whole counties

Counties Clay County, KS, Geary County, KS, Riley County, KS

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Sep 20, 6:30 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	Wakefield, KS
Sep 20, 6:30 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	Wakefield, KS
Sep 20, 6:30 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 60	Wakefield, KS	Large trees were blown down.

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 nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 238 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: 20 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -243 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 776 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -39 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.

204 
WFUS1 KTOP 202310 RRA
TORTOP
KSC027-061-161-202355-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
609 PM CDT SUN SEP 20 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA KS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
     EXTREME NORTHWESTERN GEARY COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
     SOUTHEASTERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
     SOUTHWESTERN RILEY COUNTY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS

* UNTIL 655 PM CDT

* AT 601 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 4 MILES WEST OF WAKEFIELD...OR
  ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF CLAY CENTER...MOVING EAST AT 10 MILES PER
  HOUR.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
     MILFORD LAKE
     RILEY
     WAKEFIELD
     MILFORD

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE
LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

58

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 20, 5:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson	40 min
Sep 20, 5:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay	45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1998 Every tornado warning in 1998 Tornadoes in 1998

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.