Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Topeka, KS

May 11, 2000Jefferson County, Shawnee County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 11, 2000, 8:47 PM CDT for Jefferson County, Shawnee County, Kansas. It was in force for 38 min. 11 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 11, 2000, 8:47 PM CDT (01:47 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2000, 9:25 PM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Jefferson County, KS, Shawnee County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:48 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
May 11, 8:50 PM CDTHail 1.25Elmont, KS
May 11, 8:53 PM CDTTornado F0Grantville, KSA tornado formed just south of Grantville and moved east for a mile over open country doing minor power line damage before dissipating.
May 11, 9:02 PM CDTHail 0.75Elmont, KS
May 11, 9:03 PM CDTHail 0.75Meriden, KS
May 11, 9:12 PM CDTHail 1.75Topeka, KS
May 11, 9:14 PM CDTHail 1Topeka, KS
May 11, 9:17 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60 EPerry, KSStrong winds blew down power lines east of Perry.
May 11, 9:20 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60 EPerry, KS
May 11, 9:22 PM CDTHail 1.25Grantville, KS
May 11, 9:27 PM CDTTornado F1Williamstown, KSA tornado touched down just north of Williamstown and moved east until it crossed into Leavenworth county at 2040 cst. Windows were blown out of a house north of Williamstown. East of Williamstown it struck a farmstead where 2 homes were damaged, 5 pole barns
May 11, 9:27 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 65 EWilliamstown, KSWindows were blown out of a building near Williamstown.

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
May 11, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 17 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 2000-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4491 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 2000-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 181 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
4491 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1450 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
232 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.3
Supercell composite
30.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KTOP 120150
TORTOP
KSC087-177-120225-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
847 PM CDT THU MAY 11 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN SHAWNEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
  SOUTHWESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS

* UNTIL 925 PM CDT

* AT 843 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH POSSIBLE TORNADOS 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF 
TOPEKA AND 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SILVER LAKE...OR 3 MILES NORTHEAST 
OF TOPEKA AND 14 MILES WEST OF TOPEKA...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  PERRY
  MERIDEN
  PERRY LAKE

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.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...LEAVE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 11, 7:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Shawnee, Wabaunsee31 min
May 11, 7:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee40 min
May 11, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Shawnee, Wabaunsee40 min
May 11, 9:24 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDouglas, Jefferson31 min
May 11, 9:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee32 min
May 11, 9:58 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPShawnee, Wabaunsee62 min
May 11, 10:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Pottawatomie42 min
May 11, 10:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Pottawatomie47 min
May 12, 1:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBrown18 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2000Every tornado warning in 2000Tornadoes in 2000

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.