Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 56, NWS Topeka, KS

April 20, 2001Washington County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 20, 2001, 8:39 PM CDT for Washington County, Kansas. It was in force for 51 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties.

The facts

Issued
Apr 20, 2001, 8:39 PM CDT (01:39 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 2001, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Washington County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:42 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 20, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr
Apr 20, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 158 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 2001-04-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2129 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 2001-04-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 204 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2129 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-27 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1308 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
204 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
175 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
8.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

212 
WUUS53 KTOP 210138
SVRTOP
KSC201-210230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
839 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 839 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF HADDAM TO
  25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HADDAM...OR FROM 28 MILES NORTH OF CONCORDIA
  TO 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF CONCORDIA...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  HADDAM
  MORROWVILLE
  PALMER
  WASHINGTON

LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS
STORM. TAKE COVER INSIDE A BUILDING.

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

LAT...LON 3999 9735 3959 9735 3958 9682 3998 9681

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.

NWS Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 20, 3:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 20, 3:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 39 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
3 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

LATEST SATELLITE SHOWING EXTENSIVE MID AND HIGH CLOUDS CONTINUING
ACROSS THE REGION...WHICH MAY THIN OUT LATER...BUT SHOULD PERSIST
THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT. WARM FRONT HAS LIFTED NORTH INTO SOUTHERN
NEBRASKA WITH DRYLINE EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH WESTCENTRAL
KANSAS.

INITIAL SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS THE AREA WILL BE REPLACED BY
STRONGER SHORTWAVE NOW MOVING THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. VERY
STRONG CAP IN PLACE ALTHOUGH BETTER POTENTIAL FOR CAP BEING BROKE
LATER IN THE NIGHT AS WAVE LIFTS OUT AND TEMPORARY BACKING FLOW
ALLOWS DEEPER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO RETURN. SOME POTENTIAL FOR
CONVECTION TO DEVELOP EARLIER AHEAD OF DRYLINE. WILL KEEP POPS GOING
ALL AREAS WITH HIGHER POPS AND BETTER SEVERE POTENTIAL ACROSS THE
NORTH AND NORTHCENTRAL.

AS SFC LOW MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST EXPECT FRONT TO MOVE INTO THE
CWA FROM WEST OVERNIGHT BUT NOT MAKE IT MUCH FURTHER SOUTHEAST THAN
THE EASTCENTRAL AREAS. WOULD EXPECT THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE
CONVECTION TO REDEVELOP ALONG AND NORTH OF BOUNDARY IN THE AFTERNOON
OVER SOUTHERN 2/3 OF THE CWA WITH A BETTER CHANCE INTO THE NIGHT AS
NEXT SHORTWAVE EMERGES FROM THE HIGH PLAINS. WILL INCREASE POPS
ACROSS THE CWA SATURDAY NIGHT TO AROUND 50 PERCENT.

MAIN UPPER LOW WILL BEGIN TO APPROACH THE AREA SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY
NIGHT. EXTENSIVE CLOUDS AND SOME PRECIP WILL LIKELY HELP TO LIMIT
HIGHS TEMPS. WILL GO WITH COMPROMISE OF COOLER FWC SATURDAY AND
WARMER MAV/FAN FOR SUNDAY. WILL ALSO GO WITH LIKELY POPS SUNDAY
NIGHT AS MAING UPPER LEVEL PUSH ENTERS THE CWA FROM WEST TO EAST.

.TOP...NONE.

63

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 20, 6:41 PM CDT, 1 hour 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
641 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

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

0614 PM    VALLEY FALLS              KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/20/01   JEFFERSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 8:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCloud, Ottawa, Republic47 min
Apr 20, 8:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay, Cloud, Ottawa49 min
Apr 20, 9:36 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDickinson39 min
Apr 20, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPGeary, Riley39 min
Apr 20, 10:12 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDickinson33 min
Apr 20, 10:36 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPGeary24 min
Apr 20, 10:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Wabaunsee37 min
Apr 20, 10:58 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPGeary17 min
Apr 20, 11:08 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPWabaunsee37 min
Apr 20, 11:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Shawnee36 min
Apr 20, 11:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Riley31 min
Apr 20, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJefferson40 min
Apr 20, 11:41 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPShawnee34 min
Apr 20, 11:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay, Dickinson, Ottawa35 min
Apr 21, 12:08 AM CDTTornado WarningTOPJefferson22 min
Apr 21, 12:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson, Geary, Riley32 min
Apr 21, 12:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBrown, Nemaha26 min
Apr 21, 1:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee, Wabaunsee23 min
Apr 21, 1:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson, Geary, Morris32 min
Apr 21, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPMorris46 min
Apr 21, 5:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWabaunsee53 min
Apr 21, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee48 min
Apr 21, 5:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPWabaunsee49 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2001Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.