Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS Topeka, KS

April 20, 2001Pottawatomie County, Wabaunsee County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 20, 2001, 10:53 PM CDT for Pottawatomie County, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. It was in force for 37 min. 2 reports came from 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, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Apr 20, 2001, 10:53 PM CDT (03:53 UTC)
Expired: Apr 20, 2001, 11:30 PM CDT
In force: 37 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Pottawatomie County, KS, Wabaunsee County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 19 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:43 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
Apr 20, 11:00 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 54 E	Alma, KS
Apr 20, 11:33 PM CDT	Hail 1	Maple Hill, 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
Apr 20, 8:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 52 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: 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.

756 
WUUS53 KTOP 210354
SVRTOP
KSC149-197-210430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1053 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN WABAUNSEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS
  SOUTHERN POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS

* UNTIL 1130 PM CDT

* AT 1048 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 2 MILES WEST OF LOUISVILLE TO 6
  MILES WEST OF ALMA...OR FROM 12 MILES EAST OF MANHATTAN TO 15 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF MANHATTAN...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  MCFARLAND
  BELVUE
  PAXICO
  EMMETT
  ST. MARYS
  MAPLE HILL

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

LAT...LON 3934 9639 3894 9641 3892 9596 3913 9604
          3933 9605

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, 7 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 20, 3:00 PM CDT, 7 hours 53 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, 4 hours 12 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

Local storm report, Apr 20, 8:42 PM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
842 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....
q
0828 PM    JAMESTOWN                 KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/20/01   CLOUD                           60 MPH WND

0835 PM    5 NE REPUBLIC             KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/20/01   REPUBLIC

Local storm report, Apr 20, 9:55 PM CDT, 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
955 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

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

0930 PM    2 E NILES                 KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/20/01   OTTAWA

Local storm report, Apr 20, 10:28 PM CDT, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1028 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

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

1007 PM    8 SW ABILENE              KS    .88 INCH HAIL
04/20/01   DICKINSON

1025 PM    7 S ABILENE               KS    .88 INCH HAIL
04/20/01   DICKINSON

Local storm report, Apr 20, 10:34 PM CDT, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1034 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

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

1033 PM    5 E ENTERPRISE            KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/20/01   DICKINSON                       FUNNEL CLOUD

Local storm report, Apr 20, 10:48 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1048 PM CDT FRI APR 20 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....
A
1035 PM    8 E FT RILEY              KS     TSTM GUST
04/20/01   GEARY                            SEMI TRAILER OVERTURNED
                                            I-70 EXIT 307

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 20, 8:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Cloud, Ottawa, Republic	47 min
Apr 20, 8:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Washington	51 min
Apr 20, 8:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay, Cloud, Ottawa	49 min
Apr 20, 9:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Dickinson	39 min
Apr 20, 10:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Geary, Riley	39 min
Apr 20, 10:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Dickinson	33 min
Apr 20, 10:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Geary	24 min
Apr 20, 10:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Geary	17 min
Apr 20, 11:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Wabaunsee	37 min
Apr 20, 11:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Jackson, Shawnee	36 min
Apr 20, 11:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Pottawatomie, Riley	31 min
Apr 20, 11:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Jefferson	40 min
Apr 20, 11:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Shawnee	34 min
Apr 20, 11:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay, Dickinson, Ottawa	35 min
Apr 21, 12:08 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Jefferson	22 min
Apr 21, 12:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson, Geary, Riley	32 min
Apr 21, 12:34 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Brown, Nemaha	26 min
Apr 21, 1:37 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Shawnee, Wabaunsee	23 min
Apr 21, 1:43 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson, Geary, Morris	32 min
Apr 21, 4:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Morris	46 min
Apr 21, 5:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Wabaunsee	53 min
Apr 21, 5:27 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Shawnee	48 min
Apr 21, 5:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Wabaunsee	49 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2001 Every 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.