Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 201, NWS Hastings, NE

August 11, 2002Smith County, Kansas

NWS Hastings, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 11, 2002, 10:41 PM CDT for Smith County, Kansas. It was in force for 79 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 11, 2002, 10:41 PM CDT (03:41 UTC)
Expired
Aug 12, 2002, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
79 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Smith County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:40 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
Aug 11, 10:50 PM CDTHail 0.75Athol, KS
Aug 11, 11:10 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 63 MSmith Center, 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 209 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2002-08-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1798 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2002-08-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1798 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2882 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
142 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
7.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

976 
WUUS53 KGID 120341
SVRGRI
KSC183-120500-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1040 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT

* AT 1034 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF KENSINGTON...OR ABOUT 13
  MILES EAST OF PHILLIPSBURG...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ATHOL AT 1055 PM CDT
  GAYLORD AT 1100 PM CDT
  SMITH CENTER AT 1105 PM CDT
  BELLAIRE AT 1115 PM CDT
  LEBANON AT 1130 PM CDT

PEOPLE IN SMITH COUNTY SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE AND
STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND LARGE HAIL THE 
SIZE OF NICKELS ARE LIKELY.

LAT...LON 3994 9906 3962 9906 3959 9852 3997 9852

NNNN

09

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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 11, 3:32 PM CDT, 7 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 11, 3:32 PM CDT, 7 hours 9 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
332 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

POPS THROUGH MONDAY...THEN TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST CONCERNS.

STRONG AUGUST UPPER LOW PRESSURE MOVING TOWARD NORTHEAST MONTANA AND
INTENSIFYING AS PROGGED. FRONT AND SHORTWAVE ROUNDING THE BEND INTO
WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA FIRE CONVECTION THERE...AND ISOLATED STORMS
TRYING TO GO NEAR VALENTINE. MID LEVEL WINDS FIELDS WEAKEN AS WE
MOVE SOUTH...BUT ATMOSPHERE IS JUICY WITH MID 60 DEWPOINTS
PREVALENT. BOUNDARIES FROM MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON CONVECTION SEEM
TO BE EARLY EVENING FOCUS...WITH BEST SHOT WESTERN ZONES AS STORMS
DRIFT EAST THIS EVENING FROM PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH. ACTION SHOULD FIRE
AGAIN LATER TONIGHT...AND FRONT...LLJ AND UPPER WAVE TEAM TO
GENERATE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTHEAST HALF OF THE
CWFA. HAVE INCLUDED HIGHER POPS THERE...AS OVERNIGHT HOURS WILL BE
OF SOME INTEREST FOR BOTH HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. OF NOTE IS FORECAST
OF AREA OF DIFFLUENT MID LEVEL FLOW OVER EASTERN CWFA BY 06Z...
POSSIBLY ENHANCE CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL AND POSSIBLY ISOLATE HEAVY
RAINS.

MONDAY IS SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT AS FRONT BISECTS REGION. HAVE INCLUDED
POPS ALL BUT WESTERN 5 ZONES. LINGERING LLJ AND FROPA WILL LEAD TO
ONGOING CONVECTION AT SUNRISE NORTHEAST/EAST ZONES...AND AS THE
FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE CWFA...SOUTHEAST ZONES WILL HAVE A CHANCE.
TEMPERATURES WILL VARY WIDELY...GENERALLY FROM THE UPPER 70S IN THE
NORTHWEST CWFA TO NEAR 90 SOUTHEAST. AVN/NGM/ETA ALMOST UNIFORM IN
PLACING SURFACE FRONT FROM BEATRICE TO BELOIT BY 21Z...AND DO EXPECT
AFTERNOON CONVECTION TO REFIRE ALONG IT. KEPT THE CONTINUE SHOT OF
STORMS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS FAR SOUTHEAST.

AM BANKING ON AT LEAST SOME SUNSHINE TUESDAY...ALTHOUGH PASSAGE OF
H5 TROUGH DOESNT SLIP THROUGH UNTIL LATE. PREVIOUS FORECAST HAD
LOWER 80S...AND HAVE HELD AS SUCH...BUT GUIDANCE ALL SUGGESTS COOLER
70S MORE LIKELY...WITH PLENTY OF CLOUDS. MIDNIGHT SHIFT MAY WANT TO
ADJUST TO MORE FALL LIKE TEMPERATURES.

THE EXTENDED RANGE MODELS STILL BRING FRONTS THE AREA WITH VARYING
DEGREES OF SUCCESS. EC AND CANADIAN ARE QUITE BOLD IN FROPA FOR THE
DAY 4 TIME FRAME...AVN JUST A GLANCING BLOW. ALL GENERALLY ADVERTISE
STRONG FRONT FOR THE WEEKEND...AND POSSIBLY A ROUND OF RAINFALL. FOR
NOW CONTINUITY IS BEST UNTIL A BETTER HANDLE ON THINGS CAN BE HAD. NO
MAJOR CHANGES.

.GID...NONE.

MORITZ

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 11, 5:18 PM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-121200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
518 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA...

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING SOUTH OF A
LINE FROM YORK TO SMITH CENTER AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM LEXINGTON
TO GREELEY.  DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE WITH STORMS THAT
FORM IN THESE AREAS.

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS LATER TONIGHT AS A POTENT
COLD FRONT SURGES TOWARD CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO FIRE
ALONG THIS BOUNDARY MAY RAPIDLY REACH SEVERE LEVELS WITH THE PRIMARY
THREAT BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...MAINLY FOR AREAS WEST OF
A LINE FROM BEAVER CITY TO SAINT PAUL.

09
Local storm report, Aug 11, 9:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
907 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

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

0829 PM    2 W WILSONVILLE           NE   .75 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   FURNAS                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0835 PM    7 W ELYRIA                NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   VALLEY                         NICKEL TO GOLFBALL SIZE
                                          HAIL COVERING THE
                                          GROUND. REPORTED BY
                                          STORM SPOTTER.

07
Local storm report, Aug 11, 9:46 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
946 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

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

0920 PM    5 N ARCADIA               NE   .88 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   VALLEY                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0941 PM    ARCADIA                   NE   .75 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   VALLEY                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

07
Local storm report, Aug 11, 10:18 PM CDT, 23 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1018 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

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

1016 PM    6 W PHILLIPSBURG          KS   1 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   PHILLIPS                       REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Hastings, NE issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 9:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhillips61 min
Aug 11, 10:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhillips61 min
Aug 11, 11:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDMitchell, Osborne69 min
Aug 11, 11:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell39 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.