Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 63, NWS Wichita, KS

April 17, 2002McPherson County, Saline County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 17, 2002, 10:48 PM CDT for McPherson County, Saline County, Kansas. It was in force for 42 min. 3 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
Apr 17, 2002, 10:48 PM CDT (03:48 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 2002, 11:30 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties McPherson County, KS, Saline County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:47 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
Apr 17, 10:50 PM CDTHail 0.75Lindsborg, KS
Apr 17, 11:13 PM CDTHail 0.75Carlton, KS
Apr 17, 11:23 PM CDTHail 1Carlton, 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 nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 174 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 2002-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2478 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 2002-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 190 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
2478 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1480 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
190 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
361 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.5
Supercell composite
16.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KICT 180348
SVRICT
KSC113-169-180430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1045 PM CDT WED APR 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SALINE COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS
  MCPHERSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 1130 PM CDT.

* AT 1046 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LINDSBORG...OR ABOUT 18
  MILES SOUTH OF SALINA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE
  NEAR ASSARIA AROUND 1050 PM CDT...
  NEAR GYPSUM AROUND 1105 PM CDT...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
  HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS...
  WINDS UP TO 60 MILES AN HOUR...

THE STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

AT 1040 PM CDT A TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL 4 
MILES SOUTH OF LINDSBORG. 

ALSO AT 1040 PM CDT A TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED 1 INCH HAIL 3 MILES 
SOUTHWEST OF LINDSBORG.

SEEK A STURDY SHELTER IMMEDIATELY

REPEATING...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SALINE
AND MCPHERSON COUNTIES UNTIL 1130 PM CDT.

LAT...LON 3857 9779 3844 9763 3869 9727 3885 9748

/ES

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 17, 7:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth51 min
Apr 17, 8:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTRice40 min
Apr 17, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMcPherson56 min
Apr 17, 8:22 PM CDTTornado WarningICTKingman23 min
Apr 17, 8:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton46 min
Apr 17, 8:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno64 min
Apr 17, 8:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman61 min
Apr 17, 8:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman19 min
Apr 17, 8:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTRice62 min
Apr 17, 9:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth49 min
Apr 17, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno49 min
Apr 17, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno48 min
Apr 17, 9:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTRice47 min
Apr 17, 10:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMcPherson39 min
Apr 17, 10:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth45 min
Apr 17, 11:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMarion27 min
Apr 17, 11:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTLincoln48 min
Apr 17, 11:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSaline49 min
Apr 17, 11:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSaline44 min
Apr 18, 1:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSumner65 min
Apr 18, 2:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSedgwick46 min
Apr 18, 3:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler58 min
Apr 18, 5:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMcPherson45 min
Apr 18, 5:57 PM CDTTornado WarningICTMcPherson48 min
Apr 18, 6:44 PM CDTTornado WarningICTMcPherson46 min
Apr 18, 6:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMarion62 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.