Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 50, NWS Wichita, KS

June 11, 2002McPherson County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 11, 2002, 6:30 PM CDT for McPherson County, Kansas. It was in force for 60 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
Jun 11, 2002, 6:30 PM CDT (23:30 UTC)
Expired
Jun 11, 2002, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County McPherson County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:33 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
Jun 11, 6:44 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 78 ELindsborg, KSWidespread damage to roofs, trees, power lines and power poles. (Cooperative observer).
Jun 11, 6:44 PM CDTHail 0.75Lindsborg, KS
Jun 11, 6:51 PM CDTHail 0.88Lindsborg, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 11, 3:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 185 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 12:00Z on 2002-06-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2011 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2002-06-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 272 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2011 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-155 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
733 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
272 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
377 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
13.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KICT 112330
TORICT
KSC113-120030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
629 PM CDT TUE JUN 11 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  MCPHERSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 629 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION 20 MILES SOUTH OF
  SALINA...OR 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LINDSBORG...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
  THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY TIME.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE
  AFFECTING LINDSBORG THRU 645 PM CDT...

THIS REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FOR
THE WARNED AREA.

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF DESTRUCTIVE WINDS 
OF 80 TO 100 MPH MOVE INTO YOUR TORNADO SHELTER NOW

LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED WITH
THIS STORM.

REPEATING...A TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MCPHERSON COUNTY
UNTIL 730 PM CDT.

LAT...LON 3861 9783 3847 9787 3837 9750 3858 9743

/ES

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 3:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTRussell43 min
Jun 11, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth, Lincoln59 min
Jun 11, 4:26 PM CDTTornado WarningICTLincoln49 min
Jun 11, 4:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTRussell57 min
Jun 11, 4:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth63 min
Jun 11, 5:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTLincoln62 min
Jun 11, 5:20 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningICTEllsworth, Lincoln6 hr
Jun 11, 5:34 PM CDTTornado WarningICTEllsworth41 min
Jun 11, 5:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSaline63 min
Jun 11, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth60 min
Jun 11, 6:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMcPherson58 min
Jun 11, 6:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTRice57 min
Jun 11, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSaline46 min
Jun 11, 6:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMarion56 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.