Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 285
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 11, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT for 16 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 11, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT (01:00 UTC)
- Expired
- May 12, 2002, 1:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Barber County, KS, Butler County, KS, Chase County, KS, Comanche County, KS, Harper County, KS, Harvey County, KS, Kingman County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Marion County, KS, McPherson County, KS, Morris County, KS, Osage County, KS, Pratt County, KS, Reno County, KS, Sedgwick County, KS, Sumner County, KS
The radar
The Wichita radar (KICT), 35 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:03 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.
Warnings issued inside it
10 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 8:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Comanche | 49 min |
| May 11, 8:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DDC | Barber, Comanche | 46 min |
| May 11, 8:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Barber, Pratt | 46 min |
| May 11, 8:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Barber, Comanche | 65 min |
| May 11, 9:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Kingman | 66 min |
| May 11, 10:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Barber | 37 min |
| May 11, 11:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Sedgwick | 53 min |
| May 11, 11:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Harper | 66 min |
| May 11, 11:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Butler | 64 min |
| May 11, 11:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ICT | Sumner | 64 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 126 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1882 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -52 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1037 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 242 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 286 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.7
- Supercell composite
- 15.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 120045 SEL5 SPC WW 120042 KSZ000-120600- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 285 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 742 PM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN KANSAS EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING FROM 800 PM UNTIL 100 AM CDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES SOUTH OF MEDICINE LODGE KANSAS TO 30 MILES NORTH OF EMPORIA KANSAS. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 282. WATCH NUMBER 282 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 800 PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 283...WW 284... DISCUSSION...CLUSTER OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KS WILL CONTINUE MOVING EASTWARD FOR A FEW MORE HOURS. MOIST/UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL WINDS MAY MAINTAIN A RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES...AS WELL AS LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26030. ...HART 384,0950 370,0972 370,0994 384,0971 WWUS20 KWNS 120045 SEL5 SPC WW 120042 KSZ000-120600- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 285 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 742 PM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN KANSAS EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING FROM 800 PM UNTIL 100 AM CDT. TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES SOUTH OF MEDICINE LODGE KANSAS TO 30 MILES NORTH OF EMPORIA KANSAS. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 282. WATCH NUMBER 282 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 800 PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 283...WW 284... DISCUSSION...CLUSTER OF SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KS WILL CONTINUE MOVING EASTWARD FOR A FEW MORE HOURS. MOIST/UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL WINDS MAY MAINTAIN A RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES...AS WELL AS LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26030. ...HART 384,0950 370,0972 370,0994 384,0971
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 12:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua and 14 more | 6 hr |
| May 12, 1:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Cherokee | 6 hr |
Nearby
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.