Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 42, NWS Topeka, KS

April 19, 200223 counties in Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 19, 2002, 3:48 AM CDT for 23 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 170 days. 60 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Apr 19, 2002, 3:48 AM CDT (08:48 UTC)
Expired: Oct 6, 2002, 5:00 AM CDT
In force: 170 days
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

All 23 counties

Anderson County, KS, Brown County, KS, Clay County, KS, Cloud County, KS, Coffey County, KS, Dickinson County, KS, Douglas County, KS, Franklin County, KS, Geary County, KS, Jackson County, KS, Jefferson County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Marshall County, KS, Morris County, KS, Nemaha County, KS, Osage County, KS, Ottawa County, KS, Pottawatomie County, KS, Republic County, KS, Riley County, KS, Shawnee County, KS, Wabaunsee County, KS, Washington County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 16 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:48 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 19, 4:00 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Alma, KS
Apr 19, 4:00 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Alma, KS
Apr 19, 4:13 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Topeka, KS
Apr 19, 4:20 AM CDT	Hail 0.88	Burlingame, KS
Apr 19, 4:26 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 51 M	Topeka Billard Arpt, KS
Apr 19, 4:26 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Topeka, KS
Apr 19, 4:26 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 55 E	Topeka, KS	A bow echo moved across Shawnee county and produced high winds in excess of 60 mph. The winds did extensive damage to many homes and businesses mainly in the northern half of Topeka. Preliminary damage estimates from officials in Shawnee county totaled 2 mill
Apr 19, 4:26 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Topeka Billard Arpt, KS
Apr 19, 4:30 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 55 E	Hoyt, KS	Strong winds broke a power pole.
Apr 19, 4:37 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 55 E	Grantville, KS	Strong winds blew a power line down.
Apr 19, 4:37 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Grantville, KS
Apr 19, 4:45 AM CDT	Hail 0.88	Lecompton, KS
Apr 19, 4:45 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Lecompton, KS
Apr 19, 4:50 AM CDT	Hail 1.75	Lawrence, KS
Apr 19, 4:50 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 61 E	Lawrence, KS
Apr 19, 4:53 AM CDT	Hail 1	Midland, KS
Apr 19, 4:53 AM CDT	Hail 1	Williamstown, KS
Apr 19, 4:53 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 58 M	Lawrence Arpt, KS
Apr 19, 4:54 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Baldwin, KS
Apr 19, 4:56 AM CDT	Hail 0.88	Williamstown, KS
Apr 19, 4:57 AM CDT	Hail 0.88	Lawrence, KS
Apr 19, 4:57 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 60 E	Lawrence, KS	Power lines and trees were downed in Lawrence.
Apr 19, 4:57 AM CDT	Hail 0.88	Mc Louth, KS
Apr 19, 4:57 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 55 E	Perry, KS	Strong winds downed power lines.
Apr 19, 5:05 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Wellsville, KS
Apr 19, 5:05 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Wellsville, KS
Apr 21, 2:15 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Osage City, KS
Apr 21, 2:50 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Pleasant Grove, KS
Apr 21, 3:16 AM CDT	Hail 1.75	Harris, KS
Apr 21, 3:17 AM CDT	Hail 0.75	Harris, KS
Apr 21, 3:22 AM CDT	Hail 0.88	Garnett, KS
Apr 21, 3:30 AM CDT	Hail 1	Garnett, KS
Apr 27, 3:33 PM CDT	Hail 1	Whiting, KS
Apr 27, 3:38 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Horton, KS
May 5, 6:32 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Council Grove, KS
May 5, 6:48 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Alma, KS
May 5, 7:11 PM CDT	Hail 1	Tescott, KS
May 5, 7:20 PM CDT	Hail 1	Tescott, KS
May 5, 7:20 PM CDT	Hail 0.88	Eskridge, KS
May 5, 7:30 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	Tescott, KS
May 5, 7:30 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 65 E	Tescott, KS
May 5, 7:35 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Wakefield, KS
May 5, 7:35 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Auburn, KS
May 5, 7:42 PM CDT	Hail 1	Riley, KS
May 5, 8:05 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Bennington, KS
May 5, 8:05 PM CDT	Hail 1	Wells, KS
May 5, 8:06 PM CDT	Hail 1	Bennington, KS
May 5, 8:30 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 55 M	Flush, KS
May 5, 8:30 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Niles, KS
May 5, 8:38 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Wamego, KS
May 5, 8:39 PM CDT	Hail 1	Wamego, KS
May 5, 8:46 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Talmage, KS
May 5, 8:49 PM CDT	Hail 1	Westmoreland, KS
May 5, 9:05 PM CDT	Hail 1	Laclede, KS
May 5, 9:06 PM CDT	Hail 0.88	Junction City, KS
May 5, 9:15 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Junction City, KS
May 5, 9:15 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Delia, KS
May 5, 9:37 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 61 E	Silver Lake, KS
May 5, 9:39 PM CDT	Hail 2.5	Manhattan, KS
May 5, 9:45 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	Junction City, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 19, 1:45 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 61 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: 159 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -124 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2584 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 45 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 137 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 18, 2:50 PM CDT, 12 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 18, 2:50 PM CDT, 12 hours 58 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
250 PM CDT THU APR 18 2002

MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IS PRECIP CHANCES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS.

FOR TONIGHT THUNDERSTORM CHANCES LOOK GOOD WITH AN UNSTABLE
ATMOSPHERE AND LITTLE OR NO CAP. TOWERING CU STARTING TO DEVELOP
NEAR THE DRYLINE TO OUR SOUTHWEST. THINK THAT TONIGHT WILL BE
SOMEWHAT LIKE LAST NIGHT WITH THUNDERSTORMS INITIATING IN CENTRAL KS
AND MOVING INTO THE FORECAST AREA. THEN ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS MAY
DEVELOP AS THE COLD FRONT BEGINS TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS.

FOR FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...THE COLD FRONT EVENTUALLY STALLS
ACROSS SOUTHERN OK AND SOUTHERN MO FRIDAY WITH MID LEVEL MOISTURE
FEEDING OVER IT. I LEFT A CHANCE FOR THUNDER IN EAST CENTRAL ZONES
FOR FRIDAY DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE FRONT AND THEY WILL STILL
BE IN THE WARM MOISTURE SECTOR A LITTLE LONGER. AFTER FRIDAY THINK
THE FRONT WILL BE FAR ENOUGH SOUTH SO THAT ANY PRECIP THAT OCCURS
WILL BE WITHOUT THUNDER. THINK THAT THE BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIP WILL
BE DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AND INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AS UPPER TROUGH
BEGINS TO LIFT OUT OF THE ROCKIES AND INTO THE PLAINS. TEMPERATURES
FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST WERE IN THE BALLPARK AND ONLY MADE MINOR
ADJUSTMENT.

LEFT SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY DRY. A SHORTWAVE IS ADVERTISED TO
MOVE ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY BUT WITH SFC RIDGING ALONG THE GULF
COAST DO NOT THINK THERE SHOULD NOT BE A LOT OF MOISTURE RETURN.
AGREE WITH PMDEPD AND FOLLOWED THE MRF WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE
FORECAST. INSERTED A CHANCE FOR THUNDER TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT.
LEE TROUGH WILL DEVELOP DURING THE DAY TUESDAY AND A SHORTWAVE
TROUGH IS PROGGED TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS DRAGGING
ANOTHER COLD FRONT INTO THE AREA. THE MRF KEEPS THE BETTER DYNAMICS
NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA SO ONLY WENT WITH SMALL CHANCE POPS FOR
NOW. WITH THE COLD FRONT SOUTH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND SHORTWAVE
RIDGING OVERHEAD ON THURSDAY...LEFT THE FORECAST DRY.

.TOP...NONE

WOLTERS

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 19, 3:10 AM CDT, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
310 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2002

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

0307 AM    7 W MANHATTAN             KS    60 MPH TSTM GUST
04/19/02   RILEY                           PUBLIC REPORTED 60 MPH
                                           WIND GUST

Local storm report, Apr 19, 3:26 AM CDT, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
326 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2002

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

0314 AM    MANHATTAN                 KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/19/02   RILEY                           QUARTER SIZE HAIL
                                           REPORTED IN MANHATTAN

Local storm report, Apr 19, 3:28 AM CDT, 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
328 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2002

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

0314 AM    MANHATTAN                 KS    70 MPH TSTM GUST
04/19/02   RILEY                           LAW ENFORECEMENT
                                           REPORTS 70 MPH WINDS
                                           AND POWER OUTAGES IN
                                           MANHATTAN

Local storm report, Apr 19, 3:33 AM CDT, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
333 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2002

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

0333 AM    WAMEGO                    KS    58 MPH TSTM GUST
04/19/02   POTTAWATOMIE

Local storm report, Apr 19, 3:36 AM CDT, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
336 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2002

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

0304 AM    (MHK)MANHATTAN MUNI ARPT  KS    82 MPH TSTM GUST
04/19/02   RILEY                           MEASURED AT MANHATTAN
                                           AIRPORT

Local storm report, Apr 19, 3:38 AM CDT, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
338 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2002

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

0325 AM    MAYETTA                   KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/19/02   JACKSON                         DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                           BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 18, 7:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Nemaha	37 min
Apr 18, 7:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Brown	48 min
Apr 18, 9:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Lyon, Morris	56 min
Apr 19, 12:46 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay	44 min
Apr 19, 1:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Cloud, Ottawa	45 min
Apr 19, 1:24 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Pottawatomie, Riley	36 min
Apr 19, 1:33 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Ottawa	42 min
Apr 19, 2:10 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Clay, Dickinson	40 min
Apr 19, 2:39 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Geary, Riley	56 min
Apr 19, 3:13 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee	62 min
Apr 19, 3:15 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee	60 min
Apr 19, 3:19 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Jackson	31 min
Apr 19, 3:48 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osage, Wabaunsee	117 min
Apr 19, 4:22 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP		68 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2002 Every 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.