Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 6, NWS Topeka, KS

March 8, 2002Morris County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 8, 2002, 8:25 PM CST for Morris County, Kansas. It was in force for 50 min. 1 report 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: Mar 8, 2002, 8:25 PM CST (02:25 UTC)
Expired: Mar 8, 2002, 9:15 PM CST
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Morris County, KS

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 8, 8:50 PM CST	Hail 0.75	Council Grove, 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
Mar 8, 4:00 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 99 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: 727 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -129 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 810 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 266 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 332 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.7
Supercell composite: 1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KTOP 090225
SVRTOP
KSC127-090315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
824 PM CST FRI MAR 8 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  MORRIS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 915 PM CST

* AT 822 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES WEST OF BURDICK...OR ABOUT 27 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF ABILENE...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  LATIMER
  WILSEY
  COUNCIL GROVE
  DUNLAP

LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS
STORM. TAKE COVER INSIDE A BUILDING.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE
LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

LAT...LON 3878 9692 3853 9691 3853 9636 3881 9642

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 Mar 8, 4:46 PM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 4:46 PM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
330 PM CST FRI MAR 8 2002

APPEARS A SGFNT CONVECTIVE EVENT WILL EVOLVE OVER THE NEXT 9 HOURS.
VERY STG INFLOW TO WARMFNT OVER CNTRL AND NERN KS WILL PRECEDE
VIGOROUS UPPER WAVE MVG INTO THE PLAINS THIS EVENING. STG VERTICAL
MOTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE WAVE...ALONG WITH CONVERGENCE ALG SFC
BNDRY WILL SPELL SVR WX EVENT THIS EVENING. AGREE WITH SPC IN THAT
MAIN EVENT WILL BE HAIL AND WIND...BUT EARLY ON...ISOLATED TORNADOS
COULD NOT BE RULED OUT. BRN SHEAR VALUES VERY HIGH...DEEP LAYER
SHEAR MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FOR SVR STMS. GRADIENT VERY STG SO WINDS
WILL RESPOND ACCORDINGLY. THUS HAVE HOISTED A WIND ADVSRY ALL OF
AREA OVERNIGHT. WENT CATEGORICAL POPS EVERY WHERE OVRNGT. ALSO
POSTED A WINTER WX ADVSRY NWRN CWA WHERE LOW LVL THERMAL PATTERN
WILL NOT WARM ENUF BEFORE PCPN BEGINS THIS EVENING. LIKELY TO SEE A
WINTRY MIX UNTIL AT LEAST MIDN. REST OF AREA TO SEE RAPID CHG TO
FROZEN PCPN BY MIDN OR SHRTLY THEREAFTER.

REST OF FCST FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD WITH LINGERING CHC FOR PCPN ON
MONDAY...THEN ANOTHER WAVE LATE IN THE WEEK FOR ANOTHER CHC FOR RAIN.

.TOP....A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT NWRN CWA NW
        OF A LINE FOR CONCORDIA TO WASHINGTON.
        WIND ADVISORY ALL OF CWA TONIGHT

FXUS63 KTOP 082246 RRA
AFDTOP

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
330 PM CST FRI MAR 8 2002

APPEARS A SGFNT CONVECTIVE EVENT WILL EVOLVE OVER THE NEXT 9 HOURS.
VERY STG INFLOW TO WARMFNT OVER CNTRL AND NERN KS WILL PRECEDE
VIGOROUS UPPER WAVE MVG INTO THE PLAINS THIS EVENING. STG VERTICAL
MOTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE WAVE...ALONG WITH CONVERGENCE ALG SFC
BNDRY WILL SPELL SVR WX EVENT THIS EVENING. AGREE WITH SPC IN THAT
MAIN EVENT WILL BE HAIL AND WIND...BUT EARLY ON...ISOLATED TORNADOS
COULD NOT BE RULED OUT. BRN SHEAR VALUES VERY HIGH...DEEP LAYER
SHEAR MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FOR SVR STMS. GRADIENT VERY STG SO WINDS
WILL RESPOND ACCORDINGLY. THUS HAVE HOISTED A WIND ADVSRY ALL OF
AREA OVERNIGHT. WENT CATEGORICAL POPS EVERY WHERE OVRNGT. ALSO
POSTED A WINTER WX ADVSRY NWRN CWA WHERE LOW LVL THERMAL PATTERN
WILL NOT WARM ENUF BEFORE PCPN BEGINS THIS EVENING. LIKELY TO SEE A
WINTRY MIX UNTIL AT LEAST MIDN. REST OF AREA TO SEE RAPID CHG TO
FROZEN PCPN BY MIDN OR SHRTLY THEREAFTER.

REST OF FCST FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD WITH LINGERING CHC FOR PCPN ON
MONDAY...THEN ANOTHER WAVE LATE IN THE WEEK FOR ANOTHER CHC FOR RAIN.

.TOP...A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT NWRN CWA
       NW OF A LINE FOR CONCORDIA TO WASHINGTON.
       WIND ADVISORY ALL OF CWA TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 8, 4:25 PM CST, 4 hours before

KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-091200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
425 PM CST FRI MAR 8 2002

SEVERE WEATHER MAY OCCUR OVER THE AREA THIS EVENING. A STRONG COLD
FRONT WILL PUSH INTO MOIST UNSTABLE AIR. THE STAGE IS SET FOR A FEW
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING STRONG DAMAGING WIND OVER 60 MPH...AND LARGE HAIL. THE
GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER LIES SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM
MINNEAPOLIS...TO CLAY CENTER...TO MARYSVILLE. THE FRONT SHOULD MOVE
EAST OF ALL THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT...ENDING THE SEVERE WEATHER
THREAT.

WITH THE COLD FRONT WILL COME VERY STRONG WINDS. AS THE FRONT
PASSES...WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO 25 TO 35
MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 45 MPH. THESE STRONG WINDS SHOULD CONTINUE
THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OVER ALL THE AREA.

FINALLY...AS COLDER AIR FILTERS INTO THE AREA...PRECIPITATION MAY
CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW FOR A FEW HOURS LATE THIS
EVENING...IN THE CONCORDIA...BELLEVILLE...AND WASHINGTON AREAS.
TRAVEL MAY BECOME HAZARDOUS IN THESE AREAS...AND TRAVELERS SHOULD
USE CAUTION IF TRAVELING BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE FREEZING PRECIPITATION
SHOULD CHANGE TO FLURRIES AFTER MIDNIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN TOPEKA.

DRIVERS OF VANS...CAMPERS...TRAILERS...AND OTHER HIGH PROFILE
VEHICLES SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE DANGER OF THE STRONG WINDS. ACTION
SHOULD BE TAKEN TO SECURE TRASH CANS...LAWN FURNITURE...AND OTHER
LOOSE OR LIGHTWEIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS.

Local storm report, Mar 8, 7:24 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
724 PM CST FRI MAR 08 2002

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

0718 PM    MILTONVALE                KS    .88 INCH HAIL
03/08/02   CLOUD

Local storm report, Mar 8, 7:33 PM CST, 52 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
733 PM CST FRI MAR 08 2002

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

0730 PM    8 W CLAY CENTER           KS    .75 INCH HAIL
03/08/02   CLAY

Local storm report, Mar 8, 8:02 PM CST, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
802 PM CST FRI MAR 08 2002

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

0756 PM    MANCHESTER                KS    .75 INCH HAIL
03/08/02   DICKINSON

Local storm report, Mar 8, 8:10 PM CST, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
810 PM CST FRI MAR 08 2002

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

0806 PM    WAKEFIELD                 KS    .75 INCH HAIL
03/08/02   CLAY

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 8, 7:19 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay, Cloud	26 min
Mar 8, 7:34 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Dickinson	41 min
Mar 8, 7:57 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay	33 min
Mar 8, 9:24 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Lyon	21 min
Mar 8, 9:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Shawnee	35 min
Mar 8, 9:45 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osage	30 min
Mar 8, 9:48 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Lyon	27 min
Mar 8, 10:06 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas, Franklin	39 min
Mar 8, 10:10 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osage	35 min
Mar 8, 10:45 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas, Franklin	25 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.