Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 2002, 10:57 PM CDT for Dickinson County, Kansas. It was in force for 43 min. 10 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, 10:57 PM CDT (03:57 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 17, 2002, 11:40 PM CDT
- In force
- 43 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Dickinson County, KS
The radar
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:57 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 17, 11:10 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Durham, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:11 PM CDT | Hail 1.25 | Carlton, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:13 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Carlton, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:18 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Elmo, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:19 PM CDT | Hail 1.25 | Elmo, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:23 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Carlton, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:23 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Carlton, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:24 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Elmo, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:24 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Elmo, KS | |
| Apr 17, 11:48 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Herington, 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, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 150 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WFUS53 KTOP 180357 TORTOP KSC041-180440- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1057 PM CDT WED APR 17 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... SOUTHERN DICKINSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS * UNTIL 1140 PM CDT * AT 1052 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 12 MILES SOUTH OF CARLTON...OR ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF MCPHERSON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. * SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED... CARLTON HOPE THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR HEAD AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION. LAT...LON 3851 9750 3841 9731 3874 9693 3887 9724
The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 8:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Dickinson | 34 min |
| Apr 17, 11:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Ottawa | 48 min |
| Apr 17, 11:36 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Dickinson, Geary, Morris | 39 min |
| Apr 18, 12:17 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Clay, Ottawa | 43 min |
| Apr 18, 12:22 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Republic, Washington | 38 min |
| Apr 18, 12:46 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Clay | 44 min |
| Apr 18, 1:08 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Riley, Washington | 37 min |
| Apr 18, 1:28 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Marshall | 47 min |
| Apr 18, 1:47 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Marshall | 43 min |
| Apr 18, 5:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Dickinson | 38 min |
| Apr 18, 6:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Geary, Riley | 45 min |
| Apr 18, 6:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Pottawatomie | 45 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.