Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Topeka, KS

May 16, 2002Dickinson County, Morris County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 16, 2002, 1:59 PM CDT for Dickinson County, Morris County, Kansas. It was in force for 31 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 16, 2002, 1:59 PM CDT (18:59 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 2002, 2:30 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Dickinson County, KS, Morris County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:58 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 121 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 2002-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 24 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2002-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 227 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
24 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-305 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1150 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
227 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
253 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KTOP 161859
TORTOP
KSC041-127-161930-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
156 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN DICKINSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS
  SOUTHERN MORRIS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 230 PM CDT

* AT 153 PM CDT...A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 
NEAR DUNLAP TO 2 MILES NORTH OF CARLTON...OR FROM 15 MILES NORTHWEST 
OF EMPORIA TO 14 MILES SOUTH OF ABILENE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 
MPH. FUNNEL CLOUDS AND A TORNADO HAVE BEEN SEEN IN MORRIS COUNTY 
BETWEEN 145 PM AND 155 PM.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  BURDICK
  CARLTON
  WILSEY
  DUNLAP
  HERINGTON

THESE TORNADOES ARE CALLED LAND SPOUTS AND USUALLY ARE WEAK AND DO 
NOT LAST LONG.  HOWEVER...IF ONE APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER 
IMMEDIATELY.

CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN
THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A BUILDING. IF NO
BUILDING IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT. AVOID
OVERPASSES.

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

LAT...LON 3878 9737 3859 9736 3859 9692 3853 9692
          3851 9636 3864 9636

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 1:33 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDickinson, Morris27 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.