Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Topeka, KS

April 18, 2002Riley County, Washington County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 18, 2002, 1:08 AM CDT for Riley County, Washington County, Kansas. It was in force for 37 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: Apr 18, 2002, 1:08 AM CDT (06:08 UTC)
Expired: Apr 18, 2002, 1:45 AM CDT
In force: 37 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Riley County, KS, Washington County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:08 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 18, 1:35 AM CDT	Hail 0.88	Randolph, 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, 6.1 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.

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: 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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KTOP 180608
TORTOP
KSC161-201-180645-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
107 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS   
  NORTHERN RILEY COUNTY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS

* UNTIL 145 AM CDT

* AT 103 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER CENTRAL
  CLAY COUNTY...OR ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CLAY CENTER...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  RURAL NORTHWESTERN RILEY COUNTY
  RURAL SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY

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 3958 9696 3945 9690 3952 9674 3970 9696

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, 10:57 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Dickinson	43 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, 1:28 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, 2002 Every tornado warning in 2002 Tornadoes 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.