Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Topeka, KS

April 19, 2002Clay County, Dickinson County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2002, 2:10 AM CDT for Clay County, Dickinson County, Kansas. It was in force for 40 min. 2 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 19, 2002, 2:10 AM CDT (07:10 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 2002, 2:50 AM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Clay County, KS, Dickinson County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:14 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 19, 2:34 AM CDTHail 0.75Longford, KS
Apr 19, 2:35 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61 EUpland, 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 19, 1:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 7.2 hours before the alert went out and 137 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 00:00Z on 2002-04-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 159 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 00:00Z on 2002-04-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 45 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
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

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KTOP 190710
TORTOP
KSC027-041-190750-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
209 AM CDT FRI APR 19 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN DICKINSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS
  SOUTHERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 250 AM CDT

* AT 203 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF
  LONGFORD...OR ABOUT 22 MILES NORTHWEST OF ABILENE...MOVING EAST AT
  35 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  LONGFORD
  OAK HILL
  MANCHESTER
  WAKEFIELD

WHEN THIS STORM PASSED 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF MINNEAPOLIS A RORARING 
NOISE WAS HEARD OVERHEAD.

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 3927 9737 3907 9736 3907 9696 3933 9696

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 18, 7:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPNemaha37 min
Apr 18, 7:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBrown48 min
Apr 18, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPLyon, Morris56 min
Apr 19, 12:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay44 min
Apr 19, 1:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCloud, Ottawa45 min
Apr 19, 1:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Riley36 min
Apr 19, 1:33 AM CDTTornado WarningTOPOttawa42 min
Apr 19, 2:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPGeary, Riley56 min
Apr 19, 3:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Wabaunsee62 min
Apr 19, 3:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Wabaunsee60 min
Apr 19, 3:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson31 min
Apr 19, 3:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsage, Wabaunsee117 min
Apr 19, 3:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPAnderson, Brown, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Dickinson and 17 more170 days
Apr 19, 4:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOP68 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.