Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Wichita, KS

April 19, 2003Sedgwick County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 19, 2003, 4:07 AM CDT for Sedgwick County, Kansas. It was in force for 38 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
Apr 19, 2003, 4:07 AM CDT (09:07 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 2003, 4:45 AM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Sedgwick County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:11 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.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 19, 1:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 204 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 2003-04-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 987 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2003-04-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 205 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
987 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1888 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
302 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
9.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KICT 190907
SVRICT
KSC173-190945-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
407 AM CDT SAT APR 19 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SEDGWICK COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 445 AM CDT.

* AT 407 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTH OF MAIZE...OR ABOUT 8 MILES WEST
  OF DOWNTOWN WICHITA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE
  NEAR MAIZE AROUND 410 AM CDT...
  NEAR PARK CITY AROUND 420 AM CDT...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
  WINDS UP TO 60 MILES AN HOUR...

STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. AVOID USING THE TELEPHONE OR OTHER ELECTRICAL
EQUIPMENT...WHILE LIGHTNING IS IN THE AREA.

REPEATING...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
SEDGWICK COUNTY UNTIL 445 AM CDT.

LAT...LON 3790 9758 3767 9743 3771 9722 3790 9730

$$

/DARMOFAL

NNNN

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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 19, 3:09 AM CDT, 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 3:09 AM CDT, 58 minutes before
AREA WEATHER SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
309 AM CDT SAT APR 19 2003

VERY ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER DAY ON TAP TDAY ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND
ESPECIALLY SE KS, AS STRONG UPPER WAVE FINALLY KICKS OUT.

HAVE DECIDED NOT TO GO WITH A FFA AT THIS TIME. THE THINKING HERE IS
THAT THE BULK OF THE RAIN THIS MORNING WL FALL OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
KS, WITH SE KS GETTING THE MAIN SHOW TNGHT.

TDAY: THUNDERSTORMS SHUD DEVELOP OVER OKLAHOMA ON THE NOSE OF A 60KT
LLJ.  THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD NORTH, AND WL AFFECT SOUTH
CENTRAL AND SE KS DURING THE FIRST PART OF THE DAY. THIS CONVECTION
SHUD MOVE OFF TO THE NORTH AS THE MAIN ENERGY WITH THIS SYSTEM LIFTS
OUT. BY 18Z SFC LOW WL BE SITUATED OVER GENERALLY NORTHERN TEXAS,
WITH A DRY LINE MIXING EAST WITH A BULGE OVER SOUTHERN OK AND NORTH
TX. A 100KT 250MB JET WL BE NOSING INTO NORTH CENTRAL OK AROUND 00Z.
WOULD EXPECT CONVECTION TO FIRE AS THIS FEATURE INTERACTS WITH THE
DRY LINE, MAINLY ACROSS CENTRAL OK INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KS GENERALLY
AROUND 21Z. THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY WL BE HIGHLY DEPENDANT ON HOW
CONVECTION THIS MORNING MODIFIES THE ATMOSPHERE. ATTM, IT APPEARS
THE BEST INSTABILITY WL BE OVER CENTRAL OK, WHICH MAKES SENSE GIVING
THE AMOUNT OF LEFT OVER CLOUD COVER WE SHUD HAVE. THE BEST SHOT FOR
SEVERE WX SHUD COME FROM STORMS THAT INITIATE SOUTH OF AREA AND
TRACK INTO CWA. WITH AROUND 70KT OF FLOW AT 500MB, ROTATING STORMS
WL DEFINITELY BE A POSSIBILITY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND SE KS,
ESPECIALLY IF THEY CAN INTERACT WITH LEFT OVER BOUNDARIES FROM
MORNING CONVECTION.  THEREFORE, A TORNADO CANT BE RULED OUT,
ESPECIALLY OVER SE KS.

TNGHT: SE KS WL REMAIN IN THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF THE UPPER JET
THROUGH THE NIGHTTIME HOURS. THEREFORE, SE KS WL HAVE THE BEST SHOT
TO KEEP SEEING TSRAS OVERNIGHT. SHUD BE PLENTY OF MOISTURE AROUND
AS 850MB DPS REMAIN THE IN THE 5-8 DEGREE RANGE. SOME SECTIONS OF
THE NE AREAS OF CWA MIGHT BE IN THE WRAP AROUND AREA OF STORM,
WHICH MAY WARRANT SOME POPS.

SUN-MON: BY SUN 12Z SFC LOW WL BE SITUATED OVER THE WESTERN GREAT
LAKES REGION, WITH WEAK SFC RIDGING WORKING INTO AREA. BY 12Z MON,
SFC LOW OVER GREAT LAKES REGION MOVES VERY LITTLE, AS NEXT SYSTEM
APPROACHES THE WEST COAST. THIS PLACES CWA IN NW FLOW ALOFT WITH SFC
RIDGE SLIDES OVER AREA.

TUES-FRI: EXTENDED GRIDS FROM PREV FCST LOOK RIGHT ON TRACK WITH
SYSTEM APPROACHING CWA WED-THURS. SFC RIDGE AXIS WL BE BISECTING CWA
BY 12Z, SO WL LEAVE DRY FOR NOW.  BY 12Z WED BOTH THE ECM AND GFS
REALLY HAVE THE GULF OPENED UP AS UPPER WAVE APPROACHES AREA. THE
ECM HAS THIS WAVE CLOSED OFF OVER THE ROCKIES, WHILE THE GFS IS
WEAKER, WITH MORE OF A NEGATIVE TILT. NEVERTHELESS, BOTH SUPPORT
RAPID MOISTURE INCREASES/ISENTROPIC LIFT OVER AREA. BY THURS 12Z,
BOTH ECM AND GFS HAVE THIS STRONG UPPER LOW CLOSED OFF GENERALLY
OVER NW KS. THIS WOULD PLACE MOST OF CWA IN A PRIME LOCATION FOR
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, WITH WARM FRONT SCENARIO. THEREFORE, WL
CARRY POPS WED-THURS.  BY THURS NGHT, THE EASTERN SECTION OF CWA
MIGHT STILL HAVE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS, IN THE WRAP AROUND REGION OF
THIS DYNAMIC SYSTEM. ONCE AGAIN, PREV FCST HAS THIS WELL IN HAND. WL
LEAVE FRI DRY FOR NOW. THE WEEKEND COULD GET INTERESTING THOUGH,
WITH BOTH ECM AND GFS FCSTING A VERY INTENSE TROUGH DIGGING OVER THE
WEST COAST.

FCSTID = 7
ICT   69  47  63  43 / 100  60  10   5
HUT   66  45  63  42 / 100  40  10   5
EWK   69  46  63  42 / 100  50  10   5
EQA   69  48  63  43 / 100  60  10   5
WLD   70  49  65  43 / 100  70  10   5
RSL   61  43  61  39 /  60  30   5   5
GBD   63  43  63  40 /  70  30   5   5
SLN   65  45  62  40 /  70  50  10   5
MPR   68  46  63  42 /  90  50  10   5
CFV   71  50  63  42 / 100  70  10   5
CNU   71  50  63  42 / 100  70  10   5
K88   71  50  63  42 / 100  70  10   5

.ICT...
KS...NONE.

LAWSON
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 18, 10:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 37 minutes before
KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-191030-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1030 PM CDT FRI APR 18 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...OVERNIGHT

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT ACROSS
PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS OVERNIGHT. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER 4AM ALONG A WEAK COLD FRONT THAT
EXTENDS FROM ELLSWORTH TO GREAT BEND. SOME OF THESE STORMS HAVE
THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL ALONG WITH ISOLATED DAMAGING
WINDS. MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO MOVE OUT OF CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA INTO SOUTHEAST KANSAS OVERNIGHT. SOME OF THESE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY ALSO BECOME SEVERE WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. SOME OF THESE
STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE, WITH THE MAIN RISK BEING LARGE HAIL.

ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL ARRIVE BY TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE AFTER 4 AM, BUT THE BEST
POTENTIAL LOOKS TO BE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT.

&&

FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION, SEE OUR
WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/ICT/HWO/HWOICT.HTM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 2:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman60 min
Apr 19, 3:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno62 min
Apr 19, 7:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChautauqua37 min
Apr 19, 7:38 AM CDTTornado WarningICTChautauqua37 min
Apr 19, 7:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTElk36 min
Apr 19, 8:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTGreenwood35 min
Apr 19, 2:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSedgwick54 min
Apr 19, 3:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno48 min
Apr 19, 3:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper59 min
Apr 19, 4:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper, Sumner79 min
Apr 19, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey31 min
Apr 19, 4:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSedgwick66 min
Apr 19, 4:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler66 min
Apr 19, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSumner45 min
Apr 19, 5:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChase, Greenwood50 min
Apr 19, 5:54 PM CDTTornado WarningICTSumner36 min
Apr 19, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler61 min
Apr 19, 6:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley55 min
Apr 19, 6:13 PM CDTTornado WarningICTMontgomery47 min
Apr 19, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTGreenwood30 min
Apr 19, 6:40 PM CDTTornado WarningICTLabette50 min
Apr 19, 6:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTNeosho43 min
Apr 19, 6:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTAllen35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

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.