Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 131, NWS Topeka, KS

July 9, 2003Riley County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 9, 2003, 7:28 PM CDT for Riley County, Kansas. It was in force for 32 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: Jul 9, 2003, 7:28 PM CDT (00:28 UTC)
Expired: Jul 9, 2003, 8:00 PM CDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Riley County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 42 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:28 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 9, 3:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 236 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: 1984 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1174 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 31 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 
WUUS53 KTOP 100028
SVRTOP
KSC161-100100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
726 PM CDT WED JUL 9 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN RILEY COUNTY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 725 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF RILEY...OR ABOUT 14 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF MANHATTAN...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  KEATS
  MANHATTAN

LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS
STORM. FOR YOUR SAFETY...TAKE COVER INSIDE A BUILDING NOW.

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

LAT...LON 3918 9651 3918 9639 3913 9638 3910 9643
          3910 9676 3920 9685 3923 9693 3941 9690
          3940 9671

$$

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 Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 9, 3:25 PM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 3:25 PM CDT, 4 hours 3 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KANSAS
325 PM CDT WED JUL 9 2003

...MAIN CONCERN IS PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND TEMPERATURES
INTO NEXT WEEK...

LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING MAIN VORT CENTER OVER THE
NORTHERN PLAINS WITH LOBE EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD INTO NORTHERN KS
PUSHING SOUTHEASTWARD. SFC FRONT NOW ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
WILL SLIP SOUTHEAST AND EXIT THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA
BY MIDNIGHT. CAP ACROSS THE AREA IS WEAKENING AND EXPECT
THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE ALONG BOUNDARY THIS EVENING...EXCEPT IN THE
FAR WESTERN COUNTIES. WILL EXTEND MENTION OF POSSIBLE SEVERE A
LITTLE FURTHER WEST ACROSS THE CWA AS FRONTAL MOVEMENT A LITTLE
SLOWER THAT PREVIOUS FCST. DRIER AIR NO MOVING SOUTHWARD ACROSS
CENTRAL NE WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA WITHIN SUBSIDENCE REGION BEHIND
SHORTWAVE. WILL END PRECIP ACROSS THE CWA BY MIDNIGHT.

DRIER AIR WILL THEN CONTINUE ACROSS THE CWA INTO FRIDAY. WEAK
SHORTWAVES IN NORTHWEST FLOW IN DEEPER MOISTURE AXIS SHOULD REMAIN
SOUTH AND WEST OF THE CWA INTO THE WEEKEND BEFORE HEIGHT RISES
TAKEOVER AGAIN INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. WILL CONTINUE WITH DRY FCST
INTO MID WEEK.

.TOP...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 9, 12:57 PM CDT, 6 hours 31 minutes before

KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-101000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1257 PM CDT WED JUL 9 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL...NORTHEAST AND
EAST CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY
EVENING HOURS ACROSS THE AREA. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE
SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT.  THIS
WILL INITIALLY BE OVER PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS THROUGH THE
EARLY AFTERNOON...SHIFTING SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE MID TO LATE
AFTERNOON HOURS.

FOR THE EVENING HOURS THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WOULD BE GENERALLY
SOUTHEAST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS...EXTENDING
INTO THE EVENING OVER PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL KANSAS.

&&

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE:
   HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/TOP  (ALL LOWER CASE)

PF

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
621 PM CDT WED JUL 09 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0530 PM    SOLOMON                   KS    60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/09/03   DICKINSON                       SMALL TREES UPROOTED.

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:30 PM CDT, 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
630 PM CDT WED JUL 09 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0618 PM    9 S ABILENE               KS    70 MPH TSTM GUST
07/09/03   DICKINSON                       LARGE TREE DOWN.
                                           REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                           SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:38 PM CDT, 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
638 PM CDT WED JUL 09 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0635 PM    4 S WABAUNSEE             KS    .75 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   WABAUNSEE

0636 PM    6 NW ALMA                 KS    .75 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   WABAUNSEE                       REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:52 PM CDT, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
652 PM CDT WED JUL 09 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0649 PM    ALMA                      KS    1.25 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   WABAUNSEE                       REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                           SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Jul 9, 6:56 PM CDT, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
656 PM CDT WED JUL 09 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0650 PM    ALMA                      KS    1.75 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   WABAUNSEE                       REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                           SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Jul 9, 7:28 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
728 PM CDT WED JUL 09 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0727 PM    4 N ESKRIDGE              KS    .88 INCH HAIL
07/09/03   WABAUNSEE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 9, 7:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Wabaunsee	29 min
Jul 9, 7:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osage	40 min
Jul 9, 7:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Lyon	27 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2003 Every 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.