Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 36, NWS Topeka, KS

May 1, 2003Dickinson County, Morris County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 1, 2003, 12:42 AM CDT for Dickinson County, Morris County, Kansas. It was in force for 63 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 1, 2003, 12:42 AM CDT (05:42 UTC)
Expired: May 1, 2003, 1:45 AM CDT
In force: 63 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), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:41 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
Apr 30, 7:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr
May 1, 12:10 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 118 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: 3988 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1381 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 122 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.0
Supercell composite: 10.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KTOP 010542
SVRTOP
KSC041-127-010645-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1243 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN DICKINSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS
  WESTERN MORRIS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 145 AM CDT

* AT 1241 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES SOUTH OF HOPE...OR ABOUT 27 MILES
  SOUTH OF ABILENE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

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 3861 9719 3860 9692 3853 9691 3853 9676
          3885 9656 3886 9695

$$

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 Apr 30, 2:55 PM CDT, 9 hours 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 2:55 PM CDT, 9 hours 47 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KANSAS
255 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

PRECIP CHANCES THROUGH THURSDAY AND THEN AGAIN OVER THE WEEKEND AND
EARLY NEXT WEEK ARE THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS.

LATEST WATER VAPOR AND PROFILERS SHOWING SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING
ACROSS WESTERN KS AND SHOULD MOVE ACROSS THE CWA THIS EVENING. SFC
FRONT FROM SOUTHEAST NE TO CENTRAL KS SHOULD GRADUALLY SINK
SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE CWA THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. STEEPER
LAPSE RATES AND STRONGER SHEAR (ALTHOUGH MORE UNIDIRECTIONAL) WILL
COMBINE WITH WEAKENING CAP TO DEVELOP THUNDERSTORMS ALONG FRONT BY
LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING...WHICH SHOULD THEN DEVELOP SOUTHWARD
ALONG THE DRYLINE THROUGH THE EVENING. WILL CONTINUE LIKELY POPS
OVER THE EASTERN 2/3 THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE TO MENTION SEVERE
POTENTIAL. WOULD EXPECT SOME SUPERCELLS INITIALLY TO EVOLVE TO MORE
LINEAR AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES.

SECOND WAVE WILL ROTATE INTO THE CWA LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY
THURSDAY AND WILL CONTINUE THREAT THE THREAT FOR MORE
SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS EARLY THURSDAY OVER THE EAST AS DRYSLOT
REMAINS MORE TO THE SOUTH OF THE CWA...WITH AFTERNOON DRYING
GRADUALLY WORKING INTO THE AREA. CLOUDS AND NORTH WINDS WILL HELP TO
LIMIT AFTERNOON HIGHS TO THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S FROM NORTHWEST
TO SOUTHEAST.

DRIER AIR TO THEN OVERSPREAD THE CWA THROUGH FRIDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE
OVER THE GREAT LAKES BUILDS IN. HOWEVER...RETURN FLOW AROUND THE
HIGH WILL BRING MOISTURE ADVECTION NORTHWARD ON SATURDAY AND WILL
INTRODUCE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY...ALTHOUGH
THE BETTER CHANCES APPEAR WILL HOLD OFF FOR SATURDAY NIGHT INTO
SUNDAY AS MUCH STRONGER SHORTWAVE THEN MOVES INTO THE CWA. TROUGH
THEN AMPLIFIES OVER THE AREA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. WILL KEEP A MENTION
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO MONDAY BEFORE DRY AGAIN TUESDAY
INTO WEDNESDAY.

.TOP...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 3:23 PM CDT, 9 hours 19 minutes before

KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-011000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
323 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

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

.DAY ONE...LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP BEFORE 6 PM ACROSS
NORTHEAST KANSAS.  THE STORMS WILL MOST LIKELY FIRE ALONG A WARM
FRONT FROM MARYSVILLE TO SALINA THEN SPREAD EAST AND NORTHEAST
THROUGH THE EVENING.

ALL OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...AND PARTS OF NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS...WILL HAVE THE THREAT OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS WITH ANY OF THE THUNDERSTORMS.  SOME TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE
POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR MORE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM SATURDAY NIGHT
THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

&&

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 30, 9:54 PM CDT, 2 hours 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
954 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

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

0954 PM    3 N LONE ELM              KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/03   ANDERSON

Special weather statement, Apr 30, 10:00 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before

KSZ011-012-024-026-039-040-054>056-058-059-010310-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1000 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 191 HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL
KANSAS.

BROWN...JACKSON...JEFFERSON...SHAWNEE...OSAGE...LYON...DOUGLAS...
FRANKLIN AND COFFEY COUNTIES.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 191 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM
CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS.

ANDERSON.

PF

Special weather statement, Apr 30, 10:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before

KSZ011-012-024-026-039-040-054>056-058-059-010600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION TO EXPIRATION TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1015 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 191 HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL
KANSAS.

BROWN...JACKSON...JEFFERSON...SHAWNEE...OSAGE...LYON...DOUGLAS...
FRANKLIN AND COFFEY COUNTIES.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 191 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM
CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS.

ANDERSON.

PF

Local storm report, Apr 30, 10:17 PM CDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1017 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

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

1003 PM    3 NNE COLONY              KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/03   ANDERSON

Local storm report, Apr 30, 10:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1035 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

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

1033 PM    2 ENE WELDA               KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/30/03   ANDERSON

Local storm report, Apr 30, 11:49 PM CDT, 53 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1149 PM CDT WED APR 30 2003

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

1145 PM    7 E LEBO                  KS    .88 INCH HAIL
04/30/03   COFFEY

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 30, 8:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Anderson, Coffey, Franklin	36 min
Apr 30, 8:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Anderson, Coffey	60 min
Apr 30, 9:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Anderson	30 min
Apr 30, 10:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Anderson	30 min
Apr 30, 11:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Coffey, Osage	58 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.