Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 19, NWS Topeka, KS

May 8, 2003Anderson County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2003, 7:21 PM CDT for Anderson County, Kansas. It was in force for 39 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 8, 2003, 7:21 PM CDT (00:21 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 2003, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Anderson County, KS

The radar

The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:21 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 8, 1:50 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr
May 8, 4:40 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 102 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 2003-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1679 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2003-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 247 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 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
1679 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
807 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
247 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
271 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.1
Supercell composite
9.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

409 
WFUS53 KTOP 090021
TORTOP
KSC003-090100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
720 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN ANDERSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 714 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 16 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF COLONY...OR ABOUT 12 MILES WEST OF IOLA...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...
  COLONY
  KINCAID

AT 710 PM CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED BY A TORNADO NEAR YATES 
CENTER.

FOR YOUR SAFETY...GO TO A STORM SHELTER OR BASEMENT NOW TORNADOES
MAY HAVE WINDS GREATER THAN 100 MPH. AVOID OVERPASSES AND WINDOWS.
COVER YOUR HEAD.

LEAVE MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES...AND GO TO A BASEMENT OR STORM
SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH
OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD. AVOID OVERPASSES.

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

LAT...LON 3805 9550 3837 9506 3805 9508

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 7:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBrown27 min
May 8, 7:03 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPJackson, Jefferson42 min
May 8, 7:38 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDouglas22 min
May 8, 7:39 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDouglas21 min
May 8, 7:41 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDouglas19 min
May 8, 7:43 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPJefferson17 min
May 8, 8:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDouglas, Jefferson28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes 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.