Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Hastings, NE

March 27, 2004Smith County, Kansas

NWS Hastings, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 27, 2004, 1:58 PM CST for Smith County, Kansas. It was in force for 47 min. 1 report 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
Mar 27, 2004, 1:58 PM CST (19:58 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 2004, 2:45 PM CST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Smith County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:58 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
Mar 27, 2:08 PM CSTHAIL 0.88Gaylord, KS

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

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
Mar 27, 11:35 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 213 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2004-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1386 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2004-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 277 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1386 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
608 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
277 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
282 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.6
Supercell composite
8.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KGID 271958
SVRGID
KSC183-272045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
158 PM CST SAT MAR 27 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SMITH COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 245 PM CST

* AT 153 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A
  LINE EXTENDING FROM 13 MILES NORTH OF ATHOL TO 6 MILES SOUTH OF   
CEDAR...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. NICKLE TO THE OF NICKLES AND 
WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  GAYLORD AROUND 205 PM CST...
  SMITH CENTER AND HARLAN AROUND 210 PM CST...
  BELLAIRE AROUND 220 PM CST...
  LEBANON AROUND 230 PM CST...

LAT...LON 3999 9900 3999 9851 3966 9851 3957 9873
          3956 9901

$$

10

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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 27, 12:00 PM CST, 1 hour 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 27, 12:00 PM CST, 1 hour 58 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1200 PM CST SAT MAR 27 2004

.DISCUSSION...HAVE UPDATED ZONES AND GRIDDED FORECASTS TO REFLECT
THE CURRENT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH.  PREVIOUS FORECAST WAS ON
TRACK...HOWEVER NEEDED TO ADJUST FOR SOME TIMING AND INTENSITY
ISSUES.  THE SHORTWAVE AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT ARE STARTING TO
MAKE THEIR WAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AND WITH INCREASING SHEAR
AND STRONG WINDS...EXPECT TO SEE CONTINUED CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT
THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...JUST A QUICK UPDATE TO SITUATION FOR INCREASING
WINDS AND SOME TIMING OF BREAKS/PRECIPITATION TRENDS. SMALL
WINDOW OF NO RAIN CURRENTLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CWFA AND WILL
PROBABLY LAST THIS MORNING. HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ADJUST GRIDS TO
REFLECT THIS LULL THEN INCREASING TREND. WE ALREADY HAVE
ACTIVITY SHIFTING NORTH FROM SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. FURTHER
WEST...SCATTERED CONVECTION ALONG THE FRONT ALREADY INCREASING
DOWN INTO NORTHWEST KANSAS. A FEW OF THESE SO FAR HAVE SHOWN
WILLINGNESS TO BE DECENT STORMS...POSSIBLY PRODUCING SMALL HAIL.
CELL MOVEMENT HAS BEEN RAPIDLY NORTH...BUT ONLY SLOWLY EAST AS
FRONT IS PUSHING SOUTH DOWN THE FRONT RANGE AT THIS TIME. ITS
GOING TO BE AWHILE BEFORE IT WORKS ACROSS THE CWFA...THUS THE
STRONGER SOUTH WINDS TODAY.

THROUGH SUN NIGHT. INCIPIENT RAIN EVENT AND CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL
INITIAL FCST CHALLENGE. EJECTING LEAD PIECE OF INTENSE LARGE SCALE
SW TROUGH OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST COMING INTO SW KS ATTM W/RAPID
INTENSIFICATION OF CONV CLUSTER FROM STOCKTON DOWN TO GREAT BEND IN
KS. LLJ CONTS TO RAMP IN ASSOCN/W LG SCALE HGT FALLS SPREADING OUT
INTO THE PLAINS AND UPR SPEED MAX EJECTING THRU THE BASE OF UPR
TROUGH OVR NM. SO IT APPEARS TWO DISCRETE PRECIP MECHANISMS TAKING
SHAPE TDA...FOREMOST BEING LEAD TROUGH AIDED BY INTENSIFYING SPEED
MAX AS THEY EJECT NE THIS MORNING AND SECONDARY DEVELOPMENT THIS
AFTN ALG STRONG COLD FRONT. STRATUS REDEVELOPMENT LAST EVENING
WITHIN CONTD MOIST SERLY FLOW WILL NEGATE SUFFICIENT DIURNAL
DESTABILIZATION TO PROMOTE DISCERNIBLE SVR RISK...BUT PERHAPS
SOMETHING REACHING MARGINAL STATUS POSSIBLE OVR NRN KS AND FAR SRN
NE. OTHERWISE XPC TEMPERED TEMP RECOVERY.

POST FRONTAL COLD ADVECTION SURGE QUITE INTENSE THIS EVENING AND DAY
SHIFT WILL NEED TO MONITOR TIMING OF ITS ARRIVAL BUT THE APPEARANCE
NOW IS IT WILL ARRIVE TOO LATE TO POSE A PROBLEM. OTHERWISE XPC
RAPID CLEARING EARLY TONIGHT.

ON SUN...UPSTREAM SLIDER DIVING DOWN WRN SIDE OF INTENSE UPR TROUGH
QUITE COLD AND EVEN W/SCOUR OF LL MSTR PLUME...ANY BIT OF SFC
HEATING COMBINED W/FAVORABLE LEFT OVR CYCLONIC WRAP ARND MSTR BODES
WELL FOR SHOWER THREAT MIDDAY SUNDAY...OTHERWISE MUCH COOLER INTO
MON.

LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...RIDGE REBUILDS IN THE WEST EARLY
IN THIS PERIOD AND SLOWLY MOVES EASTWARD INTO THE PLAINS THURSDAY.
ANOTHER STRONG 5H TROUGH MOVES ONTO THE WEST COAST WEDNESDAY AND
BECOMES A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE WEATHER BY LATE WEEK. TWO MAIN
CONCERNS WITH THIS WEATHER SYSTEM TOWARD NEXT WEEKEND...TEMPERATURES
AND PRECIPITATION. HAVE CONTINUED DAYSHIFT TREND OF ADJUSTING
TEMPERATURES DOWNWARD...AS RTN OF SOUTHEAST FLOW WILL MAKE FOR
DIFFICULT WARMING ESPECIALLY AS LL MOISTURE MAKES IT UP HERE BY
FRIDAY. PRECIPITATION IS A TOUGH ONE. WILL WAIT FOR THE NEXT RUN OF
GUIDANCE TO NARROW THE TIMING AND POTENTIAL SCOPE OF PRECIPITATION
BY LATE WEEK BUT LOOKS LIKE A STRONG SIGNAL AT THIS POINT.

&&

.GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.NE...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THROUGH 5 PM CST FOR THE SOUTHERN
TWO TIERS OF COUNTIES...PHELPS TO FILMORE AND FURNAS TO THAYER.
.KS...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THROUGH 5 PM CST FOR SIX COUNTIES IN
KANSAS...PHELPS TO JEWELL AND ROOKS TO MITCHELL.

&&

LEWIS
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 27, 11:12 AM CST, 2 hours 46 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1112 AM CST SAT MAR 27 2004

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-281200-
ADAMS-BUFFALO-CLAY-DAWSON-FILLMORE-FRANKLIN-FURNAS-GOSPER-GREELEY-
HALL-HAMILTON-HARLAN-HOWARD-JEWELL-KEARNEY-MERRICK-MITCHELL-NANCE-
NUCKOLLS-OSBORNE-PHELPS-PHILLIPS-POLK-ROOKS-SHERMAN-SMITH-THAYER-
VALLEY-WEBSTER-YORK-
1112 AM CST SAT MAR 27 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND
PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE IN RESPONSE TO A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND COLD FRONT
MOVING INTO THE AREA.

WHILE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE STRONG OR BRIEFLY SEVERE. THE MAIN HAZARDS ARE
HAIL UP TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER...AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH.

THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS FORECAST TO SLIDE EAST OF
THE REGION BY EARLY EVENING...THUS ENDING ANY POTENTIAL SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

NOAA/NWS/MORITZ

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 27, 12:59 PM CST, 59 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1259 PM CST SAT MAR 27 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1246 PM     HAIL             PALCO                   39.25N 99.56W
03/27/2004  0.75 INCH        ROOKS              KS   PUBLIC

&&

MORITZ
Local storm report, Mar 27, 1:24 PM CST, 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
124 PM CST SAT MAR 27 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0100 PM     HAIL             PLEASANTON              40.97N 99.09W
03/27/2004  0.88 INCH        BUFFALO            NE   PUBLIC

&&

MORITZ

The office that day

Everything else NWS Hastings, NE issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 12:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDRooks58 min
Mar 27, 2:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell57 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2004Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2004

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.