Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Topeka, KS

August 23, 2004Douglas County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Aug 23, 2004, 7:49 PM CDT for Douglas County, Kansas. It was in force for 26 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
Aug 23, 2004, 7:49 PM CDT (00:49 UTC)
Expired
Aug 23, 2004, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Douglas County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:02 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
Aug 23, 6:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 24 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 2004-08-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2446 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2004-08-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 314 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
2446 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
577 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
314 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
513 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
4.3
Supercell composite
21.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KTOP 240049
TORTOP
KSC045-240115-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
747 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN DOUGLAS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 741 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 8 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF CLINTON...OR ABOUT 12 MILES EAST OF TOPEKA...MOVING
  EAST AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CLINTON
  CLINTON LAKE
  LAWRENCE

AT 746 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 2 MILES WEST 
OF BIG SPRINGS

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.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY BUILDING. AS A
LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND 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
SEVER WEATHER INFORMATION.

LAT...LON 3905 9549 3890 9548 3886 9519 3903 9519

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 23, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay, Riley40 min
Aug 23, 7:07 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPShawnee23 min
Aug 23, 7:27 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPShawnee33 min
Aug 23, 7:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Riley47 min
Aug 23, 7:50 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPPottawatomie, Riley, Wabaunsee40 min
Aug 23, 8:01 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPShawnee29 min
Aug 23, 8:12 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPRiley2 hr
Aug 23, 8:15 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDouglas45 min
Aug 23, 8:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDouglas, Jefferson, Pottawatomie, Shawnee, Wabaunsee4 hr
Aug 23, 8:28 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPRiley, Wabaunsee47 min
Aug 23, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee45 min
Aug 23, 8:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPGeary, Riley53 min
Aug 23, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay59 min
Aug 23, 9:00 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDouglas45 min
Aug 23, 9:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee42 min
Aug 23, 9:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPGeary, Riley, Wabaunsee61 min
Aug 23, 9:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDouglas44 min
Aug 23, 9:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPGeary, Riley56 min
Aug 23, 10:15 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPClay, Geary, Riley2 hr
Aug 24, 12:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee, Wabaunsee41 min
Aug 24, 1:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPShawnee, Wabaunsee47 min
Aug 24, 2:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsage40 min
Aug 24, 8:36 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPDouglas, Jackson, Jefferson, Shawnee3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.