Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Wichita, KS

May 1, 2008Elk County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 1, 2008, 6:41 PM CDT for Elk County, Kansas. It was in force for 34 min. 6 reports 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: May 1, 2008, 6:41 PM CDT (23:41 UTC)
Expired: May 1, 2008, 7:15 PM CDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Elk County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:44 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 1, 6:44 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	1 Ne Elk Falls, KS
May 1, 6:46 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	2 W Longton, KS	STORM SPOTTER REPORTED A WALL CLOUD WITH STRONG ROTATION AND A FUNNEL CLOUD 2 MILES WEST OF LONGTON
May 1, 6:50 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	1 Se Elk Falls, KS
May 1, 6:58 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	1 E Longton, KS
May 1, 7:05 PM CDT	HAIL 2	3 E Elk Falls, KS
May 1, 7:20 PM CDT	HAIL 0.75	3 W Elk Falls, KS

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

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 1, 5:36 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 150 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: 1630 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -463 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1041 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 485 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 534 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KICT 012341
TORICT
KSC049-020015-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0002.080501T2341Z-080502T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
641 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN ELK COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT.

* AT 639 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR ELK FALLS...OR 13 MILES NORTH OF
  SEDAN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS WITHIN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  ELK FALLS...LONGTON...MOLINE.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. MOVE INTO YOUR TORNADO SHELTER NOW IF NO
UNDERGROUND SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...MOVE INTO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY STRUCTURE.

LAT...LON 3754 9596 3729 9596 3729 9632 3738 9631
TIME...MOT...LOC 2341Z 246DEG 26KT 3732 9621

$$

DARMOFAL

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS53 KICT 012357
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
657 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2008

KSC049-020015-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-080502T0015Z/
ELK KS-
657 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN ELK COUNTY
UNTIL 715 PM CDT...

AT 653 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD. 
THIS POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR LONGTON...OR 16 MILES NORTH 
OF SEDAN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THIS TORNADO WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF SOUTHEASTERN ELK 
COUNTY...INCLUDING THE TOWN OF LONGTON. IF YOU LIVE IN LONGTON
TAKE COVER NOW

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3754 9596 3729 9596 3729 9632 3738 9631
TIME...MOT...LOC 2357Z 246DEG 26KT 3737 9608

$$

DARMOFAL

000 
WWUS53 KICT 020018
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
715 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2008

KSC049-020025-
/O.EXP.KICT.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-080502T0015Z/
ELK KS-
715 PM CDT THU MAY 1 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN ELK COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

AT 711 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE
THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT FRIDAY MORNING FOR
SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS.

OTHER STRONG STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS ELK COUNTY. SO 
LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.

LAT...LON 3754 9596 3729 9596 3729 9632 3738 9631
TIME...MOT...LOC 0015Z 246DEG 26KT 3742 9593

$$

DARMOFAL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 1, 1:09 PM CDT	Wind Advisory	ICT	Allen, Chautauqua, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery and 3 more	2 hr
May 1, 5:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Chautauqua, Elk	49 min
May 1, 5:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Cowley	39 min
May 1, 6:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Greenwood, Wilson, Woodson	51 min
May 1, 6:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Elk	30 min
May 1, 6:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Elk	52 min
May 1, 6:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Greenwood, Woodson	48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

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.