Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Wichita, KS

May 13, 2009Chautauqua County, Cowley County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 13, 2009, 6:48 PM CDT for Chautauqua County, Cowley County, Kansas. It was in force for 42 min. 2 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 13, 2009, 6:48 PM CDT (23:48 UTC)
Expired
May 13, 2009, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Chautauqua County, KS, Cowley County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:48 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
May 13, 6:52 PM CDTTORNADO5 Se Cambridge, KS
May 13, 7:23 PM CDTHAIL 11 E Cedar Vale, KSTHE HAIL OCCURRED WITH 50 MPH WINDS.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 13, 4:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 103 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, Lamont, OK at 12:00Z on 2009-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 701 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lamont, OK at 12:00Z on 2009-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 329 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
701 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-565 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1492 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
329 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
587 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KICT 132348
TORICT
KSC019-035-140030-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0021.090513T2348Z-090514T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
648 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN COWLEY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS.
  WESTERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT.

* AT 649 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF CEDAR VALE...OR
  18 MILES EAST OF WINFIELD...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS WITHIN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  CEDAR VALE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3699 9672 3728 9671 3730 9652 3730 9651
      3730 9647 3729 9645 3699 9637
TIME...MOT...LOC 2349Z 333DEG 15KT 3729 9665

$$

DARMOFAL
3 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS53 KICT 140009
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
709 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

KSC019-035-140030-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090514T0030Z/
CHAUTAUQUA KS-COWLEY KS-
709 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN COWLEY AND
WESTERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM CDT...

AT 708 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS CONTINUED TO
TRACK A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR CEDAR VALE...OR 19 MILES WEST OF
SEDAN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THE DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE...
  NEAR CEDAR VALE BY 720 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3699 9672 3728 9671 3730 9652 3730 9651
      3730 9647 3729 9645 3699 9637
TIME...MOT...LOC 0009Z 324DEG 22KT 3717 9652

$$

LAWSON
000 
WWUS53 KICT 140022
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
722 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

KSC019-035-140030-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090514T0030Z/
CHAUTAUQUA KS-COWLEY KS-
722 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN COWLEY AND
WESTERN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM CDT...

AT 721 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS CONTINUED TO
TRACK A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES NORTH OF CEDAR VALE...OR 18 MILES
WEST OF SEDAN...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THE DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE...
  6 MILES NORTH OF CEDAR VALE BY 730 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS.

&&

LAT...LON 3699 9672 3728 9671 3730 9652 3730 9651
      3730 9647 3729 9645 3699 9637
TIME...MOT...LOC 0022Z 309DEG 14KT 3720 9649

$$

LAWSON
000 
WWUS53 KICT 140025
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
725 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

KSC019-035-140035-
/O.EXP.KICT.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090514T0030Z/
CHAUTAUQUA KS-COWLEY KS-
725 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN COWLEY AND WESTERN CHAUTAUQUA
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 730 PM CDT...

AT 725 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE
THUNDERSTORMS WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAVE WEAKENED...AND NO
LONGER POSE AN IMMEDIATE RISK TO LIFE OR PROPERTY.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS.

LAT...LON 3699 9672 3728 9671 3730 9652 3730 9651
      3730 9647 3729 9645 3699 9637
TIME...MOT...LOC 0025Z 309DEG 14KT 3719 9648

$$

LAWSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 5:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Elk, Greenwood55 min
May 13, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Cowley, Elk45 min
May 13, 6:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTAllen57 min
May 13, 6:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChautauqua, Cowley49 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes in 2009

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.