Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Topeka, KS

July 3, 2009Ottawa County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Jul 3, 2009, 7:46 PM CDT for Ottawa County, Kansas. It was in force for 44 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
Jul 3, 2009, 7:46 PM CDT (00:46 UTC)
Expired
Jul 3, 2009, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Ottawa County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:48 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
Jul 3, 7:53 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD4 W Bennington, KS140TH AND K18 HWY
Jul 3, 8:15 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 60N Bennington, KSSWEET CORN FLATTENED

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
Jul 3, 4:59 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 184 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 2009-07-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 969 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2009-07-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 252 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
969 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-177 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
933 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
252 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
458 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
3.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KTOP 040046
TORTOP
KSC143-040130-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0021.090704T0046Z-090704T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
746 PM CDT FRI JUL 3 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN OTTAWA COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 745 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 3 MILES
  NORTHEAST OF TESCOTT...OR 18 MILES NORTHWEST OF SALINA...MOVING
  EAST AT 25 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CULVER...
  MINNEAPOLIS...
  BENNINGTON...
  WELLS...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

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

&&

LAT...LON 3912 9792 3915 9755 3896 9755 3896 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 0046Z 267DEG 20KT 3903 9782

$$

GARGAN
3 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS53 KTOP 040056
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
756 PM CDT FRI JUL 3 2009

KSC143-040130-
/O.CON.KTOP.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090704T0130Z/
OTTAWA-
756 PM CDT FRI JUL 3 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL OTTAWA COUNTY...

AT 754 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
STORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES NORTH OF CULVER...OR 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF
SALINA...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BENNINGTON...
CULVER...
RURAL RESIDENTS ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTH OF MINNEAPOLIS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3909 9782 3915 9755 3896 9755 3896 9783
TIME...MOT...LOC 0055Z 270DEG 20KT 3902 9776

$$

GARGAN
000 
WWUS53 KTOP 040106
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
806 PM CDT FRI JUL 3 2009

KSC143-040130-
/O.CON.KTOP.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090704T0130Z/
OTTAWA-
806 PM CDT FRI JUL 3 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL OTTAWA COUNTY...

AT 804 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
STORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF BENNINGTON...OR 14 MILES NORTH OF
SALINA...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BENNINGTON.

AT 753 PM...THE OTTAWA COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD ABOUT 
4 MILES WEST OF BENNINGTON. RESIDENTS OF BENNINGTON SHOULD TAKE 
COVER NOW.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3908 9772 3913 9755 3896 9755 3896 9772
TIME...MOT...LOC 0105Z 270DEG 21KT 3902 9767

$$

GARGAN
000 
WWUS53 KTOP 040130
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
830 PM CDT FRI JUL 3 2009

KSC143-040139-
/O.EXP.KTOP.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090704T0130Z/
OTTAWA-
830 PM CDT FRI JUL 3 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL OTTAWA COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
830 PM CDT...

AT 829 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH THE POSSIBLE TORNADO HAD WEAKENED AND NO 
LONGER APPEARED CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES...THUS THE TORNADO 
WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THIS STORM FOR SOUTHEAST OTTAWA AND WEST 
CENTRAL DICKINSON UNTIL 9 PM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. STAY ALERT TO THE WEATHER.

LAT...LON 3908 9772 3913 9755 3896 9755 3896 9772
TIME...MOT...LOC 0129Z 270DEG 21KT 3902 9749

$$

HARDING

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 3, 7:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOttawa49 min
Jul 3, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson, Ottawa41 min
Jul 3, 8:47 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDickinson28 min
Jul 3, 9:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay, Dickinson, Geary25 min
Jul 3, 9:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDickinson, Geary, Morris24 min
Jul 3, 9:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPGeary, Riley41 min
Jul 3, 10:59 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTOPOttawa2 hr
Jul 4, 12:31 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTOPJackson, Jefferson, Shawnee3 hr

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.