Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Topeka, KS

April 25, 2009Douglas County, Osage County, Shawnee County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 25, 2009, 5:16 PM CDT for Douglas County, Osage County, Shawnee County, Kansas. It was in force for 29 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: Apr 25, 2009, 5:16 PM CDT (22:16 UTC)
Expired: Apr 25, 2009, 5:45 PM CDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Douglas County, KS, Osage County, KS, Shawnee County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:16 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
Apr 25, 5:22 PM CDT	HAIL 1.25	4 E Carbondale, 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
Apr 25, 3:36 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 11 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: 558 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -281 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 776 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 251 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 282 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 KTOP 252216
TORTOP
KSC045-139-177-252245-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0003.090425T2216Z-090425T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
516 PM CDT SAT APR 25 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
  NORTHEASTERN OSAGE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
  SOUTHEASTERN SHAWNEE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 545 PM CDT

* AT 515 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR
  CARBONDALE...OR 15 MILES SOUTH OF TOPEKA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RICHLAND...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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
SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

&&

LAT...LON 3903 9551 3894 9538 3877 9567 3885 9573
TIME...MOT...LOC 2216Z 220DEG 29KT 3882 9568

$$

HARDING

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 24, 7:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Republic, Washington	33 min
Apr 24, 8:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Republic, Washington	45 min
Apr 25, 3:15 PM CDT	Flood Watch	TOP	Anderson, Brown, Clay, Coffey, Dickinson, Douglas and 14 more	44 hr
Apr 25, 3:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Lyon, Osage, Wabaunsee	32 min
Apr 25, 4:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Jefferson	28 min
Apr 25, 4:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Jackson, Jefferson	26 min
Apr 25, 4:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas, Osage, Shawnee	50 min
Apr 25, 5:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Douglas, Jefferson, Osage, Shawnee	47 min
Apr 25, 5:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Lyon, Osage	31 min
Apr 25, 6:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Douglas, Jefferson	23 min
Apr 25, 6:12 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TOP	Douglas	63 min

Nearby

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