Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Hastings, NE

May 21, 2011Osborne County, Smith County, Kansas

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2011, 5:54 PM CDT for Osborne County, Smith County, Kansas. It was in force for 20 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
May 21, 2011, 5:54 PM CDT (22:54 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2011, 6:14 PM CDT
In force
20 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Osborne County, KS, Smith County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:56 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
May 21, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 223 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2011-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 654 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2011-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 218 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
654 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-241 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1381 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
218 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
254 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

101 
WFUS53 KGID 212254
TORGID
KSC141-183-212330-
/O.NEW.KGID.TO.W.0023.110521T2254Z-110521T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
554 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL OSBORNE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...
  SOUTH CENTRAL SMITH COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 630 PM CDT

* AT 552 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GAYLORD...OR 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  PHILLIPSBURG...AND MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HARLAN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3963 9875 3950 9880 3957 9896 3964 9893
TIME...MOT...LOC 2255Z 283DEG 15KT 3960 9888
HAIL 1.50IN

$$
2 follow-up statements
087 
WWUS53 KGID 212302
SVSGID

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
602 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011

KSC141-183-212330-
/O.CON.KGID.TO.W.0023.000000T0000Z-110521T2330Z/
SMITH KS-OSBORNE KS-
602 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL OSBORNE AND
SOUTH CENTRAL SMITH COUNTIES UNTIL 630 PM CDT...

AT 601 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GAYLORD...OR 28 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
PHILLIPSBURG...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HARLAN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3963 9875 3950 9880 3957 9896 3964 9893
TIME...MOT...LOC 2303Z 283DEG 15KT 3958 9884
HAIL 1.50IN

$$
640 
WWUS53 KGID 212314
SVSGID

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
614 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011

KSC141-183-212324-
/O.CAN.KGID.TO.W.0023.000000T0000Z-110521T2330Z/
SMITH KS-OSBORNE KS-
614 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL OSBORNE AND SOUTH CENTRAL
SMITH COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED
AREA.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR 
SOUTHWESTERN JEWELL...NORTHWESTERN MITCHELL...NORTHEASTERN 
OSBORNE...AND SOUTHEASTERN SMITH COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM CDT.

LAT...LON 3963 9875 3950 9880 3957 9896 3964 9893
TIME...MOT...LOC 2314Z 283DEG 15KT 3957 9878

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Hastings, NE issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 10:32 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningGIDJewell9 hr
May 21, 4:33 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDPhillips27 min
May 21, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhillips33 min
May 21, 5:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhillips, Rooks35 min
May 21, 5:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDOsborne, Smith46 min
May 21, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell, Mitchell, Osborne, Smith49 min
May 21, 6:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell, Mitchell, Osborne, Smith35 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes in 2011

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.