Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2011

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 370, NWS Wichita, KS

August 3, 2011Cowley County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 3, 2011, 9:52 PM CDT for Cowley County, Kansas. It was in force for 38 min. 3 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: Aug 3, 2011, 9:52 PM CDT (02:52 UTC)
Expired: Aug 3, 2011, 10:30 PM CDT
In force: 38 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.0 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

County Cowley County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:53 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
Aug 3, 10:00 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 60	Geuda Springs, KS
Aug 3, 10:00 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	Geuda Springs, KS	GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. DAMAGE TO WINDOWS WAS REPORTED IN THE AREA.
Aug 3, 10:35 PM CDT	HAIL 1	Winfield, KS	PUBLIC REPORT RELAYED BY KSN PINPOINT WEATHER.

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

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched 2 storm reports to this severe thunderstorm warning; the first came 8 minutes after it went out.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 72 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: 951 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -98 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2999 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

403 
WUUS53 KICT 040252
SVRICT
KSC035-040330-
/O.NEW.KICT.SV.W.0370.110804T0252Z-110804T0330Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
952 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN COWLEY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 1030 PM CDT

* AT 949 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE
  HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS
  LOCATED NEAR GEUDA SPRINGS...OR 14 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WINFIELD...
  AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  WINFIELD...STROTHER FIELD AIRPORT AND MAPLE CITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES PER
HOUR...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR
YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

&&

LAT...LON 3707 9715 3733 9715 3744 9690 3705 9667
      3699 9714
TIME...MOT...LOC 0252Z 227DEG 19KT 3713 9712
WIND...HAIL 60MPH 1.00IN

$$

LAWSON

1 follow-up statement

779 
WWUS53 KICT 040308
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1008 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2011

KSC035-040330-
/O.CON.KICT.SV.W.0370.000000T0000Z-110804T0330Z/
COWLEY KS-
1008 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2011

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN COWLEY
COUNTY UNTIL 1030 PM CDT...

AT 1006 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PING PONG BALL
SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS
LOCATED 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OXFORD...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
WINFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  WINFIELD.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES PER
HOUR...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR
YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

&&

LAT...LON 3707 9715 3733 9715 3744 9690 3705 9667
      3699 9714
TIME...MOT...LOC 0308Z 212DEG 27KT 3722 9709
WIND...HAIL 60MPH 1.50IN

$$

LAWSON

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 3, 6:53 PM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 6:53 PM CDT, 2 hours 59 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
653 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2011

.AVIATION...00Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU
FOCUS IS ON PIN-POINTING LOCATIONS OF TSRA THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AS A
MOIST VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS ENTRENCHED OVER THE GREAT PLAINS.
THRU 04/06Z THE BETTER CHANCES FOR TSRA SHOULD CONTINUE TO OCCUR OVER
SC & SE KS WHERE CLOSER TO A POORLY-DEFINED W-E ORIENTED STATIONARY
FRONT SITUATED ACROSS NRN OK. THESE CELLS ARE LIKELY TO PRODUCE 60-70
MPH GUSTS IN THESE AREAS THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. ONLY TERMINAL FOR
WHICH "TEMPO TSRA" HAS BEEN ASSIGNED IS KHUT 00Z-02Z WHERE A NE-MOVG
CELL ~20KTS IS APPROACHING THE TERMINAL...OTHERWISE "VCTS" HAS BEEN
ASSIGNED TO REMAINING TERMINALS DUE TO SPORADIC PRIMARILY DIURNALLY
CONVECTION.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 304 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2011/

DISCUSSION...
THE FORECAST AREA REMAINS ON THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE
SUBTROPICAL RIDGE WHICH REMAINED CONFINED TO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS
STATES. A STATIONARY FRONT WAS DRAPED ACROSS THE AREA FROM NEAR KCFV
IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS TO KBVO TO JUST SOUTH OF KPNC IN NORTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA. ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONT...DEWPOINTS WERE HOLDING IN
THE 70S RESULTING IN SBCAPES EXCEEDING 5000 J/KG. ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONT LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH MORE WIDELY SCATTERED ACTIVITY EXPECTED
TO DEVELOP TONIGHT ALONG NOSE OF MODEST H7 WAA ACROSS MAINLY CENTRAL
KANSAS. THIS SCENARIO WAS HANDLED WELL IN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST WITH
ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS MADE.

THU-SAT...A VERY SIMILAR SETUP IS ANTICIPATED ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA THU-FRI AS THE STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES TO MEANDER NEAR THE
OKLAHOMA STATE LINE LEADING TO NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS. FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST KANSAS...TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 90S/AROUND 100 WILL
COMBINE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE 70S LEADING TO MORE OPPRESSIVE HEAT
INDICES AND A CONTINUATION OF HEAT HEADLINES THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.
WIDELY SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
ONCE AGAIN WITHIN A POST-FRONTAL UPSLOPE REGIME WITH MLCAPES
EXCEEDING 2500 J/KG/0-6KM AND BULK SHEAR OF 30-40 KTS POSSIBLY
SUPPORTING A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG/IMMEDIATELY NORTH OF
THE STATIONARY FRONT. WILL MAINTAIN MID POPS THU NIGHT AS WEAK
SOUTHERLY LLJ NOSES TOWARD THE OK STATE LINE. THE STATIONARY FRONT
IS PROGGED TO LIFT NORTH ON SAT RESULTING IN RISING TEMPERATURES
AS THE WARM SECTOR EXPANDS NORTHWARD ONCE AGAIN.

SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY...A SERIES OF CLIPPER-LIKE SYSTEMS WILL DIG OVER
THE GREAT LAKES AREA EARLY IN THE WEEK HELPING TO BREAK DOWN THE
PERSISTENT MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WHILE DRIVING A COLD FRONT SOUTH
ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS. THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE TUE-WED
BRINGING RELIEF FROM THE HEAT WITH CONTINUED CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS AND HIGHS IN THE 80S ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
WICHITA-KICT    78 100  77 100 /  30  40  40  20
HUTCHINSON      76  98  76  98 /  30  40  40  20
NEWTON          76  97  77  98 /  30  30  40  30
ELDORADO        77  98  77  99 /  20  30  30  20
WINFIELD-KWLD   78 102  78 103 /  30  40  30  20
RUSSELL         71  91  70  90 /  50  40  50  30
GREAT BEND      72  93  72  94 /  40  40  50  30
SALINA          74  93  74  92 /  40  40  40  30
MCPHERSON       75  96  75  96 /  30  40  40  30
COFFEYVILLE     80 104  79 103 /  30  30  20  20
CHANUTE         78  99  78  99 /  20  20  20  30
IOLA            78  97  78  97 /  20  30  20  30
PARSONS-KPPF    79 102  79 101 /  30  30  20  20

&&

.ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CDT THURSDAY FOR KSZ067>070.

EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 8 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR KSZ071-072-
082-083-091>096-098>100.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 7:20 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
720 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2011

KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-050030-
RUSSELL-LINCOLN-BARTON-ELLSWORTH-SALINE-RICE-MCPHERSON-MARION-CHASE-
RENO-HARVEY-BUTLER-GREENWOOD-WOODSON-ALLEN-KINGMAN-SEDGWICK-HARPER-
SUMNER-COWLEY-ELK-WILSON-NEOSHO-CHAUTAUQUA-MONTGOMERY-LABETTE-
720 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE EVENING...SOME
OF WHICH MAY BE SEVERE WITH DAMAGING 60-70 MPH WINDS AND 1-INCH
DIAMETER HAIL. MOVING EAST AROUND 15 MPH THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
PRODUCE LOCALLY VERY HEAVY RAINS. FURTHER THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT
IS POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT...SOME OF WHICH MAY PRODUCE GUSTS AROUND
50 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

DANGEROUS HEAT INDICES WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT SOUTH CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST KANSAS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE EXCESSIVE HEAT
WARNING FOR DETAILS. THE HIGH HEAT INDICES COULD PERSIST ACROSS
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH
ADDITIONAL HEAT HEADLINES POSSIBLE.

PERIODIC CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR FROM THURSDAY
THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. A FEW STRONG STORMS WILL BE
POSSIBLE THROUGH THE PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT.

&&

FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT
(LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP

ES/MWM

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 3, 9:37 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
937 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0933 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 E NORWICH             37.46N 97.77W
08/03/2011  E60 MPH          SUMNER             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            GUSTS RANGED FROM 50-60 MPH 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF CONWAY
            SPRINGS.

&&

EPS

Local storm report, Aug 3, 9:44 PM CDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
944 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0922 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG CONWAY SPRINGS          37.39N 97.64W
08/03/2011                   SUMNER             KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            POWER POLES DOWNED. POWER OUTAGES REPORTED ACROSS
            SOUTHERN THIRD OF SUMNER COUNTY.

&&

EPS

Local storm report, Aug 3, 9:44 PM CDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED!!
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
944 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0922 PM     TSTM WND DMG     CONWAY SPRINGS          37.39N 97.64W
08/03/2011                   SUMNER             KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            POWER POLES DOWNED. POWER OUTAGES REPORTED ACROSS
            SOUTHERN THIRD OF SUMNER COUNTY.

&&

EPS

Local storm report, Aug 3, 9:47 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
947 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0945 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST WEST WICHITA            37.69N 97.46W
08/03/2011  E70 MPH          SEDGWICK           KS   NWS EMPLOYEE

            RANGED FROM 60-70 MPH.

&&

EPS

Local storm report, Aug 3, 9:47 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED!!
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
947 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0945 PM     TSTM WND GST     WEST WICHITA            37.69N 97.46W
08/03/2011  E70 MPH          SEDGWICK           KS   NWS EMPLOYEE

            RANGED FROM 60-70 MPH.

&&

EPS

Local storm report, Aug 3, 9:50 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
950 PM CDT WED AUG 03 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0940 PM     TSTM WND GST     7 W WEST WICHITA        37.69N 97.59W
08/03/2011  E70 MPH          SEDGWICK           KS   NWS EMPLOYEE

            RANGED FROM 60-70 MPH AT WFO WICHITA.

&&

EPS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 3, 7:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Reno, Rice	51 min
Aug 3, 7:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Kingman, Reno	39 min
Aug 3, 7:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Harper	35 min
Aug 3, 7:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Harvey, McPherson, Reno, Rice	38 min
Aug 3, 8:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Kingman, Reno	44 min
Aug 3, 9:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Harper, Sumner	39 min
Aug 3, 9:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Sumner	49 min
Aug 3, 9:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Sedgwick, Sumner	34 min
Aug 3, 9:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Sedgwick	48 min
Aug 3, 10:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Harvey, Marion	42 min
Aug 3, 10:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Cowley	46 min
Aug 3, 10:34 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	ICT	Sedgwick	9 hr
Aug 3, 10:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Chase, Harvey, Marion	47 min
Aug 4, 1:42 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Labette	35 min
Aug 4, 3:54 PM CDT	Excessive Heat Warning	ICT	Allen, Butler, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood and 11 more	48 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2011 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.