Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Wichita, KS

February 27, 2011Cowley County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Feb 27, 2011, 5:58 PM CST for Cowley County, Kansas. It was in force for 43 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: Feb 27, 2011, 5:58 PM CST (23:58 UTC)
Expired: Feb 27, 2011, 6:41 PM CST
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Cowley County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:02 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
Feb 27, 6:20 PM CST	HAIL 1.25	4 N Grainola, OK	REPORTED BY OFF DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE CHASING STORM
Feb 27, 6:23 PM CST	TORNADO	3 Se Maple City, KS	ON THE GROUND NEAR THE KANSAS/OKLAHOMA BORDER NEAR K15.
Feb 27, 6:23 PM CST	TORNADO	5 Se Maple City, KS	ON THE GROUND NEAR THE KANSAS/OKLAHOMA BORDER NEAR K15.

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
Feb 27, 2:46 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 211 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: 915 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 543 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 249 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 231 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.7
Supercell composite: 4.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

971 
WFUS53 KICT 272358
TORICT
KSC035-280100-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0001.110227T2358Z-110228T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
558 PM CST SUN FEB 27 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 700 PM CST

* AT 553 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR CHILOCCO...OR 22 MILES SOUTH OF
  WINFIELD...AND MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MAPLE CITY.

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.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN WICHITA.

&&

LAT...LON 3700 9704 3704 9701 3713 9676 3715 9651
      3700 9651 3700 9652
TIME...MOT...LOC 2358Z 248DEG 45KT 3698 9693

$$

LAWSON

3 follow-up statements

080 
WWUS53 KICT 280008
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
608 PM CST SUN FEB 27 2011

KSC035-280100-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-110228T0100Z/
COWLEY KS-
608 PM CST SUN FEB 27 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN COWLEY COUNTY
UNTIL 700 PM CST...

AT 606 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR HARDY...OR 21 MILES SOUTH OF WINFIELD...MOVING
EAST AT 60 MPH.

THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF SOUTHEASTERN
COWLEY COUNTY.

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.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN WICHITA.

&&

LAT...LON 3700 9704 3704 9701 3713 9676 3715 9651
      3700 9651 3700 9652
TIME...MOT...LOC 0008Z 251DEG 51KT 3699 9680

$$

LAWSON

894 
WWUS53 KICT 280018
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
618 PM CST SUN FEB 27 2011

KSC035-280100-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-110228T0100Z/
COWLEY KS-
618 PM CST SUN FEB 27 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEASTERN COWLEY COUNTY
UNTIL 700 PM CST...

AT 615 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GRAINOLA...OR 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
WINFIELD...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF SOUTHEASTERN COWLEY COUNTY.

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.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN WICHITA.

&&

LAT...LON 3700 9704 3704 9701 3713 9676 3715 9651
      3700 9651 3700 9652
TIME...MOT...LOC 0018Z 261DEG 45KT 3699 9665

$$

LAWSON

350 
WWUS53 KICT 280041
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
641 PM CST SUN FEB 27 2011

KSC035-280051-
/O.CAN.KICT.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-110228T0100Z/
COWLEY KS-
641 PM CST SUN FEB 27 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN COWLEY COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

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

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN WICHITA.

LAT...LON 3700 9704 3704 9701 3713 9676 3715 9651
      3700 9651 3700 9652
TIME...MOT...LOC 0041Z 261DEG 45KT 3703 9629

$$

LAWSON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 26, 9:11 PM CST	Dense Fog Advisory	ICT	Allen, Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley and 20 more	18 hr
Feb 27, 1:11 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Harvey, Sedgwick	39 min
Feb 27, 1:36 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Chase, Marion, Sedgwick	54 min
Feb 27, 2:07 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Chase, Greenwood	53 min
Feb 27, 4:38 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Kingman	26 min
Feb 27, 4:49 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Harvey, Reno, Sedgwick	41 min
Feb 27, 4:59 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Harper, Sumner	36 min
Feb 27, 5:25 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Chase, Marion	47 min

Nearby

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