Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 22, NWS Wichita, KS

May 24, 2011Barton County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 24, 2011, 4:59 PM CDT for Barton County, Kansas. It was in force for 31 min. 6 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
May 24, 2011, 4:59 PM CDT (21:59 UTC)
Expired
May 24, 2011, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Barton County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 130 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:02 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 24, 5:00 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Great Bend, KSTRAINED SPOTTER ESTIMATES DIME SIZED HAIL IN GREAT BEND.
May 24, 5:02 PM CDTHAIL 1Great Bend, KSAMATEUR RADIO REPORTS SOME QUARTER SIZED HAIL BUT MOSTLY DIME OR SMALLER.
May 24, 5:06 PM CDTTORNADO6 Nne Seward, KSTWO FATALITIES OCCURRED WHEN A TORNADO BLEW A TREE ONTO A VAN TRAVELING ALONG HIGHWAY 281.
May 24, 5:10 PM CDTTORNADO8 Ene Great Bend, KS*** 1 INJ *** LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS AN UNDETERMINED NUMBER OF HOUSES DESTROYED AND ONE INJURY.
May 24, 5:22 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG5 S Great Bend, KSAMATEUR RADIO REPORTS 18 TO 20 INCH DIAMETER TREES DOWN NORTH OF K19 AND 281.
May 24, 5:25 PM CDTTORNADO7 N Ellinwood, KSHOUSES DAMAGED

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
May 24, 3:14 PM CDTTornado Watch PDSSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 125 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 2011-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1043 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 2011-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 221 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1043 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-263 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
625 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
221 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

170 
WFUS53 KICT 242159
TORICT
KSC009-242230-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0022.110524T2159Z-110524T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
459 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BARTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 530 PM CDT

* AT 457 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR SEWARD...AND MOVING NORTH AT 45
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  GREAT BEND...ELLINWOOD...HOISINGTON AND GREAT BEND ARPT.

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.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR
THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3858 9885 3847 9849 3825 9862 3826 9892
TIME...MOT...LOC 2159Z 195DEG 38KT 3826 9878
HAIL 2.75IN

$$

BILLINGS
1 follow-up statement
103 
WWUS53 KICT 242210
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
510 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 2011

KSC009-242230-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0022.000000T0000Z-110524T2230Z/
BARTON KS-
510 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN BARTON COUNTY
UNTIL 530 PM CDT...

AT 505 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR ELLINWOOD...MOVING NORTH AT 50 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HOISINGTON.

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 3858 9885 3847 9849 3825 9862 3826 9892
TIME...MOT...LOC 2210Z 195DEG 43KT 3841 9862
HAIL 1.75IN

$$

MCGUIRE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 7:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton, Russell67 min
May 24, 7:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth, Lincoln60 min
May 24, 4:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarvey, Kingman, Reno, Sedgwick35 min
May 24, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton, Russell63 min
May 24, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth, McPherson, Rice, Saline60 min
May 24, 4:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSedgwick, Sumner50 min
May 24, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Cowley, Sedgwick, Sumner57 min
May 24, 5:10 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningICTSedgwick3 hr
May 24, 5:11 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningICTBarton4 hr
May 24, 5:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSumner45 min
May 24, 5:34 PM CDTTornado WarningICTBarton, Russell41 min
May 24, 5:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth, Lincoln, Russell, Saline37 min
May 24, 5:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Harvey, McPherson, Marion, Reno, Rice66 min
May 24, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood60 min
May 24, 5:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Cowley, Sedgwick, Sumner64 min
May 24, 6:07 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningICTLincoln, Russell52 hr
May 24, 6:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Chase, Marion63 min
May 24, 6:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChase, Greenwood, Woodson61 min
May 24, 6:14 PM CDTTornado WarningICTBarton, Russell31 min
May 24, 6:43 PM CDTTornado WarningICTBarton32 min
May 24, 6:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Cowley59 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.