Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Topeka, KS

May 21, 2011Osage County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2011, 9:08 PM CDT for Osage County, Kansas. It was in force for 52 min. 4 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 21, 2011, 9:08 PM CDT (02:08 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2011, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Osage County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:10 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 21, 9:33 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG4 S Osage City, KS70 MPH WINDS
May 21, 9:48 PM CDTHAIL 1Lyndon, KS
May 21, 9:56 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD4 S Lyndon, KS
May 21, 10:10 PM CDTHAIL 12 S Osage City, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 21, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Springfield, MO (KSGF), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 259 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, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2011-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 804 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Springfield, MO at 00:00Z on 2011-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 137 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
804 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-63 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1618 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
137 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
202 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
6.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

038 
WFUS53 KTOP 220208
TORTOP
KSC139-220300-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0013.110522T0208Z-110522T0300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
908 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  OSAGE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT

* AT 906 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO.  THIS SEVERE STORM WAS LOCATED 11 MILES WEST OF MELVERN
  LAKE...OR 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF EMPORIA...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MELVERN LAKE...
  OSAGE CITY...
  OLIVET...
  LYNDON...
  MELVERN...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES NORTH AND NORTHEAST 
OF EMPORIA.

TORNADOS ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

LARGE DESTRUCTIVE HAIL IS ALSO LIKELY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE EXPECTED
TORNADO TRACK.

STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST
SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

&&

LAT...LON 3844 9595 3870 9595 3870 9594 3877 9559
      3850 9557
TIME...MOT...LOC 0208Z 254DEG 29KT 3851 9598
HAIL 2.75IN

$$

ANGLE
1 follow-up statement
408 
WWUS53 KTOP 220219
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
919 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011

KSC139-220300-
/O.CON.KTOP.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-110522T0300Z/
OSAGE-
919 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR OSAGE
COUNTY...

AT 915 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND STORM 
SPOTTERS CONTINUE TO TRACK AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO. THIS 
TORNADO WAS LOCATED 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LYNDON...OR 10 MILES 
SOUTHWEST OF OSAGE CITY...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

LYON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED DAMAGE IN THE TOWN OF 
READING. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BARCLAY...OSAGE CITY AND LYNDON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

FOR YOUR SAFETY...GO TO A STORM SHELTER OR BASEMENT NOW!

LARGE DESTRUCTIVE HAIL IS ALSO LIKELY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE EXPECTED
TORNADO TRACK.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE
LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

&&

LAT...LON 3850 9557 3870 9595 3870 9594 3877 9559
TIME...MOT...LOC 0218Z 251DEG 23KT 3853 9593
HAIL 2.75IN

$$

ANGLE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 7:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPPottawatomie, Wabaunsee14 min
May 21, 7:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Jefferson34 min
May 21, 7:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Jefferson32 min
May 21, 7:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Shawnee25 min
May 21, 7:41 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPJefferson49 min
May 21, 7:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPBrown, Jackson, Jefferson49 min
May 21, 8:03 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPLyon42 min
May 21, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPLyon, Morris55 min
May 21, 8:22 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningTOPOttawa, Saline30 hr
May 21, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Jefferson45 min
May 21, 8:34 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPShawnee56 min
May 21, 8:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJackson, Jefferson, Shawnee33 min
May 21, 8:52 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPLyon39 min
May 21, 9:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPJefferson47 min
May 21, 9:23 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPOsage52 min
May 21, 9:34 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPJefferson56 min
May 21, 9:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPLyon32 min
May 21, 9:55 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDouglas, Franklin65 min
May 21, 10:12 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPOsage48 min
May 21, 10:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCoffey, Franklin, Osage35 min
May 21, 10:57 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPDouglas, Franklin63 min
May 21, 11:13 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPCoffey, Franklin, Osage47 min
May 21, 11:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPFranklin33 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.