Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Topeka, KS

May 19, 2011Clay County, Cloud County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 19, 2011, 8:48 PM CDT for Clay County, Cloud County, Kansas. It was in force for 27 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
May 19, 2011, 8:48 PM CDT (01:48 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 2011, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Clay County, KS, Cloud County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:51 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 19, 8:51 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD4 N Miltonvale, KSBRIEF FUNNEL
May 19, 9:10 PM CDTHAIL 1.754 Wsw Clyde, KS
May 19, 9:12 PM CDTHAIL 1Clyde, 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 19, 1:43 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr
May 19, 8:46 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 161 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2011-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 36 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2011-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 301 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
36 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-338 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
547 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
301 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
355 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

710 
WFUS53 KTOP 200148
TORTOP
KSC027-029-200215-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0008.110520T0148Z-110520T0215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
848 PM CDT THU MAY 19 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...
  EASTERN CLOUD COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 915 PM CDT

* AT 833 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A BRIEF TORNADO. 
  THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM STILL APPEARS TO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A 
  TORNADO. AT 842 PM CDT...THE STORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHEAST   
  OF AURORA...OR 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CONCORDIA...MOVING NORTHEAST  
  AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CLYDE...
  MORGANVILLE...
  VINING...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF A TORNADO APPROACHES...GO TO A BASEMENT OR SEEK SHELTER IN A
HALLWAY OR CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING. USE BLANKETS
OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR HEAD AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF
YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY BUILDING. AS A LAST
RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR
HEAD.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3963 9742 3960 9737 3957 9736 3957 9730
      3948 9713 3933 9740 3945 9759
TIME...MOT...LOC 0147Z 226DEG 26KT 3942 9745
HAIL 2.00IN

$$
1 follow-up statement
864 
WWUS53 KTOP 200213
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
913 PM CDT THU MAY 19 2011

KSC027-029-200223-
/O.EXP.KTOP.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-110520T0215Z/
CLAY-CLOUD-
913 PM CDT THU MAY 19 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL CLOUD AND NORTHWESTERN CLAY
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 915 PM CDT...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEAST CLOUD AND FAR NORTHWEST 
CLAY COUNTIES REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1015 PM CDT. 

AT 913 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH THE POSSIBLE TORNADO HAD WEAKENED AND NO 
LONGER APPEARED CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES...THUS THE WARNING 
HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. STAY ALERT TO THE WEATHER.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3963 9742 3960 9737 3957 9736 3957 9730
      3948 9713 3933 9740 3945 9759
TIME...MOT...LOC 0213Z 226DEG 26KT 3955 9727

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 7:05 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPRepublic25 min
May 19, 7:13 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPCloud32 min
May 19, 7:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOttawa16 min
May 19, 7:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOttawa36 min
May 19, 7:44 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTOPCloud3 hr
May 19, 8:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCloud, Ottawa50 min
May 19, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPClay, Cloud, Republic, Washington51 min
May 19, 10:00 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPWashington15 min
May 20, 12:06 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPCloud39 min
May 20, 12:47 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPCloud, Ottawa43 min
May 20, 12:53 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTOPCloud, Ottawa7 hr
May 20, 1:51 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPWashington39 min
May 20, 2:16 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningTOPOttawa5 days
May 20, 7:45 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningTOPCloud, Ottawa5 hr
May 20, 7:51 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTOPRepublic, Washington114 min
May 20, 9:10 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTOPAnderson3 hr
May 20, 9:27 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningTOPDickinson, Ottawa, Saline65 hr
May 20, 9:31 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningTOPOttawa, Saline68 hr
May 20, 9:43 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningTOPClay58 hr
May 20, 9:48 AM CDTAreal Flood WarningTOPRepublic, Washington3 hr
May 20, 12:42 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTOPCloud, Ottawa, Republic, Washington3 hr
May 20, 2:18 PM CDTRiver Flood WarningTOPMarshall68 hr
May 20, 6:43 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTOPRepublic2 hr

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.