Alert archive / Kansas / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Wichita, KS

May 6, 2012Chase County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this special weather statement at May 6, 2012, 7:48 PM CDT for Chase County, Kansas. It was in force for 27 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 6, 2012, 7:48 PM CDT (00:48 UTC)
Expired: May 6, 2012, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 27 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS

County Chase County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:48 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 117 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: 2839 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 698 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 169 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.9
Supercell composite: 5.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement 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 special weather statement went out at May 6, 6:02 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 6:02 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
602 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012

.AVIATION...00Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU

ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE
ALONG AND EAST OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT ACROSS SOUTHEAST
KANSAS. FOLLOWING THE FRONT...A PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS IS ANTICIPATED
THROUGH 10-15Z ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS POSSIBLY
LINGERING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHEAST KANSAS BEFORE
VFR RETURNS. MAINTAINED VCTS AT KCNU AFTER 05Z BUT CONFIDENCE IN
MORE WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY REMAINS LOW.

MWM

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 349 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012/

DISCUSSION...

TONIGHT:
MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS ON FORECAST. STORMS JUST STARTING TO
DEVELOP AND SMALL SCALE AREA OF DEEP MIXING HAS RESULTED IN
DRYLINE WORKING INTO EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL KS AHEAD OF FRONT. MADE
LAST MINUTE TWEAK TO GRIDS TO LOWER DEW POINTS FOR THIS.
PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE ON THE WANE FROM THE NORTHWEST DURING THE
NIGHT. GIVEN LESS THAN OPTIMAL WIND FIELD...SUSPECT SEVERE THREAT
WILL BE DURING THE EARLY EVENING WITH PRIMARILY ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND
GUSTS ON STORM COLLAPSE. GIVEN CURRENT WIND PROFILES...LARGE HAIL
APPEARS LESS LIKELY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS COMING SHORTLY.

MON-WED:
FORECAST IS A BIT PROBLEMATIC THIS PERIOD. DESPITE FAIR AMOUNT OF
LOW LEVEL DRIER AIR ADVECTING INTO THE AREA AT THE START OF THE
PERIOD...FLOW ALOFT WITH AREA IN RIGHT REAR QUADRANT OF 300MB
SPEED MAXIMUM AND APPROACHING 500MB TROUGH SHOULD RESULT IN
SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT. SUSPECT THERE WILL BE AT LEAST SCATTERED-
BROKEN MIDDLE AND HIGH CLOUDS DURING THE PERIOD. THIS COULD
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT TEMPERATURES...AND GIVEN INCREASING SUN
ANGLE...A QUICK SURGE IN TEMPERATURES IS POSSIBLE WITH A SHORT
BREAK IN THE CLOUDS. AND GIVEN THAT WE ARE NOT EXPECTING
WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT RAIFALL...EVAPORATION SHOULD NOT BE A BIG
FACTOR AT MOST LOCATIONS.

THU-SAT:
FRONTAL PASSAGE ON FRI NIGHT SHOULD BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF RAIN
TO THE AREA. MODELS...ESPECIALLY ECMWF...HAVE STRUGGLED WITH LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE AND PRECIPITATION OVER THE PAST FEW RUNS. LATEST
ECMWF CAME IN QUITE A BIT DRIER THAN PREVIOUS RUN WHICH HAD BEEN
THE WETTEST OF THE PAST FEW. DOES APPEAR THAT SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR
WILL FILTER IN FOR THE WEEKEND. HOWEVER ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
APPEAR LIKELY FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD. -HOWERTON

AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU

WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER 20Z ALONG
AND EAST OF A COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON WHILE SPREADING EASTWARD
THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. MEANWHILE...AREAS OF POST-FRONTAL MVFR
CIGS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS. GIVEN THE
SCATTERED NATURE OF THE THUNDERSTORMS...MAINTAINED VCTS AT KICT WHILE CARRYING
A PREVAILING GROUP AFTER 02Z AT KCNU WHERE CONFIDENCE IS HIGHEST.
GUSTY NORTH WINDS ARE ANTICIPATED BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WITH BRIEF GUSTS
TO 30 KNOTS POSSIBLE.

MWM

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
WICHITA-KICT    57  72  50  74 /  30  10   0   0
HUTCHINSON      53  71  48  75 /  20  10   0   0
NEWTON          54  69  47  72 /  30  10   0   0
ELDORADO        57  71  49  75 /  50  10   0   0
WINFIELD-KWLD   59  73  49  75 /  50  10   0   0
RUSSELL         48  70  45  72 /  10  10  10   0
GREAT BEND      48  70  45  73 /  10  10   0   0
SALINA          52  73  48  73 /  10  10   0   0
MCPHERSON       52  71  47  73 /  20  10   0   0
COFFEYVILLE     64  73  52  74 /  60  20  10   0
CHANUTE         63  74  49  73 /  70  20  10   0
IOLA            62  74  48  73 /  70  20  10   0
PARSONS-KPPF    64  73  50  74 /  70  20  10   0

&&

.ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, May 6, 4:32 PM CDT, 3 hours 16 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 6, 7:10 PM CDT, 38 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
710 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012

KSZ053-070045-
CHASE-
710 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CHASE COUNTY...

AT 706 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COTTONWOOD FALLS...OR NEAR
COTTONWOOD FALLS AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

NICKEL SIZED HAIL AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IN THE EVENT THE STORMS INTENSIFY AND
BECOME SEVERE OR A WARNING IS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3826 9635 3819 9650 3833 9664 3853 9636
      3852 9635
TIME...MOT...LOC 0009Z 232DEG 13KT 3831 9647

ES

Special weather statement, May 6, 7:48 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
748 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012

KSZ053-069-070-070115-
BUTLER-CHASE-GREENWOOD-
748 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BUTLER...CHASE AND GREENWOOD COUNTIES...

AT 745 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A STRENGTHENING THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MATFIELD GREEN OR
19 MILES NORTHWEST OF EUREKA...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

NICKEL SIZED HAIL AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IN THE EVENT THE STORMS INTENSIFY AND
BECOME SEVERE...OR A WARNING IS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

&&

LAT...LON 3794 9649 3808 9663 3827 9636 3826 9635
      3818 9635 3818 9623 3811 9616
TIME...MOT...LOC 0048Z 232DEG 13KT 3806 9647

ES

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 6, 7:10 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	ICT	Chase	35 min
May 6, 7:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Chase, Greenwood	51 min
May 6, 11:57 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	ICT	Chautauqua	33 min
May 7, 12:40 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	ICT	Montgomery	35 min
May 7, 3:15 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	ICT	Labette	60 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in Kansas, 2012 Every special weather statement in 2012

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.