Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Wichita, KS

February 28, 2012Harvey County, McPherson County, Reno County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at Feb 28, 2012, 6:58 PM CST for Harvey County, McPherson County, Reno County, Kansas. It was in force for 32 min. 2 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 28, 2012, 6:58 PM CST (00:58 UTC)
Expired: Feb 28, 2012, 7:30 PM CST
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Harvey County, KS, McPherson County, KS, Reno County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:01 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 28, 7:17 PM CST	TSTM WND DMG	Moundridge, KS	TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED TWO LARGE POST SIGNS TWISTED 22 DEGREES AND EXIT 48 ON INTERSTATE 135 ON THE NORTH END OF MOUNDRIDGE SEVERELY FRACTURED. OTHER WOODEN SIGN POSTS WERE SNAPPED OFF.
Feb 28, 7:22 PM CST	TSTM WND GST 73	3 Nnw Hesston, KS	2 TO 4 INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMBS WERE DOWNED.

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 28, 5:41 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 174 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: 386 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -76 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 660 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 77 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 369 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 461 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.8
Supercell composite: 2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

697 
WFUS53 KICT 290058
TORICT
KSC079-113-155-290130-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0002.120229T0058Z-120229T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
658 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN HARVEY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...
  SOUTHEASTERN MCPHERSON COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS...
  NORTHEASTERN RENO COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 730 PM CST

* AT 652 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES WEST OF BURRTON...OR 7 MILES
  EAST OF HUTCHINSON...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 65 MPH.

  MULTIPLE TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED NEAR HUTCHINSON FROM 635 TO  
  655 PM CST. 

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MOUNDRIDGE AND HESSTON.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 135 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 38 AND 56.

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.

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW!

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

&&

LAT...LON 3833 9760 3833 9738 3811 9738 3790 9778
      3808 9794
TIME...MOT...LOC 0056Z 234DEG 56KT 3806 9772
HAIL 1.75IN

$$

SCHMINKE

2 follow-up statements

966 
WWUS53 KICT 290109
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
709 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

KSC079-113-155-290130-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120229T0130Z/
RENO KS-MCPHERSON KS-HARVEY KS-
709 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN HARVEY...
SOUTHEASTERN MCPHERSON AND NORTHEASTERN RENO COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM
CST...

AT 705 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS 
STORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES EAST OF BUHLER...OR 14 MILES NORTHEAST OF 
HUTCHINSON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS 
SOUTHWEST OF THE HUTCHINSON AREA...AND COULD PRODUCE ANOTHER TORNADO 
AT ANY TIME! 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MOUNDRIDGE AND HESSTON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3833 9760 3833 9738 3811 9738 3790 9778
      3808 9794
TIME...MOT...LOC 0108Z 238DEG 42KT 3817 9764
HAIL 1.75IN

$$

KLEINSASSER

257 
WWUS53 KICT 290117
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
717 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

KSC079-113-155-290130-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120229T0130Z/
RENO KS-MCPHERSON KS-HARVEY KS-
717 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN HARVEY...
SOUTHEASTERN MCPHERSON AND NORTHEASTERN RENO COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM
CST...

AT 714 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS 
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR MOUNDRIDGE...OR 14 MILES SOUTHEAST OF 
MCPHERSON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS 
SOUTHWEST OF THE HUTCHINSON AREA...AND COULD PRODUCE ANOTHER TORNADO 
AT ANY TIME! 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HESSTON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 3833 9760 3833 9738 3811 9738 3790 9778
      3808 9794
TIME...MOT...LOC 0117Z 241DEG 43KT 3821 9751
HAIL 1.75IN

$$

KLEINSASSER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 28, 6:18 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Kingman, Reno	42 min
Feb 28, 6:30 PM CST	Tornado Warning	ICT	Reno	30 min
Feb 28, 7:25 PM CST	Tornado Warning	ICT	McPherson, Marion	50 min
Feb 28, 7:52 PM CST	Tornado Warning	ICT	Chase, Marion	38 min
Feb 28, 8:07 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Cowley, Sumner	53 min
Feb 28, 8:52 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	ICT	Butler, Chase	28 min
Feb 28, 8:52 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Chautauqua, Cowley	53 min
Feb 28, 9:01 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Chase, Elk, Greenwood	59 min
Feb 28, 9:31 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Chautauqua, Elk, Montgomery, Wilson	59 min
Feb 28, 10:08 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Labette, Montgomery	22 min
Feb 28, 10:26 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Labette	9 min
Feb 29, 3:21 AM CST	Red Flag Warning	ICT	Allen, Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley and 20 more	14 hr
Feb 29, 12:12 PM CST	Wind Advisory	ICT	Ellsworth, Lincoln, Russell, Saline	3 hr
Feb 29, 3:47 PM CST	Fire Weather Watch	ICT	Allen, Chautauqua, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery and 3 more	12 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.