Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 46, NWS Wichita, KS

May 19, 2012Harper County, Kingman County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 19, 2012, 6:19 PM CDT for Harper County, Kingman County, Kansas. It was in force for 26 min. 15 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, 2012, 6:19 PM CDT (23:19 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 2012, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Observed
Hail
0.75 in

Counties Harper County, KS, Kingman County, KS

The radar

The Vance AFB radar (KVNX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:22 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, 6:19 PM CDTTORNADO6 Ssw Spivey, KSTORNADO IS A BIT BIGGER THAN A ROPE.
May 19, 6:27 PM CDTHAIL 1.751 S Rago, KSPEA TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL FOR 3 TO 4 MINUTES.
May 19, 6:28 PM CDTTORNADO4 Sse Spivey, KS
May 19, 6:32 PM CDTTORNADO2 Nw Attica, KSROPE TORNADO.
May 19, 6:33 PM CDTTORNADO6 W Harper, KS
May 19, 6:38 PM CDTTORNADO3 Ene Attica, KS
May 19, 6:40 PM CDTTORNADO1 S Rago, KSWIND TURBINE BLADE DAMAGED AND POWER LINES DOWN.
May 19, 6:40 PM CDTTORNADO4 S Rago, KSWIND TURBINE BLADE DAMAGED AND POWER LINES DOWN.
May 19, 6:41 PM CDTTORNADO3 Ssw Rago, KS
May 19, 6:45 PM CDTTORNADO3 Wnw Harper, KSMODERATE DAMAGE TO A MOBILE HOME
May 19, 6:45 PM CDTTORNADO5 W Harper, KSFARMSTEAD WAS HIT BY TORNADO. EXTENT OF DAMAGE IS UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.
May 19, 6:45 PM CDTTORNADO5 W Harper, KSTWO HOMES DAMAGED WITH ONE HAVING ROOF RIPPED OFF. HEAVY TREE DAMAGE WITH UPROOTED TREES.
May 19, 6:46 PM CDTTORNADO5 Se Spivey, KS
May 19, 6:49 PM CDTHAIL 1.2513 Wnw Anthony, KSCORRECTION. LOCATION IS WNW NOT WSW.
May 19, 6:52 PM CDTHAIL 1.513 Wnw Anthony, 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, 3:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lamont, OK (KLMN), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 100 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, Lamont, OK at 12:00Z on 2012-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 450 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, Lamont, OK at 12:00Z on 2012-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 330 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
450 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-768 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1247 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
330 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
445 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

715 
WFUS53 KICT 192319
TORICT
KSC077-095-192345-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0046.120519T2319Z-120519T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
619 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN HARPER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...
  SOUTH CENTRAL KINGMAN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT

* AT 615 PM CDT...A LINE OF TORNADO PRODUCING STORMS WAS LOCATED
  ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 7 MILES EAST OF ZENDA TO SHARON...AND
  MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO.

  SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS CONFIRMED TORNADO.

  IMPACT...SIGNIFICANT HOUSE AND BUILDING DAMAGE POSSIBLE. MOBILE
           HOMES COMPLETELY DESTROYED IF HIT. SOME TREES UPROOTED OR
           SNAPPED. VEHICLES WILL LIKELY BE THROWN BY TORNADIC WINDS.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ATTICA...RAGO AND CRYSTAL SPRINGS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPEAT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND. 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 3721 9835 3727 9835 3745 9816 3745 9795
      3720 9818
TIME...MOT...LOC 2319Z 268DEG 16KT 3745 9813 3726 9831

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

COOK
1 follow-up statement
768 
WWUS53 KICT 192332
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
632 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 2012

KSC077-095-192345-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0046.000000T0000Z-120519T2345Z/
KINGMAN KS-HARPER KS-
632 PM CDT SAT MAY 19 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN HARPER AND
SOUTH CENTRAL KINGMAN COUNTIES UNTIL 645 PM CDT...

AT 628 PM CDT...A LINE OF TORNADO PRODUCING STORMS WAS LOCATED ALONG
A LINE EXTENDING FROM 11 MILES EAST OF ZENDA TO ATTICA...AND MOVING
EAST AT 20 MPH.

HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS CONFIRMED TORNADO. 

IMPACT...SIGNIFICANT HOUSE AND BUILDING DAMAGE POSSIBLE. MOBILE HOMES
         COMPLETELY DESTROYED IF HIT. SOME TREES UPROOTED OR SNAPPED.
         VEHICLES WILL LIKELY BE THROWN BY TORNADIC WINDS.

THE STRONGEST RADAR INDICATED TORNADO IS 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF 
SPIVEY.  THERE IS A SECOND TORNADO INDICATED 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF 
ATTICA.  

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
ATTICA AND CRYSTAL SPRINGS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPEAT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND. 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.

THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. TAKE COVER IN A
BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3721 9835 3727 9835 3745 9816 3745 9795
      3720 9818
TIME...MOT...LOC 2331Z 268DEG 16KT 3745 9806 3726 9824

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

COOK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 3:26 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementICTBarton34 min
May 19, 3:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton43 min
May 19, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Russell44 min
May 19, 4:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno44 min
May 19, 4:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTLincoln39 min
May 19, 4:54 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementICTEllsworth36 min
May 19, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTReno46 min
May 19, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth28 min
May 19, 5:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman46 min
May 19, 5:46 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedICTKingman29 min
May 19, 5:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth, Lincoln, Saline32 min
May 19, 6:12 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedICTKingman33 min
May 19, 6:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper, Kingman47 min
May 19, 6:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman, Reno30 min
May 19, 6:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTRice39 min
May 19, 6:42 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedICTHarper, Kingman33 min
May 19, 6:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTEllsworth, McPherson, Saline35 min
May 19, 6:54 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementICTSedgwick36 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes 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.