Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 49, NWS Wichita, KS

May 25, 2012Russell County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 25, 2012, 8:31 PM CDT for Russell County, Kansas. It was in force for 44 min. 7 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 25, 2012, 8:31 PM CDT (01:31 UTC)
Expired: May 25, 2012, 9:15 PM CDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Observed
Hail: 2.5 in

County Russell County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 157 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:31 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
May 25, 8:35 PM CDT	TORNADO	6 S Gorham, KS	TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTS A TORNADO NEAR THE RUSSELL AND ELLIS COUNTY LINE.
May 25, 8:44 PM CDT	TORNADO	7 S Gorham, KS
May 25, 8:45 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	3 S Russell, KS	TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTS A FUNNEL CLOUD GOING UP AND DOWN AT WINTERSET AND US 281.
May 25, 8:45 PM CDT	HAIL 1.25	Gorham, KS
May 25, 8:45 PM CDT	TORNADO	9 Sw Russell, KS
May 25, 8:48 PM CDT	TORNADO	Sw Russell, KS	SPOTTER LOCATED 9S. RUSSELL ON 281. TORNADO APPROX. 5WNW OF HIS LOCATION. CONE TORNADO ON THE GROUND.
May 25, 9:23 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	5 Sw Russell, KS	STORM CHASER REPORTS FUNNEL CLOUD 3/4 WAY TO THE GROUND.

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
May 25, 6:48 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 159 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: 1736 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -37 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2725 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 119 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 178 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 10.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

379 
WFUS53 KICT 260131
TORICT
KSC167-260215-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0049.120526T0131Z-120526T0215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
831 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RUSSELL COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 915 PM CDT

* AT 830 PM CDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTH OF
  GORHAM...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

  HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND TENNIS 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.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RUSSELL...GORHAM...BUNKER HILL...DORRANCE...LURAY...PARADISE...
  LUCAS...MILBERGER...RUSSELL AIRPORT...WILSON LAKE AND WALDO.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 70 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 176 AND 205.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT
WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE SAME AREA.

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 3912 9904 3914 9849 3881 9848 3869 9889
      3869 9904 3905 9905
TIME...MOT...LOC 0131Z 238DEG 17KT 3881 9902

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...2.50IN

$$

CARUSO

2 follow-up statements

662 
WWUS53 KICT 260145
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
845 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012

KSC167-260215-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0049.000000T0000Z-120526T0215Z/
RUSSELL KS-
845 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR RUSSELL COUNTY UNTIL 915
PM CDT...

AT 839 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 
WAS LOCATED 8 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF GORHAM...AND MOVING NORTHEAST 
AT 20 MPH.

HAZARD...DEVELOPING TORNADO AND TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.

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...
RUSSELL...BUNKER HILL...DORRANCE...LUCAS...RUSSELL AIRPORT AND WILSON
LAKE.

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.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. TAKE COVER IN A
BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3903 9905 3914 9849 3881 9848 3881 9849
      3869 9888 3869 9903 3869 9904
TIME...MOT...LOC 0145Z 238DEG 17KT 3879 9894

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...2.50IN

$$

CARUSO

725 
WWUS53 KICT 260152
SVSICT

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
852 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012

KSC167-260215-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0049.000000T0000Z-120526T0215Z/
RUSSELL KS-
852 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN RUSSELL COUNTY
UNTIL 915 PM CDT...

AT 849 PM CDT...A CONFIRMED ROPE TORNADO WAS LOCATED 8 MILES 
SOUTHEAST OF GORHAM...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND TENNIS 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.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
RUSSELL AND RUSSELL AIRPORT.

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.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. TAKE COVER IN A
BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3904 9877 3876 9865 3869 9886 3869 9903
      3869 9904 3897 9904
TIME...MOT...LOC 0152Z 236DEG 17KT 3878 9894

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...2.50IN

$$

CARUSO

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 25, 7:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Russell	46 min
May 25, 8:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Russell	62 min
May 25, 9:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Russell	47 min
May 25, 9:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ICT	Russell	46 min
May 25, 10:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Russell	31 min
May 25, 11:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ICT	Russell	52 min
May 25, 11:19 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	ICT	Russell	8 hr
May 25, 11:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Russell	8 min
May 26, 4:20 AM CDT	Wind Advisory	ICT	Barton, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Rice, Russell	16 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.