Alert archive / Kansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2012
Mesoscale Discussion 540
The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Apr 14, 2012, 10:37 PM CDT for 25 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 83 min.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 14, 2012, 10:37 PM CDT (03:37 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 15, 2012, 12:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 83 min
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 25 counties
Butler County, KS, Chase County, KS, Clay County, KS, Coffey County, KS, Dickinson County, KS, Douglas County, KS, Franklin County, KS, Geary County, KS, Greenwood County, KS, Harvey County, KS, Jackson County, KS, Jefferson County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Marion County, KS, McPherson County, KS, Morris County, KS, Osage County, KS, Ottawa County, KS, Pottawatomie County, KS, Reno County, KS, Riley County, KS, Saline County, KS, Sedgwick County, KS, Shawnee County, KS, Wabaunsee County, KS
The radar
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:38 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 watches that followed
Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.
The nearest sounding before it
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 102 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1788 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 665 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 58 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 401 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 443 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 5.2
- Supercell composite
- 17.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
716
ACUS11 KWNS 150337
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 150337
KSZ000-150500-
MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0540
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1037 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012
AREAS AFFECTED...CENTRAL AND EASTERN KANSAS
CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 170...
VALID 150337Z - 150500Z
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 170 CONTINUES.
GIVEN INCREASING INHIBITION FOR WARM SECTOR BOUNDARY LAYER PARCELS
...THE PERSISTENCE OF THE PAIR OF LONG-LIVED TORNADO PRODUCING
SUPERCELLS BEYOND ANOTHER HOUR OR TWO IS SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN.
HOWEVER...THE CELL NOW APPROACHING AREAS SOUTH OF SALINA APPEARS TO
BE AIDED BY AN AREA OF STRONGER MID-LEVEL FORCING FOR UPWARD
VERTICAL MOTION...DOWNSTREAM OF THE UPPER TROUGH NOW BEGINNING TO
LIFT ACROSS THE ROCKIES. THIS IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT NORTHEASTWARD
ACROSS THE I-70 CORRIDOR AREA JUST EAST OF MANHATTAN THROUGH 05-06Z.
LATEST RUC GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THIS WILL COINCIDE WITH A 70 KT
SOUTHERLY 850 MB JET CORE...WHICH PROBABLY WILL MAINTAIN A HIGH
TORNADO RISK. OTHERWISE...AS LONG AS THE SUPERCELL NOW NEAR WICHITA
MAINTAINS STRENGTH AS IT TRACKS NORTHEASTWARD NEAR THE I-35
CORRIDOR...TOWARD THE EMPORIA AREA...THE TORNADO THREAT SHOULD
REMAIN HIGH.
..KERR.. 04/15/2012
...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...
ATTN...WFO...EAX...TOP...ICT...
LAT...LON 39009810 39419738 39789652 39699558 39119508 38539509
38049582 37579681 37519753 37909825 39009810SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 7:15 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Butler, Chase, Dickinson, Geary, Harper, Harvey and 7 more | 60 min |
| Apr 14, 11:48 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Coffey, Douglas, Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Lyon and 2 more | 87 min |
| Apr 15, 1:37 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Atchison, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Coffey and 26 more | 5 hr |
| Apr 15, 4:32 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Coffey and 13 more | 88 min |
| Apr 15, 6:35 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Cherokee, Crawford, Labette | 85 min |
| Apr 15, 6:38 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Cherokee | 4 hr |
Nearby
Mesoscale Discussions in Kansas, 2012Every mesoscale discussion 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.