Alert archive / Kansas / Areal Flood Warnings in 2012

Areal Flood Warning 4, NWS Topeka, KS

April 15, 2012Clay County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this areal flood warning at Apr 15, 2012, 9:45 AM CDT for Clay County, Kansas. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Apr 15, 2012, 9:45 AM CDT (14:45 UTC)
Expired: Apr 15, 2012, 12:45 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Clay County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:48 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 229 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: 308 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -118 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 599 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 92 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 262 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 342 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this areal flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this areal flood warning went out at Apr 15, 6:04 AM CDT, 3 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 6:04 AM CDT, 3 hours 41 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
604 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

...AVIATION UPDATE...

.DISCUSSION...
SEE PREV DISCUSSION.

&&

.AVIATION...
WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EAST OF TOP AND FOE...THINK THAT IS
THE END OF THE PRECIP CHANCES AND LOWER CIGS AND VSBY AS DRIER AIR
MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL STRENGTHEN
THROUGH THE DAY AS A SFC LOW DEEPENS OVER NEB. THIS WILL CAUSE SOUTH
AND SOUTHWEST WINDS TO GUST UP TO 40 KTS.

WOLTERS

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /318 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012/
08Z WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS THE UPPER LEVEL OW LIFTING NORTHEAST
THROUGH EASTERN CO. SFC OBS SHOW A SFC LOW NEAR HLC WITH A PACIFIC
COLD FRONT REACHING BACK INTO SOUTHEAST CO AND A DRYLINE STRETCHING
SOUTH FROM THE LOW DOWN TO THE TX BIG BEND.

MODELS SHOW THE SFC LOW LIFTING NORTHEAST INTO NORTHERN NEB WITH THE
DRYLINE MIXING EAST OF THE AREA BY NOON TODAY WHILE THE COLD FRONT
TRAILS AND MOVES THROUGH LATER IN THE DAY. BECAUSE OF THIS AND DEEP
MIXING OF THE BOUNDARY LAYER...HAVE BUMPED UP HIGHS TODAY. WILL
CONTINUE WITH SOME POPS ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND FAR NORTHEAST KS
THROUGH THE MORNING UNTIL THE BETTER MOISTURE PUSHES EAST. AS THE
LOW LIFTS NORTH...IT IS FORECAST TO DEEPEN CAUSING THE PRESSURE
GRADIENT TO STRENGTHEN. BECAUSE OF THIS THINK SUSTAINED WINDS AROUND
30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE AND WILL BE ISSUING A
WIND ADVISORY FOR TODAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA. BY TONIGHT THERE
SHOULD BE SHORTWAVE RIDGING WITH RELATIVELY DRY AIR IN PLACE.
THEREFORE HAVE CONTINUED WITH A DRY FORECAST. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
SHOULD REMAIN STRONG ENOUGH FOR WINDS TO KEEP THE BOUNDARY LAYER
MIXED AND A LITTLE WARMER THAN THE PREV FORECAST WITH LOWS IN THE
LOWER AND MID 40S.

BY MONDAY AFTERNOON THE NAM AND GFS SHOW ANOTHER PIECE OF ENERGY
CLIPPING NORTHERN KS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LIGHT QPF.
INSTABILITY DOES NOT LOOK THAT GREAT WITH THIS WAVE AS DEEPER
MOISTURE REMAINS TO THE SOUTH OF THE AREA. HOWEVER LAPSE RATES MAY
BE STEEP ENOUGH FOR A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES. INTO MONDAY EVENING.
ANOTHER WAVE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS...
REMAINING MAINLY NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY NIGHT. THEN
ANOTHER WAVE IS PROGGED TO AMPLIFY OVER THE PLAINS THURSDAY AND
THURSDAY NIGHT BRINGING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA. THIS LOOKS
LIKE THE NEXT GOOD CHANCE FOR PRECIP AS THIS FRONT MOVES THROUGH.

TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MILD TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WITH A QUASI
ZONAL FLOW BEFORE THE COLD FRONT THURSDAY NIGHT COOLS TEMPS DOWN FOR
FRIDAY. THE FORECAST AREA SHOULD BE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE
AMPLIFYING WAVE BY FRIDAY NIGHT WITH DRY WEATHER EXPECTED FRIDAY
NIGHT AND SATURDAY.

WOLTERS

&&

.TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL...NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL
KANSAS FROM 10 AM UNTIL 8 PM TODAY.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 15, 9:40 AM CDT, 5 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 15, 7:14 AM CDT, 2 hours 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
714 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0714 AM     HEAVY RAIN       4 WNW RANDOLPH          39.45N 96.83W
04/15/2012  M3.47 INCH       RILEY              KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

JB

Local storm report, Apr 15, 7:37 AM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
737 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0735 AM     HEAVY RAIN       5 NE LONGFORD           39.22N 97.27W
04/15/2012  M4.00 INCH       CLAY               KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            CHAPMAN CREEK NEAR RESIDENCE IS OUT OF ITS BANKS. HOWEVER
            WATER IS NOT COVERING NEARBY FRONTIER ROAD.

&&

JB

Local storm report, Apr 15, 7:39 AM CDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
739 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0150 AM     HAIL             LILLIS                  39.61N 96.30W
04/15/2012  E2.75 INCH       MARSHALL           KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            DELAYED REPORT

&&

JB

Local storm report, Apr 15, 8:45 AM CDT, 1 hour before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
845 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0844 AM     HEAVY RAIN       LONGFORD                39.17N 97.33W
04/15/2012  M3.15 INCH       CLAY               KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            BADGER AND WEST BRANCH CREEKS ARE OUT OF ITS BANKS. NO
            WATER RUNNING ONTO ROADWAYS.

&&

JB

Local storm report, Apr 15, 9:11 AM CDT, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
911 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0229 PM     HAIL             2 SSW IDANA             39.34N 97.28W
04/14/2012  E0.88 INCH       CLAY               KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL SIZE RANGED FROM DIME TO NICKEL

0246 PM     HAIL             3 WNW CLYDE             39.61N 97.44W
04/14/2012  E1.00 INCH       CLOUD              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0305 PM     HAIL             SSE BARNES              39.71N 96.87W
04/14/2012  E1.00 INCH       WASHINGTON         KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0321 PM     HAIL             6 WSW BEATTIE           39.84N 96.52W
04/14/2012  M1.00 INCH       MARSHALL           KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0323 PM     HAIL             1 ENE MARYSVILLE        39.85N 96.63W
04/14/2012  E1.00 INCH       MARSHALL           KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

0330 PM     HAIL             7 N BEATTIE             39.96N 96.42W
04/14/2012  E1.00 INCH       MARSHALL           KS   PUBLIC

0335 PM     HAIL             SUMMERFIELD             39.99N 96.35W
04/14/2012  E1.50 INCH       MARSHALL           KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

0343 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 N CUBA                39.85N 97.46W
04/14/2012  E60.00 MPH       REPUBLIC           KS   PUBLIC

0705 PM     TORNADO          2 E NILES               38.97N 97.43W
04/14/2012                   OTTAWA             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT OF FARM DAMAGED AT 280TH AND ASPEN ROADS

0708 PM     TORNADO          4 NW SOLOMON            38.96N 97.41W
04/14/2012                   OTTAWA             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            LARGE BOWL FUNNEL WITH SWIRLS ON THE GROUND REPORTED BY
            CHASER.

0715 PM     TORNADO          6 S MANCHESTER          39.01N 97.32W
04/14/2012                   DICKINSON          KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT RELAYED VIA WFO PLEASANT HILL

0716 PM     TORNADO          9 W TALMAGE             39.02N 97.43W
04/14/2012                   OTTAWA             KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTS DAMAGE TO OUTBUILDINGS AND
            TANKS TO GAS TRANSFER STATION, AND NUMEROUS POWER LINES
            DOWN ALONG K18 HWY.

0731 PM     TORNADO          4 ENE MANCHESTER        39.12N 97.26W
04/14/2012                   DICKINSON          KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

            VIA KSN-TV SALINA

0736 PM     TORNADO          9 ENE MANCHESTER        39.14N 97.17W
04/14/2012                   CLAY               KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            REPORT RELAYED VIA WFO PLEASANT HILL

0739 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     8 ENE MANCHESTER        39.14N 97.19W
04/14/2012                   CLAY               KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

1129 PM     HAIL             WSW MOONLIGHT           39.00N 97.10W
04/14/2012  E1.50 INCH       DICKINSON          KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

1145 PM     HAIL             BENNINGTON              39.03N 97.59W
04/14/2012  E0.88 INCH       OTTAWA             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

1258 AM     HAIL             WAKEFIELD               39.22N 97.02W
04/15/2012  E2.00 INCH       CLAY               KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0115 AM     HAIL             RANDOLPH                39.43N 96.76W
04/15/2012  E4.25 INCH       RILEY              KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

0117 AM     HAIL             RANDOLPH                39.43N 96.76W
04/15/2012  E4.50 INCH       RILEY              KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

0120 AM     HAIL             1 W OLSBURG             39.43N 96.63W
04/15/2012  E1.75 INCH       POTTAWATOMIE       KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0145 AM     HAIL             BLAINE                  39.50N 96.40W
04/15/2012  E2.50 INCH       POTTAWATOMIE       KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0146 AM     HAIL             5 S FRANKFORT           39.63N 96.42W
04/15/2012  E1.00 INCH       MARSHALL           KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

0150 AM     HAIL             LILLIS                  39.61N 96.30W
04/15/2012  E2.75 INCH       MARSHALL           KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            DELAYED REPORT

0153 AM     HAIL             VERMILLION              39.72N 96.27W
04/15/2012  E1.25 INCH       MARSHALL           KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

0233 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST ABILENE                 38.92N 97.21W
04/15/2012  M62.00 MPH       DICKINSON          KS   AWOS

0251 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST ABILENE                 38.92N 97.21W
04/15/2012  M60.00 MPH       DICKINSON          KS   AWOS

0714 AM     HEAVY RAIN       4 WNW RANDOLPH          39.45N 96.83W
04/15/2012  M3.47 INCH       RILEY              KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0735 AM     HEAVY RAIN       5 NE LONGFORD           39.22N 97.27W
04/15/2012  M4.00 INCH       CLAY               KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            CHAPMAN CREEK NEAR RESIDENCE IS OUT OF ITS BANKS. HOWEVER
            WATER IS NOT COVERING NEARBY FRONTIER ROAD.

&&

JLEIGHT

Local storm report, Apr 15, 9:21 AM CDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
921 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0921 AM     HEAVY RAIN       CLAY CENTER             39.38N 97.12W
04/15/2012  M2.48 INCH       CLAY               KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            24 HOUR STORM TOTAL

&&

JB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 14, 7:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TOP	Clay, Dickinson	51 min
Apr 14, 8:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TOP	Clay, Riley	29 min
Apr 14, 8:43 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TOP	Dickinson, Morris	47 min
Apr 14, 9:22 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Geary, Morris, Wabaunsee	38 min
Apr 14, 11:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Dickinson	37 min
Apr 14, 11:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Ottawa	29 min
Apr 14, 11:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay, Dickinson, Geary, Riley	20 min
Apr 14, 11:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TOP	Lyon	42 min
Apr 15, 12:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay, Dickinson, Ottawa	45 min
Apr 15, 12:41 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay, Dickinson, Geary, Riley	49 min
Apr 15, 12:47 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Clay, Dickinson, Geary, Riley	28 min
Apr 15, 12:52 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Brown, Marshall, Nemaha, Pottawatomie	38 min
Apr 15, 1:15 AM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TOP	Pottawatomie, Riley	15 min
Apr 15, 1:30 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Marshall, Nemaha, Pottawatomie	30 min
Apr 15, 1:38 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay, Riley, Washington	37 min
Apr 15, 1:51 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Jackson, Marshall, Nemaha, Pottawatomie	34 min
Apr 15, 2:13 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Marshall, Pottawatomie, Riley	24 min
Apr 15, 3:15 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Wabaunsee	15 min
Apr 15, 3:24 AM CDT	Wind Advisory	TOP	Anderson, Brown, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Dickinson and 17 more	17 hr
Apr 15, 3:30 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Jackson, Shawnee	30 min
Apr 15, 3:59 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Jefferson	31 min
Apr 15, 4:13 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	TOP	Nemaha	3 hr
Apr 15, 4:22 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	TOP	Riley	15 hr
Apr 15, 5:06 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Anderson, Coffey, Douglas, Franklin, Osage	54 min
Apr 15, 7:40 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TOP	Clay, Dickinson, Ottawa	2 hr
Apr 15, 7:53 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	TOP	Clay	7 hr
Apr 15, 8:32 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	TOP	Marshall	7 hr
Apr 15, 9:29 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	TOP	Cloud	4 hr

Nearby

Areal Flood Warnings in Kansas, 2012 Every areal flood warning 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.