Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Topeka, KS

February 28, 2012Cloud County, Republic County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Feb 28, 2012, 5:31 PM CST for Cloud County, Republic County, Kansas. It was in force for 29 min. 4 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, 5:31 PM CST (23:31 UTC)
Expired
Feb 28, 2012, 6:00 PM CST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Cloud County, KS, Republic County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:35 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
Feb 28, 5:38 PM CSTTSTM WND DMG4 Nw Jamestown, KSPOSSIBLE TORNADO...2 LARGE TREES UPROOTED...TIN WRAPPED AROUND TREES...10X40 METAL BUILDING DESTROYED...CARS DAMAGED BY FLYING DEBRIS...PARTIAL BARN ROOF DAMAGED...DELAYED REPORT
Feb 28, 5:38 PM CSTTSTM WND DMG5 Nw Jamestown, KSPOSSIBLE TORNADO...SIX TREES TOPS SHEARED OFF...UPROOTED TREE...LIMBS ACROSS THE ROAD
Feb 28, 5:38 PM CSTTORNADO4 Nw Jamestown, KSEF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN FAR NORTHWEST CLOUD COUNTY VIA DAMAGE REPORTS FROM SURVEY TEAM AND MULTIPLE PUBLIC REPORTS. TORNADO LIKELY ENTERED FROM THE JEWELL-CLOUD COUNTY LINE...4 WNW JAMESTOWN...AND ENDED 4 NW JAMESTOWN. TOTAL PATH LENGTH WAS 2.5 MILES. EVENT O
Feb 28, 6:02 PM CSTTSTM WND DMG4 Sw Belleville, KSSOME ROOFS OF OUTBUILDINGS BLOWN OFF

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
Feb 28, 3:53 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 203 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2012-02-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2012-02-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 396 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1369 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
396 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
319 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.

927 
WFUS53 KTOP 282331
TORTOP
KSC029-157-290000-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0001.120228T2331Z-120229T0000Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CLOUD COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...
  SOUTHWESTERN REPUBLIC COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 600 PM CST

* AT 530 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO.  THIS SEVERE STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES WEST OF
  JAMESTOWN...OR 16 MILES WEST OF CONCORDIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  JAMESTOWN...
  COURTLAND...
  NORWAY...
  SCANDIA...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

STAY TUNED TO WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST
SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

&&

LAT...LON 3979 9794 3987 9781 3979 9759 3964 9761
      3951 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 2332Z 237DEG 36KT 3960 9794
HAIL 1.25IN

$$

BLAIR
1 follow-up statement
851 
WWUS53 KTOP 282349
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
549 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

KSC029-282359-
/O.CAN.KTOP.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120229T0000Z/
CLOUD-
549 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN CLOUD COUNTY HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

THE STORM HAS MOVED NORTHEAST OF THE COUNTY. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS 
IN EFFECT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE
LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

&&

LAT...LON 3987 9781 3979 9759 3965 9761 3965 9793
      3979 9794
TIME...MOT...LOC 2349Z 229DEG 39KT 3971 9776

$$

KSC157-290000-
/O.CON.KTOP.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120229T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-
549 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CST FOR
SOUTHWESTERN REPUBLIC COUNTY...

AT 544 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR NORWAY...OR 11
MILES NORTHWEST OF CONCORDIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
NORWAY.
SCANDIA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF A TORNADO APPROACHES...GO TO A BASEMENT OR SEEK SHELTER IN A
HALLWAY OR CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING. USE BLANKETS
OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR HEAD AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF
YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY BUILDING. AS A LAST
RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR
HEAD.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE
LATEST SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION.

&&

LAT...LON 3987 9781 3979 9759 3965 9761 3965 9793
      3979 9794
TIME...MOT...LOC 2349Z 229DEG 39KT 3971 9776
HAIL <.75IN

$$

BLAIR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 28, 12:44 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementTOPAnderson16 min
Feb 28, 5:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPRepublic36 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.