Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Topeka, KS

April 14, 2012Lyon County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 14, 2012, 11:48 PM CDT for Lyon County, Kansas. It was in force for 42 min. 1 report 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: Apr 14, 2012, 11:48 PM CDT (04:48 UTC)
Expired: Apr 15, 2012, 12:30 AM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Observed
Hail: 1.75 in

County Lyon County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:48 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Apr 15, 12:06 AM CDT	TORNADO 0	4 Sw Olpe, KS	STORM CHASERS REPORTED A BRIEF TORNADO IN OPEN FIELD.

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
Apr 14, 5:24 PM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 98 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: 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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

317 
WFUS53 KTOP 150448
TORTOP
KSC111-150530-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0016.120415T0448Z-120415T0530Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1148 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 1230 AM CDT

* AT 1142 PM CDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED 20 MILES WEST OF
  HAMILTON...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

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

  SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS CONFIRMED TORNADO. AT 1133PM...SPOTTERS 
REPORTED A TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CASSODAY MOVING NORTHEAST.

  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...
  OLPE AND EMPORIA 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.

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3817 9636 3826 9636 3843 9608 3825 9595
      3824 9596 3817 9610 3817 9635
TIME...MOT...LOC 0446Z 228DEG 34KT 3809 9648

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

2 follow-up statements

203 
WWUS53 KTOP 150509
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1209 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

KSC111-150530-
/O.CON.KTOP.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120415T0530Z/
LYON KS-
1209 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY UNTIL
1230 AM CDT...

AT 1206 AM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF OLPE...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40
MPH.

HAZARD...DEVELOPING TORNADO AND QUARTER 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...
OLPE AND EMPORIA AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3817 9636 3826 9636 3843 9608 3825 9595
      3824 9596 3817 9610 3817 9635
TIME...MOT...LOC 0509Z 234DEG 34KT 3821 9626

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

912 
WWUS53 KTOP 150527
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1227 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

KSC111-150537-
/O.EXP.KTOP.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120415T0530Z/
LYON KS-
1227 AM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN LYON COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 1230
AM CDT...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY.

ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...AND A TORNADO 
WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM CDT.

LAT...LON 3817 9636 3826 9636 3843 9608 3825 9595
      3824 9596 3817 9610 3817 9635
TIME...MOT...LOC 0527Z 234DEG 34KT 3831 9608

$$

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 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
Apr 15, 9:45 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	TOP	Clay	3 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.