Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Topeka, KS

February 28, 2012Douglas County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at Feb 28, 2012, 10:10 PM CST for Douglas County, Kansas. It was in force for 14 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: Feb 28, 2012, 10:10 PM CST (04:10 UTC)
Expired: Feb 28, 2012, 10:24 PM CST
In force: 14 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Douglas County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:12 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
Feb 28, 10:11 PM CST	TORNADO	3 Se Globe, KS	EF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED BY DOUGLAS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SURVEY AND OTHER PUBLIC REPORTS. PATH OF TORNADO FROM 4 S GLOBE IN NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY...TO 1.5 S WORDEN IN DOUGLAS COUNTY. TIME EST FROM 1006 PM CST TO 1011 PM CST. SEVERAL BARNS WERE DAMAGED O

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
Feb 28, 8:10 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 38 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: 37 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 482 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 72 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 427 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 451 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

237 
WFUS53 KTOP 290410
TORTOP
KSC045-290430-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0004.120229T0410Z-120229T0430Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1010 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 1030 PM CST

* AT 1007 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO.  THIS SEVERE STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR GLOBE...OR 11 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF OTTAWA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 80 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PLEASANT GROVE...
  BALDWIN CITY...
  VINLAND...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

FOR YOUR SAFETY...GO TO A STORM SHELTER OR BASEMENT NOW!

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

&&

LAT...LON 3874 9534 3874 9540 3879 9543 3895 9512
      3881 9506
TIME...MOT...LOC 0410Z 237DEG 70KT 3877 9532
HAIL <.75IN

$$

BLAIR

1 follow-up statement

201 
WWUS53 KTOP 290424
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1024 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

KSC045-290434-
/O.CAN.KTOP.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120229T0430Z/
DOUGLAS-
1024 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

AT 1024 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE 
ROTATION WITH THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAD WEAKENED AND NO LONGER 
APPEARED CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES...THUS THE WARNING HAS BEEN 
CANCELLED.

SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS POSSIBLE ACROSS EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. STAY ALERT TO THE WEATHER.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3874 9534 3874 9540 3879 9543 3895 9512
      3881 9506
TIME...MOT...LOC 0424Z 237DEG 70KT 3891 9502

$$

BLAIR

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 28, 6:04 PM CST	Tornado Warning	TOP	Republic	20 min
Feb 28, 6:50 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Ottawa	25 min
Feb 28, 7:16 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Clay, Cloud, Washington	44 min
Feb 28, 7:41 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Republic	34 min
Feb 28, 7:57 PM CST	Tornado Warning	TOP	Morris	33 min
Feb 28, 8:11 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Marshall	34 min
Feb 28, 8:17 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Washington	28 min
Feb 28, 8:28 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Lyon, Morris, Wabaunsee	47 min
Feb 28, 8:48 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Marshall	27 min
Feb 28, 9:03 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osage, Shawnee	42 min
Feb 28, 9:21 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas, Jefferson	39 min
Feb 28, 9:53 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas, Franklin, Osage, Shawnee	36 min
Feb 28, 9:58 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Anderson, Coffey, Franklin	47 min
Feb 29, 4:10 AM CST	Red Flag Warning	TOP	Anderson, Coffey, Dickinson, Lyon, Morris, Ottawa	14 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.