Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 22, NWS Topeka, KS

May 15, 2015Brown County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 15, 2015, 7:14 PM CDT for Brown County, Kansas. It was in force for 31 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
May 15, 2015, 7:14 PM CDT (00:14 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 2015, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.0 in

County Brown County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:15 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
May 15, 7:41 PM CDTTORNADO2 W Robinson, KSBRIEF TORNADO REPORTED. LASTED A FEW MINUTES AND HAS SINCE LIFTED.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KFOE), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 93 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 00:00Z on 2015-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 840 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2015-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 51 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
840 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1137 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
243 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

540 
WFUS53 KTOP 160014
TORTOP
KSC013-160045-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0022.150516T0014Z-150516T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
714 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL BROWN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST KANSAS...

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 711 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR WILLIS...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO.

  SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD 2 MILES NORTH OF 
WILLIS AT 711 PM.

  IMPACT...EXPECT DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND VEHICLES.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ROBINSON AROUND 735 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF A TORNADO. TAKE COVER IN A BASEMENT OR 
STORM SHELTER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3986 9536 3983 9533 3981 9533 3972 9548
      3975 9555 3989 9545
TIME...MOT...LOC 0013Z 225DEG 14KT 3975 9550

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$
1 follow-up statement
939 
WWUS53 KTOP 160027
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
727 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 2015

KSC013-160045-
/O.CON.KTOP.TO.W.0022.000000T0000Z-150516T0045Z/
BROWN-
727 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL BROWN COUNTY
UNTIL 745 PM CDT...

AT 723 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED NEAR ROBINSON...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO.

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.

IMPACT...EXPECT DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND VEHICLES.

THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ROBINSON AROUND 735 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING A BRIEF TORNADO AND SEVERAL 
FUNNEL CLOUDS. TAKE COVER IN A BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3976 9544 3980 9551 3989 9545 3986 9536
      3983 9533 3981 9533
TIME...MOT...LOC 0026Z 220DEG 15KT 3980 9545

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 7:44 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedTOPBrown13 min
May 16, 3:02 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPMorris28 min
May 16, 3:40 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPPottawatomie35 min
May 16, 5:09 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPLyon36 min
May 16, 5:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCoffey, Lyon, Osage47 min
May 16, 5:21 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPShawnee24 min
May 16, 5:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPOsage, Shawnee, Wabaunsee32 min
May 16, 5:35 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPCoffey, Lyon, Osage13 min
May 16, 5:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCoffey, Douglas, Franklin, Lyon, Osage, Shawnee50 min
May 16, 6:41 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTOPDouglas, Jefferson, Osage, Shawnee64 min
May 16, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPDouglas, Franklin, Jefferson47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes in 2015

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.