Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 24, NWS Topeka, KS

May 16, 2015Coffey County, Lyon County, Osage County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 16, 2015, 5:35 PM CDT for Coffey County, Lyon County, Osage County, Kansas. It was in force for 13 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: May 16, 2015, 5:35 PM CDT (22:35 UTC)
Expired: May 16, 2015, 5:48 PM CDT
In force: 13 min
Issued by: NWS Topeka, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Coffey County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Osage County, KS

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 16, 5:36 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	1 S Neosho Rapids, KS
May 16, 5:36 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Sse Neosho Rapids, KS	SEVERAL LARGE TREES DOWN INCLUDING A 100 YEAR OLD HEALTHY ELM TREE SNAPPED AT THE BASE OF THE TREE TRUNK. DAMAGE POSSIBLY THE RESULT OF A TORNADO.
May 16, 5:37 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 N Neosho Rapids, KS	DELAYED REPORT. CONFIRMED TORNADO. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO A SHED AND A HOME.
May 16, 5:38 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	2 Wnw Neosho Rapids, KS	TRAIN WAS STOPPED AND BLOWN OVER BY WIND.

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 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 61 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: 768 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 632 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 77 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

215 
WFUS53 KTOP 162235
TORTOP
KSC031-111-139-162300-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0024.150516T2235Z-150516T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
535 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN COFFEY COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
  EAST CENTRAL LYON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...
  SOUTHWESTERN OSAGE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 534 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR NEOSHO RAPIDS...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50
  MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO.

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE
           TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE DAMAGE IS
           LIKELY.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  READING AROUND 550 PM CDT.
  MELVERN LAKE AROUND 555 PM CDT.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 35 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 136 AND 149.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3869 9592 3849 9574 3831 9601 3836 9613
TIME...MOT...LOC 2236Z 216DEG 42KT 3836 9603

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

1 follow-up statement

125 
WWUS53 KTOP 162248
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
548 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

KSC031-111-139-162258-
/O.CAN.KTOP.TO.W.0024.000000T0000Z-150516T2300Z/
OSAGE-LYON-COFFEY-
548 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN COFFEY...EAST CENTRAL LYON
AND SOUTHWESTERN OSAGE COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE TORNADO THREAT HAS DIMINISHED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS
BEEN CANCELLED. HOWEVER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN
EFFECT FOR THE AREA.

LAT...LON 3869 9592 3849 9574 3831 9601 3836 9613
TIME...MOT...LOC 2248Z 216DEG 42KT 3847 9592

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 7:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	TOP	Brown	31 min
May 15, 7:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	TOP	Brown	13 min
May 16, 3:02 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Morris	28 min
May 16, 3:40 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Pottawatomie	35 min
May 16, 5:09 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Lyon	36 min
May 16, 5:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Coffey, Lyon, Osage	47 min
May 16, 5:21 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	TOP	Shawnee	24 min
May 16, 5:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Osage, Shawnee, Wabaunsee	32 min
May 16, 5:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Coffey, Douglas, Franklin, Lyon, Osage, Shawnee	50 min
May 16, 6:41 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TOP	Douglas, Jefferson, Osage, Shawnee	64 min
May 16, 6:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TOP	Douglas, Franklin, Jefferson	47 min

Nearby

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