Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Topeka, KS

May 6, 2015Cloud County, Republic County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this tornado warning at May 6, 2015, 5:10 PM CDT for Cloud County, Republic County, Kansas. It was in force for 20 min. 2 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 6, 2015, 5:10 PM CDT (22:10 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 2015, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
20 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
2.0 in

Counties Cloud County, KS, Republic County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:10 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 6, 5:15 PM CDTTORNADO3 W Jamestown, KSSPOTTER REPORTED A LARGE WEDGE SHAPE TORNADO ON THE GROUND AND ESTIMATES IT TO BE ABOUT 1/2 MILE WIDE.
May 6, 5:28 PM CDTTORNADO3 Se Courtland, KSSPOTTER CONFIRMED ROTATION WITH THE SAME STORM THAT PREVIOUSLY HAD A TORNADO. HE COULD SEE AT LEAST A FUNNEL WITHIN 1 MILE OF HIS LOCATION BUT COULD NOT CONFIRM IT WAS ON THE GROUND. HE COULD NOT TALK ANY LONGER AS HE NEEDED TO TAKE SHELTER.

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
May 6, 1:41 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KFOE), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 208 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 2015-05-06Temperature 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 2015-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 247 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
879 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
247 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
222 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.

534 
WFUS53 KTOP 062210
TORTOP
KSC029-157-062230-
/O.NEW.KTOP.TO.W.0003.150506T2210Z-150506T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
510 PM CDT WED MAY 6 2015

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 530 PM CDT

* AT 507 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR SCOTTSVILLE...AND MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND HEN EGG SIZE HAIL.

  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...
  COURTLAND AROUND 530 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3980 9793 3980 9783 3962 9788 3960 9789
      3957 9790 3956 9791 3956 9793 3957 9794
TIME...MOT...LOC 2210Z 193DEG 30KT 3960 9795

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...2.00IN

$$

SANDERS
2 follow-up statements
951 
WWUS53 KTOP 062214
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
514 PM CDT WED MAY 6 2015

KSC029-157-062230-
/O.CON.KTOP.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-150506T2230Z/
REPUBLIC-CLOUD-
514 PM CDT WED MAY 6 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN CLOUD AND
SOUTHWESTERN REPUBLIC COUNTIES UNTIL 530 PM CDT...

AT 512 PM CDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR JAMESTOWN...AND
MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH.

HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND HEN EGG SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS CONFIRMED TORNADO ON THE GROUND 3 MILES 
WEST OF JAMESTOWN.

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 TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  COURTLAND AROUND 530 PM CDT.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3962 9788 3958 9790 3958 9794 3980 9793
      3980 9783
TIME...MOT...LOC 2213Z 193DEG 30KT 3962 9794

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...2.00IN

$$

SANDERS
503 
WWUS53 KTOP 062223
SVSTOP

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
523 PM CDT WED MAY 6 2015

KSC029-062233-
/O.CAN.KTOP.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-150506T2230Z/
CLOUD-
523 PM CDT WED MAY 6 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN CLOUD COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED 
AREA.

LAT...LON 3980 9783 3965 9787 3965 9793 3968 9794
      3980 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 2223Z 193DEG 30KT 3970 9791

$$

KSC157-062230-
/O.CON.KTOP.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-150506T2230Z/
REPUBLIC-
523 PM CDT WED MAY 6 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN REPUBLIC
COUNTY UNTIL 530 PM CDT...

AT 520 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF JAMESTOWN...AND MOVING NORTH AT 35
MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO AND PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL.

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...
  COURTLAND AROUND 530 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3980 9783 3965 9787 3965 9793 3968 9794
      3980 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 2223Z 193DEG 30KT 3970 9791

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.50IN

$$

SANDERS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 7:32 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPBrown, Nemaha43 min
May 6, 5:04 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPRepublic26 min
May 6, 5:26 PM CDTTornado WarningTOPRepublic34 min
May 6, 5:37 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threatTOPRepublic38 min
May 6, 6:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPRepublic49 min
May 6, 6:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTOPCloud, Republic37 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.