Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2017

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Wichita, KS

May 18, 2017Ellsworth County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2017, 5:38 PM CDT for Ellsworth County, Kansas. It was in force for 44 min. 3 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 18, 2017, 5:38 PM CDT (22:38 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 2017, 6:22 PM CDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.75 in

County Ellsworth County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:37 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
May 18, 5:43 PM CDT	HAIL 1.5	5 Se Ellsworth, KS
May 18, 5:47 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	Kanopolis, KS
May 18, 5:55 PM CDT	HAIL 1.5	3 Ne Kanopolis, KS

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
May 18, 3:21 PM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 186 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 2030 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 356 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 380 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

507 
WFUS53 KICT 182238
TORICT
KSC053-182345-
/O.NEW.KICT.TO.W.0013.170518T2238Z-170518T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Wichita KS
538 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2017

The National Weather Service in Wichita has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Ellsworth County in central Kansas...

* Until 645 PM CDT
    
* At 537 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Kanopolis, moving northeast at 35 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and golf 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 tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
  Ellsworth County, including the following locations: Ellsworth
  Airport, Kanopolis Lake and Kanopolis State Park.



PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3852 9793 3852 9848 3878 9848 3887 9796
      3887 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 2237Z 216DEG 31KT 3864 9814 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

CARUSO

3 follow-up statements

493 
WWUS53 KICT 182253
SVSICT

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wichita KS
553 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2017

KSC053-182345-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-170518T2345Z/
Ellsworth KS-
553 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2017

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR ELLSWORTH
COUNTY...
    
At 553 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 7 miles west of Brookville, or 9 miles east of Kanopolis,
moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and two inch 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. 

Locations impacted include...
Ellsworth, Kanopolis, Holyrood, Geneseo, Lorraine, Kanopolis Lake,
Kanopolis State Park and Ellsworth Airport.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Heavy rainfall may hide this tornado. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3852 9793 3852 9848 3878 9848 3887 9796
      3887 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 2253Z 226DEG 33KT 3874 9799 

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

$$

KLEINSASSER

822 
WWUS53 KICT 182256
SVSICT

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wichita KS
556 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2017

KSC053-182345-
/O.CON.KICT.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-170518T2345Z/
Ellsworth KS-
556 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2017

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR ELLSWORTH
COUNTY...
    
At 556 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Ellsworth, moving northeast at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and quarter 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. 

Locations impacted include...
Ellsworth, Kanopolis, Holyrood, Geneseo, Lorraine, Kanopolis Lake,
Kanopolis State Park and Ellsworth Airport.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

Heavy rainfall may hide this tornado. Do not wait to see or hear the
tornado. TAKE COVER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3852 9793 3852 9848 3878 9848 3887 9796
      3887 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 2256Z 238DEG 21KT 3867 9827 

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

$$

KLEINSASSER

670 
WWUS53 KICT 182322
SVSICT

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wichita KS
622 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2017

KSC053-182332-
/O.CAN.KICT.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-170518T2345Z/
Ellsworth KS-
622 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2017

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR ELLSWORTH COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
                
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado.
Therefore the warning has been cancelled.  However small hail, gusty
winds and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm.

A tornado watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for central
Kansas.

LAT...LON 3852 9793 3852 9848 3878 9848 3887 9796
      3887 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 2321Z 216DEG 31KT 3885 9810 

$$

KLEINSASSER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 18, 9:44 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	ICT	Lincoln	55 hr
May 18, 9:58 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	ICT	Lincoln	6 days
May 18, 1:45 PM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	ICT	Allen, Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley and 20 more	38 hr
May 18, 1:51 PM CDT	River Flood Warning	ICT	Cowley	4 days
May 18, 3:38 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	ICT	Chase	52 min
May 18, 4:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Barton	58 min
May 18, 4:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Barton, Ellsworth, Rice	67 min
May 18, 4:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Saline	54 min
May 18, 4:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	ICT	Barton	52 min
May 18, 4:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Harvey, McPherson, Reno	45 min
May 18, 5:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ICT	Barton	59 min
May 18, 5:02 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	ICT	Barton	6 hr
May 18, 5:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ICT	Barton, Ellsworth, Rice	53 min
May 18, 5:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Chase, Marion	29 min
May 18, 5:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Saline	21 min
May 18, 5:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ICT	Barton	35 min
May 18, 5:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ICT	Saline	61 min
May 18, 6:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Harvey, McPherson, Reno, Rice	23 min
May 18, 6:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Sedgwick, Sumner	33 min
May 18, 6:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Saline	21 min
May 18, 6:55 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	ICT	Butler	35 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2017 Every tornado warning in 2017 Tornadoes in 2017

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.