Alert archive / Kansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 321

March 24, 201716 counties in Kansas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Mar 24, 2017, 7:48 PM CDT for 16 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 57 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Mar 24, 2017, 7:48 PM CDT (00:48 UTC)
Expired: Mar 24, 2017, 8:45 PM CDT
In force: 57 min
Issued by: the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Butler County, KS, Chase County, KS, Chautauqua County, KS, Cowley County, KS, Dickinson County, KS, Elk County, KS, Geary County, KS, Greenwood County, KS, Harvey County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Marion County, KS, McPherson County, KS, Morris County, KS, Saline County, KS, Sedgwick County, KS, Sumner County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:52 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KFOE), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 151 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: 326 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1009 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

096 
ACUS11 KWNS 250048
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 250048 
KSZ000-OKZ000-250145-

Mesoscale Discussion 0321
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0748 PM CDT Fri Mar 24 2017

Areas affected...South-central and southeast Kansas

Concerning...Severe Thunderstorm Watch 79...

Valid 250048Z - 250145Z

The severe weather threat for Severe Thunderstorm Watch 79
continues.

SUMMARY...Thunderstorm intensity is expected to continue to decrease
over the next few hours. Although an isolated, marginally severe
hail report will remain possible for the next 1-2 hours, the severe
thunderstorm watch may be canceled early.

DISCUSSION...Recent radar trends suggest thunderstorm intensity is
continuing to wane across the area. This appears to be attributed to
several factors including the loss of diurnal heating, increasing
thunderstorm outflow, and the overall southeast progression of the
surface front. Despite the lessening of surface-based instability,
cold mid-level temperatures and mid-level lapse rates on the order
of 7-8 C/km will maintain thunderstorm activity over the next couple
of hours. Despite a marginally severe hail report or two with the
strongest of thunderstorm cores, severe thunderstorm watch #79 may
be canceled early.

..Marsh.. 03/25/2017

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...TSA...TOP...ICT...

LAT...LON   37009650 37009761 37009780 38169791 38259793 38709793
            38869793 38869793 38959793 39139737 39139719 39139700
            39139695 38749594 38709594 38259594 37009595 37009595
            37009600 37009650 37009650

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Kansas, 2017 Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.