Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2024

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 94, NWS Topeka, KS

May 2, 2024Republic County, Washington County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 2024, 1:44 AM CDT for Republic County, Washington County, Kansas. It was in force for 46 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 2, 2024, 1:44 AM CDT (06:44 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2024, 2:30 AM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
0.75 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Republic County, KS, Washington County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:46 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 1, 11:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 310 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2024-05-02Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2024-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 104 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1111 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
104 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
252 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 2, 12:31 AM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • A line of thunderstorms moves across the area overnight with continuous storm chances into Thursday, especially in eastern KS.
  • Drier into Friday before another system moves overnight Friday into Saturday morning.
  • Active weather returns again early next week with more chances for rain and thunderstorms.
Area forecast discussion, May 2, 12:31 AM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Topeka KS
1231 AM CDT Thu May 2 2024

.KEY MESSAGES...

- A line of thunderstorms moves across the area overnight with
  continuous storm chances into Thursday, especially in eastern
  KS.

- Drier into Friday before another system moves overnight Friday
into Saturday morning.

- Active weather returns again early next week with more chances for
rain and thunderstorms.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 312 PM CDT Wed May 1 2024

Scattered thunderstorms have continued across much of northeastern
Kansas this afternoon along areas of 700mb WAA ahead of an
approaching mid level wave. A warm front is noted via surface
analysis beginning to move north in southeastern Kansas with a
dryline setting up in far southwestern Kansas and into the
Panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas. With the showers and thunderstorms
draping much of northeastern Kansas for much of the day,
temperatures have struggled to warm above the mid 50s while some
clearing in central and east-central Kansas has helped temperatures
warm into the upper 60s and low 70s. As we progress further into
this evening, a few storms may develop along the dryline in
southwestern Kansas and move towards eastern Kansas. Simultaneously,
lift along the north-moving warm front will help increase showers
and a few thunderstorms into the evening for much of the area. Not
expecting many storms along the warm front to be severe as better
instability should remain near the surface low in southwest Kansas.
That said, cannot rule out a few elevated storms becoming severe
with large hail as the main threat. The best chance for these will
be in central Kansas where better ingredients for severe weather
will reside. Later this evening and overnight into Thursday morning,
convection that develops just ahead of the shortwave in southwestern
Nebraska should move east along the KS/NE border, increasing chances
for showers and thunderstorms again. If these storms can become
organized and develop a balanced cold pool circulation, could see
the possibility of some gusty winds (some possibly severe), and hail
developing with this line of convection. This will need to be
monitored over the next several hours to see how this convection
evolves. Cannot rule out a brief QLCS tornado if this line has a
very balanced cold-pool, but does not seem overly great for this to
occur as 0-3 km shear vectors may be fairly line-parallel.

By Thursday morning, the surface trough will push east with modest
theta-e advection along and ahead of the surface cold front.
Persistent elevated thunderstorms and showers will continue into
Thursday afternoon as that boundary pushes east across the area. PWs
ahead of the boundary between 1.25-1.5" point to some localized
heavy rainfall along the boundary so a flooding concern may develop,
especially with training of storms. Will continue to monitor for the
need of any hydro headlines.

Surface ridging builds in behind the cold front into Thursday
evening and will bring drier conditions in for Friday. Dry weather
will again be short-lived as flow shifts back to the south by Friday
afternoon, advecting in moisture ahead of the next wave to impact
the central Plains. The wave and surface boundary sweep across the
area Friday night into Saturday morning with the possibility of
seeing strong to severe storms. Another brief break in active
weather Sunday before another trough ejects into the region Monday
and into Tuesday with severe weather possible again.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/...
Issued at 1231 AM CDT Thu May 2 2024

VFR expected prior to tsra moving through the terminals in the
08Z to 12Z time period. Expect mvfr cigs along with mvfr vsbys
and some ifr vsbys with the storms. MVFR cigs look to persist
through 20 to 22Z at TOP and FOE with some additional SHRA
expected. MHK looks to become vfr after 18Z. Southerly winds
around 12kts at MHK will shift to the west to northwest winds in
the 13Z to 17Z time period. Winds shift at TOP and FOE after
16Z to 18Z.

&&

.TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

DISCUSSION...Griesemer
AVIATION...Picha/53
Hazardous weather outlook, May 1, 3:20 PM CDT, 10 hours 24 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Topeka KS
320 PM CDT Wed May 1 2024

KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-022030-
Republic-Washington-Marshall-Nemaha-Brown-Cloud-Clay-Riley-
Pottawatomie-Jackson-Jefferson-Ottawa-Dickinson-Geary-Morris-
Wabaunsee-Shawnee-Douglas-Lyon-Osage-Franklin-Coffey-Anderson-
320 PM CDT Wed May 1 2024

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Kansas, east central
Kansas, north central Kansas and northeast Kansas.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms to continue along a north-
moving warm front this evening with some becoming strong. Another
line of storms moving into northern Kansas this evening and overnight
could produce damaging winds and hail.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

Showers and thunderstorms continue along and ahead of a cold front
into Thursday afternoon that could create a risk for flooding. Some
of these storms may become strong to severe with damaging winds and
quarter-sized hail being the main concerns. Additional chances for
storms will continue Friday night into Saturday and again early next
week.

&&

More detailed information can be found at:
www.weather.gov/media/top/DssPacket.pdf

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 2, 1:41 AM CDT, 3 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 1:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatTOPCloud, Republic44 min
May 2, 1:52 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPCloud53 min
May 2, 2:27 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPWashington33 min
May 2, 9:01 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPPottawatomie29 min
May 2, 12:32 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPCoffey28 min
May 2, 1:11 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPCoffey34 min
May 2, 1:26 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPAnderson34 min
May 2, 2:06 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPAnderson24 min
May 2, 2:29 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTOPAnderson16 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2024Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2024

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.