Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 73, NWS Wichita, KS

May 19, 2025Marion County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 2025, 5:43 PM CDT for Marion County, Kansas. It was in force for 16 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 19, 2025, 5:43 PM CDT (22:43 UTC)
Expired: May 19, 2025, 5:59 PM CDT
In force: 16 min
Issued by: NWS Wichita, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.25 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

County Marion County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:43 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 19, 1:37 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 145 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: 277 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -324 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 694 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 564 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 645 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 9.5

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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 19, 2:17 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Severe thunderstorm potential this afternoon-evening.
Quiet weather Tuesday-Thursday.
More active weather possible Thursday night through early next week.

Area forecast discussion, May 19, 2:17 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wichita KS
217 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Severe thunderstorm potential this afternoon-evening.

- Quiet weather Tuesday-Thursday.

- More active weather possible Thursday night through early next
  week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 216 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025

SEVERE STORM POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON-EVENING:

Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and
evening, as a dryline/cold front combo sharpens near the I-135
corridor, and a deep upper trough approaches from the west. Ample
effective deep layer shear of 50-60 kts and very strong buoyancy
upwards of 3000-4000 J/kg will support the potential for severe
storms, capable of very large hail, damaging winds, and a few
tornadoes. Thinking areas generally along/east of a line extending
from Salina to Hutchinson to Anthony have the greatest potential for
storms.

Deep layer shear vectors have a strong parallel component to the
dryline/cold front, in addition to more pronounced upper forcing and
stout mid-level cooling approaching from the west. Consequently,
storm mode may tend to be a bit messier, with the potential for
several storms close together and associated storm mergers, which
could tend to limit the number of storms capable of higher-end
severe weather. However, long and straight hodographs in conjunction
with the strong buoyancy will support splitting supercells capable
of large hail and damaging winds. Could also see a handful of
tornadoes as well given the ample low-level buoyancy, especially
with any supercells that can track to the right of the hodograph.
Even if storms are spaced close together, strong 0-1km storm-
relative flow from the east would support mostly undisturbed storm
inflow, especially for right-moving supercells. Furthermore, can't
rule out a landspout tornado threat before 8 PM, especially in
vicinity of the slow-moving dryline/cold front near and either side
of I-135, given the strong buoyancy amidst strengthening low-level
vorticity along the frontal zone. Thinking the highest severe threat
will exit southeast KS to the east by around midnight.

Later this evening and tonight in back of the departing severe
threat, a secondary area of showers/storms is expected to move in
from the west, immediately ahead of the negatively tilted deep upper
trough. Ample instability amidst the cold air aloft along with
adequate deep layer shear could support some large hail with this
final round of activity.

ACTIVE PATTERN POSSIBLY RETURNING BY LATE WEEK:

The pattern could turn favorable for periodic storm chances
returning by Thursday night, and persisting into early next week, as
west-northwest flow aloft develops over the region, and gradually
transitions to zonal to perhaps southwest flow aloft. Given the
potential for modest instability and decent deep layer shear, this
pattern could favor periodic bouts of strong to perhaps severe
storms, along with locally heavy rainfall. Stay tuned as we refine
forecast details in the coming days.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/...
Issued at 1250 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025

Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected to increase
across the region this afternoon and evening, generally along
and east of a line extending from Salina to Hutchinson to
Anthony, and gradually exiting southeast KS to the east by
around midnight. The strongest activity will be capable of large
hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes.

In back of this first area of storms, a secondary area of
showers and storms could progress east across central and
eastern Kansas later this evening and overnight, posing a threat
for marginally severe hail. Did not include this 2nd threat in
the TAFs just yet, and will re-evaluate for the 00z issuance.

&&

.ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...ADK
AVIATION...ADK

Hazardous weather outlook, May 19, 3:04 PM CDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, May 19, 5:28 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 19, 5:30 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 19, 5:32 PM CDT, 11 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 19, 5:35 PM CDT, 8 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 19, 5:37 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 19, 5:43 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 18, 8:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Barton	60 min
May 18, 8:37 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ICT	Barton	23 min
May 18, 9:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Barton, Ellsworth, Russell	40 min
May 18, 9:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Allen	28 min
May 18, 11:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threat	ICT	Reno	39 min
May 18, 11:50 PM CDT	Tornado Warning EmergencyTornado observedCatastrophic damage threat	ICT	Reno	25 min
May 19, 12:08 AM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threat	ICT	Reno, Rice	27 min
May 19, 2:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Labette, Montgomery	46 min
May 19, 2:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	ICT	Neosho	46 min
May 19, 2:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	ICT	Allen, Neosho, Wilson, Woodson	47 min
May 19, 3:29 PM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	ICT	Allen	4 hr
May 19, 4:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	ICT	Labette, Montgomery	61 min
May 19, 5:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	ICT	Neosho	29 min
May 19, 6:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Butler, Harvey, Marion	31 min
May 19, 6:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Greenwood	26 min
May 19, 6:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Greenwood	19 min
May 19, 6:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ICT	Chautauqua, Cowley	48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2025 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2025

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.