Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 182, NWS Wichita, KS

May 19, 20266 counties in Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 2026, 12:21 AM CDT for 6 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 43 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, 2026, 12:21 AM CDT (05:21 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 2026, 1:04 AM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Allen County, KS, Elk County, KS, Greenwood County, KS, Neosho County, KS, Wilson County, KS, Woodson County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:23 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 18, 6:14 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr
May 18, 11:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 5.4 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2026-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3248 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Topeka, KS at 00:00Z on 2026-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 209 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3248 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1108 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
209 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
370 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
4.1
Supercell composite
22.8

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 18, 6:46 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 6:46 PM CDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 12:58 PM CDT, 11 hours 23 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Wichita KS
1258 PM CDT Mon May 18 2026

KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-191800-
Russell-Lincoln-Barton-Ellsworth-Saline-Rice-McPherson-Marion-Chase-
Reno-Harvey-Butler-Greenwood-Woodson-Allen-Kingman-Sedgwick-Harper-
Sumner-Cowley-Elk-Wilson-Neosho-Chautauqua-Montgomery-Labette-
1258 PM CDT Mon May 18 2026

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of central Kansas,
east central Kansas, south central Kansas and southeast Kansas.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected to redevelop this
afternoon over central Kansas. Some of the storms will quickly
become severe and could produce significant severe weather. The
stronger storms will be capable of producing damaging winds around
70 mph, up to baseball size hail, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall. A
few strong tornadoes are possible. Storms should congeal into a
line of storms and travel slowly southeast later this evening. Once
this happens the risk of severe weather will begin to decrease
through the late night hours. The primary risk will then transition
to mainly damaging winds and heavy rainfall.

Strong south winds gusting up to 45 mph will affect portions of
central, south central, and southeast Kansas today. A wind advisory
is in effect until 10 PM.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday

Additional off-and-on chances for showers and thunderstorms are
possible Tuesday through week's end, but widespread severe weather
is not expected with this activity.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will be needed this afternoon and evening.

&&

For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at:
https://www.weather.gov/erh/ghwo?wfo=ict

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 18, 6:27 PM CDT, 5 hours 54 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 18, 6:33 PM CDT, 5 hours 48 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 18, 6:36 PM CDT, 5 hours 45 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 18, 6:42 PM CDT, 5 hours 39 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 18, 6:43 PM CDT, 5 hours 38 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 18, 6:49 PM CDT, 5 hours 32 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 7:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Chase, Greenwood, Harvey, McPherson, Marion48 min
May 18, 7:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTKingman, Reno, Sedgwick45 min
May 18, 7:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Chase, Greenwood, Harvey, Marion49 min
May 18, 8:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Kingman, Reno, Sedgwick45 min
May 18, 8:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Chase, Greenwood, Marion39 min
May 18, 8:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatICTHarvey, Kingman, Reno, Sedgwick, Sumner64 min
May 18, 9:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatICTButler, Harvey, Sedgwick40 min
May 18, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Chase, Greenwood50 min
May 18, 9:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Sedgwick25 min
May 18, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper, Kingman, Sedgwick, Sumner64 min
May 18, 9:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Chase, Greenwood47 min
May 18, 10:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatICTSumner47 min
May 18, 11:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTButler, Cowley27 min
May 18, 11:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley, Sumner43 min
May 18, 11:46 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningICTAllen, Butler, Elk, Greenwood, Wilson, Woodson8 hr
May 18, 11:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley, Sumner46 min
May 19, 12:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTCowley53 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

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.