Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 405, NWS Wichita, KS

September 9, 2026Chautauqua County, Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 9, 2026, 6:10 PM CDT for Chautauqua County, Kansas. It was in force for 35 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
Sep 9, 2026, 6:10 PM CDT (23:10 UTC)
Expired
Sep 9, 2026, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
0.75 in
Wind
60.0 mph

County Chautauqua County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:09 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 (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 212 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 12:00Z on 2026-09-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 40 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2026-09-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 108 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
40 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-298 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1673 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

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 Sep 9, 3:22 PM CDT, 2 hours 48 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Storms this evening and overnight, with main threat brief microburst winds and isolated heavy rain.
  • For the first time since back in mid/late July, much of the area will see highs in the 80s on Thursday! However, "cool- down" will be short-lived as we get back into the upper 90s to around 100 for Sunday and Monday.
  • Periodic storm chances for Friday night through next week, with the highest chances Monday night into Tuesday as another cold front moves through.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 9, 3:22 PM CDT, 2 hours 48 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wichita KS
322 PM CDT Wed Sep 9 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Storms this evening and overnight, with main threat brief
  microburst winds and isolated heavy rain.

- For the first time since back in mid/late July, much of the
  area will see highs in the 80s on Thursday! However, "cool-
  down" will be short-lived as we get back into the upper 90s to
  around 100 for Sunday and Monday.

- Periodic storm chances for Friday night through next week,
  with the highest chances Monday night into Tuesday as another
  cold front moves through.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 322 PM CDT Wed Sep 9 2026

Currently have a shortwave trough tracking across southern
Ontario with another impulse tracking out of the Northern
Rockies. Cold front currently stretches from Central MO, to
along Highway 50 in central KS and into southwest KS.

Surface based storms have started to increase in coverage over
the last couple of hours along the front and along outflow
produced from previous storms over mainly south central KS.
This trend is expected to continue as we head through the late
afternoon and early evening hours, with areas south of Highway
50 seeing the better coverage. An isolated downburst to 60 mph
will be possible with the stronger storms. We may see a break
after this initial activity slowly weakens and pushes south this
evening. We are then looking for a jet max to sink south
tonight placing much of the area in the right entrance region.
In addition, there has been some model consistency in swinging
through a weak mid level trough tonight. This should allow
convection to expand, especially after 06z. While widespread
severe storms are not anticipated, some small hail, 50-60 mph
winds and brief heavy rain will be possible.

Storms should be ongoing across southern KS Thursday morning as
mid level trough continues to slowly slide east. However, by the
afternoon hours, precip is expected to be south and east of the
forecast area. For the first time since back on July 23rd, we
are looking for highs in the 80s on Thursday!

For Thu night into Fri, upper troughing will start to dig from
the Pacific Northwest into the Northern Rockies. This will
quickly get the Plains back into return flow and allow above
normal temps to quickly return, with widespread low 90s likely
for Fri. Still looking for storms to develop along a cold front
to our north on Friday evening. There are still a couple model
solutions tracking this convection through parts of our forecast
area Fri night into Sat morning. However, confidence is low as
it will be highly dependent on where storms initially develop
along the front. A much more robust upper low will move into the
Pacific Northwest late Sat night into Sun morning. This will
allow low level jet to ramp-up Sat night and may bring some
additional storm chances into Sun morning.

Bad news is that confidence is increasing in above normal temps
for Sun into Mon with mid to upper 90s likely. Based on 850mb
temps and 1000-850mb partial thicknesses, don't think it's out
of the question that some sites could hit 100 on Sun-Mon. There
is good agreement between the GFS and ECMWF in a strong cold
front moving through Mon evening through Tue with high storm
chances expected along it.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 1245 PM CDT Wed Sep 9 2026

Scattered to at times numerous showers and thunderstorms will
impact portions of central, south-central, and southeast Kansas
this afternoon through tonight, in vicinity of a slow moving
cold front. While widespread severe weather is not expected, a
few of the stronger storms may be capable of localized 50+ kt
downburst winds and heavy rain. Covered this threat mainly with
PROB30 groups for now, although later shifts will likely need to
insert TEMPO groups.

&&

.ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening for KSZ069>072-082-
083-091>096-098>100.

&&

DISCUSSION...RBL
AVIATION...ADK
CLIMATE...JC
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 9, 5:51 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 9, 4:48 PM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Wichita KS
448 PM CDT Wed Sep 9 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0447 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     8 SSE Mayfield          37.16N 97.50W
09/09/2026  E70 MPH          Sumner             KS   Trained Spotter

&&

CDJ
Local storm report, Sep 9, 5:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Wichita KS
507 PM CDT Wed Sep 9 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0437 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Wellington              37.27N 97.40W
09/09/2026                   Sumner             KS   911 Call Center

            Multiple reports of power lines down in
            town.

&&

CDJ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 9, 2:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSedgwick21 min
Sep 9, 2:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChase, Greenwood37 min
Sep 9, 4:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSumner35 min
Sep 9, 4:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTSumner25 min
Sep 9, 5:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTChautauqua, Elk, Montgomery36 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.