Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 90, NWS Topeka, KS
NWS Topeka, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 23, 2026, 8:19 PM CDT for Douglas County, Franklin County, Osage County, Kansas. It was in force for 26 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
- Apr 23, 2026, 8:19 PM CDT (01:19 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 23, 2026, 8:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Topeka, KS
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Damage threat
- Considerable
- Hail
- 1.0 in
- Wind
- 70.0 mph
Counties Douglas County, KS, Franklin County, KS, Osage County, KS
The radar
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2:04 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 9 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 38 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1551 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -24 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1022 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 203 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 228 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.3
- Supercell composite
- 6.5
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 Apr 23, 6:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Severe storms possible this afternoon into early evening as storms develop along a cold front over north central areas and move east. Very large hail, damaging winds along with potential for tornadoes is possible. Flooding also can't be ruled out over areas that see repeated storms.
- A brief window for very high fire danger may set up behind the cold front as winds change to the northwest over north central counties and the relative humidity falls to around or just below 20 percent but overall the winds are expected to remain under 20 mph.
- Additional rounds of severe storms may be possible late day on Saturday and then again late day into the overnight hours on Sunday. Sunday may be the more impactful storm system but details still remain uncertain at this time.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 6:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Topeka KS 632 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Severe storms possible this afternoon into early evening as storms develop along a cold front over north central areas and move east. Very large hail, damaging winds along with potential for tornadoes is possible. Flooding also can't be ruled out over areas that see repeated storms. - A brief window for very high fire danger may set up behind the cold front as winds change to the northwest over north central counties and the relative humidity falls to around or just below 20 percent but overall the winds are expected to remain under 20 mph. - Additional rounds of severe storms may be possible late day on Saturday and then again late day into the overnight hours on Sunday. Sunday may be the more impactful storm system but details still remain uncertain at this time. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 212 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026 The main period of concern for today is focused on this afternoon and evening. Currently, the upper low is over the northern Plains region with a negatively tilted trough and the best forcing extending into northeastern Nebraska where storms have been ongoing for a couple of hours. The surface cold front is just west of the area through north central Kansas into central and southwestern Kansas areas. The dryline is further south into north central Oklahoma. Storms are expected to initiate across the local area this afternoon but may initially struggle with strong capping sampled from the 18Z KTOP sounding. Much of the area today has been under a quite expansive area of stratus but clearing has taken place over western areas. Perhaps this has allowed for the cap to weaken sufficiently over western areas. The lift from the cold front should allow for storms in an area of steeper low level lapse rates to initiate due to the slightly better and more long lasting insolation that has taken place. Mid-level lapse rates are very steep so any storms that breach the cap should rapidly intensify. If the clearing can continue over the next couple of hours then the low level moisture in place will allow for rapid destabilization as well. With environmental southerly flow in place the low level hodograph structures should allow for support of tornadoes if the winds can become locally backed with initial supercellular storms but also 0-3km shear vectors appear to be forecast to become more orthogonal to the any developing line of storms later as storms grow upscale along the front. Long story short, expect initial semi-discrete supercells mainly possible of very large hail and a tornado or two. Then storms congeal into a line over the next 3-4 hrs as they advance east focusing more on the damaging wind threat and possible flooding but also QLCS type tornado potential. The hail threat appears to diminish with eastward motion. Two concerns with eastward motion is the cap strength combined with prior resident time of the stratus. What impact does that have on the evolution of storms remains to be seen but it wouldn't be surprising to see storms initiate and rapidly intensify then struggle with eastward progression. This weekend, the potential for two more quick moving weather systems move through the area with severe weather impacts Saturday afternoon/evening and then again on Sunday evening/night. The time of day the forcing shifts over the area on Sunday will be critical to the development of any storms as well as the severity. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 625 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026 A line of storms continues to move east through the area. KMHK is now on the backside of the line of storms and should see shower and storm activity end within an hour. Winds should lighten, and become more variable within 00-03Z. KTOP and KFOE are both expected to be hit by the line of storms around 00Z. The line has had a history of producing tornadoes. Expected winds to shift out of the west and reach 35-50kts as the line passes. The line and storm activity should end by 0130-0200Z. Both terminals should then see winds become variable before stabilizing from the north around 6-10kts. VFR conditions are expected to hold when the storms pass. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && DISCUSSION...Drake AVIATION...GLD
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 23, 2:11 PM CDT, 6 hours 8 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Topeka KS 211 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-241915- Republic-Washington-Marshall-Nemaha-Brown-Cloud-Clay-Riley- Pottawatomie-Jackson-Jefferson-Ottawa-Dickinson-Geary-Morris- Wabaunsee-Shawnee-Douglas-Lyon-Osage-Franklin-Coffey-Anderson- 211 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Kansas, east central Kansas, north central Kansas, and northeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Severe storms possible this afternoon into early evening as storms develop along a cold front over north central areas and move east. Very large hail, damaging winds along with potential for tornadoes is possible. Flooding also can't be ruled out over areas that see repeated storms. A brief window for very high fire danger may set up behind the cold front as winds change to the northwest over north central counties and the relative humidity falls to around or just below 20 percent but overall the winds are expected to remain under 20 mph. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Additional rounds of severe storms may be possible late day on Saturday and then again late day into the overnight hours on Sunday. Sunday may be the more impactful storm system but details still remain uncertain at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report any severe hail, wind or rainfall amounts over one inch to the National Weather Service in Topeka.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Apr 23, 6:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
637 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0630 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 4 SW Dunlap 38.53N 96.42W
04/23/2026 Morris KS Emergency Mngr
Roof blown off of home near Kahola Lake.
&&
JPLocal storm report, Apr 23, 6:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
653 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0629 PM Tornado 4 SW Dunlap 38.53N 96.42W
04/23/2026 Morris KS Emergency Mngr
Time estimated by radar. Delayed report from
EM on at least 3 homes damaged near Lake
Kahola from a tornado.
&&
JPLocal storm report, Apr 23, 7:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
700 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0654 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 7 WSW Topeka 39.02N 95.80W
04/23/2026 E60 MPH Shawnee KS Trained Spotter
dime size hail.
&&
JPLocal storm report, Apr 23, 7:11 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
711 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0706 PM Tornado 6 S Allen 38.56N 96.17W
04/23/2026 Lyon KS Emergency Mngr
Report of tornado south of Admire on road L
and 280. Relayed by Emergency Manager. Time
Estimated radar.
&&
JPLocal storm report, Apr 23, 8:08 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Topeka KS
808 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0805 PM Tstm Wnd Gst Perry 39.08N 95.40W
04/23/2026 E60 MPH Jefferson KS Fire Dept/Rescue
Emergency manager relayed fire chief in
Perry report of 60 mph winds and pea size
hail.
&&
DRLocal storm report, Apr 23, 8:12 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 7:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Coffey, Lyon, Osage, Wabaunsee | 29 min |
| Apr 23, 7:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Lyon, Osage | 40 min |
| Apr 23, 7:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, Shawnee | 24 min |
| Apr 23, 7:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Lyon | 28 min |
| Apr 23, 7:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Brown | 36 min |
| Apr 23, 7:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Lyon | 15 min |
| Apr 23, 7:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Douglas, Jefferson, Shawnee | 28 min |
| Apr 23, 7:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Osage | 37 min |
| Apr 23, 7:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Lyon | 47 min |
| Apr 23, 7:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Douglas, Jefferson, Shawnee | 25 min |
| Apr 23, 7:55 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Coffey, Lyon | 22 min |
| Apr 23, 8:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Douglas, Franklin, Osage | 21 min |
| Apr 23, 8:09 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | TOP | Douglas, Franklin, Osage | 39 min |
| Apr 23, 8:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Douglas, Jefferson | 33 min |
| Apr 23, 8:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Anderson, Coffey, Franklin, Osage | 59 min |
| Apr 23, 8:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Douglas, Franklin, Osage | 35 min |
| Apr 23, 8:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Anderson, Coffey | 32 min |
| Apr 23, 9:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TOP | Anderson, Coffey, Douglas, Franklin | 46 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.