Thunderstorm Wind, Smith
- When
- July 4, 6:30 PM CST
- Where
- Smith County, Womer
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- $50,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.970, -98.700
Damaging Wind and Heavy Rain in Kansas, July 4, 1998
A nearly stationary thunderstorm northeast of Smith Center dumped from 5 to 9 inches of rain in the Womer area of northern Smith county. The rain and resulting runoff into the Walnut Creek damaged at least 5 bridges and several roads were under water.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $85,000
- Crop damage
- $250,000
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.
A nearly stationary thunderstorm northeast of Smith Center dumped from 5 to 9 inches of rain in the Womer area of northern Smith county. The rain and resulting runoff into the Walnut Creek damaged at least 5 bridges and several roads were under water. Corn fields near the creek were damaged and under water for a time. No homes or other personal property were damaged due to the heavy rain. Early in the storms history, wind gusts to 60 mph caused some roof damage on the Womer church roof. A pole barn on a nearby farmstead was heavily damaged by the wind.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Smith
- When
- July 4, 6:30 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Smith County, Womer
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Crop damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.785, -98.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Wind in Florida, July 4, 1998
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 4, 1998
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, July 4 to 20, 1998
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 4, 1998
- Tornado in Indiana, July 4, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, July 4, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Texas, July 4, 1998
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, July 4, 1998
- Tornado in Texas, July 4, 1998
- Hail in Nebraska, July 4, 1998
- Flash Flood in Nebraska, July 4, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, July 4, 1998
More
Every storm in Kansas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, July 1998
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5650178, 5650179.