Hail and High Wind in Kansas, April 18, 2002

Name: Hail and High Wind in Kansas, April 18, 2002
Start: 2002-04-18T01:05
End: 2002-04-18T01:47
Location: Kansas

April 18, 2002 · NWS TOP · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 TOP wrote it up.

Thunderstorms developed over north central and northeast Kansas the evening of the 17th and continued well into the night. Many became severe and produced numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds. In addition a gust front moved away from the thunderstorms and produced high winds up to 70 mph. The gust front developed near St. Marys and spread rapidly northeast to the Hiawatha, Sabetha, and Seneca areas. These winds downed power lines, uprooted trees, and damaged several buildings with damage totals around 10 thousand dollars.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Apr 17, 2:00 PM CST, 11 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 17, 2:00 PM CST, 11 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
3 PM CDT WED APR 17 2002

MAIN PROBLEMS ARE CONSIDERATIONS OF STG CONVECTION TONIGHT AND
THURSDAY...THEN AMT OF COOLING AND PCPN CHCS INTO THE WEEKEND.

VERY WARM ON THURSDAY WITH SOME READINGS NEAR RECORD HIGH LVLS...AM
USING MESO-ETA SFC TEMPERATURES FOR MAX TEMP GUIDANCE ON THURSDAY.

RATHER SLIM CHCS FOR CONVECTION TONIGHT. NOT QUITE SLIM ENUF TO
PRECLUDE MENTION...BUT WILL HOLD WITH MINIMAL POPS FOR THREE
REASONS...ALL OF WHICH MAY BE RATHER WEAK. FIRST IS WARMFRONTAL
BOUNDARY. LATEST PROFILERS FROM 19Z SHOW BNDRY JUST OFF THE SFC
(FIRST SVRL GATES OF PROFILERS) SHOW IT ALG NRN BORDER. ALL SMALLER
GRID MODELS INCLUDING MESO-ETA AND WORKSTATION ETA SHOW SFC FNT MVG
RAPIDLY NORTH REST OF THIS AFTERNOON. COULD HAVE A STORM OR TWO
ALONG NRN BORDER EARLY BUT MORE LIKELY TO NORTH OF CWA. SECOND
REASON IS CONVECTION TRYING TO GET ITSELF TOGETHER ALG DRY LINE WRN
OK. THIS COULD DVLP FURTHER NORTH NEXT FEW HOURS...THEN MAY TRACK
NORTHEAST INTO CWA LATE EVENING. HOWEVER WOULD NOT EXPECT THIS TO
MAKE MUCH PROGRESS EAST...IF IT EVEN MAKES IT THIS FAR. NOTE AND
AGREE WITH ICT THAT STORMS MAY HAVE A HARD TIME MAKING IT TOO FAR
INTO KS...LET ALONE MY CWA. BUT STILL SOME REMOTE THREAT. PROBABLY
THE BEST THREAT...ALBEIT STILL QUITE SMALL...IS THE THREAT FOR
ELEVATED CONVECTION WITHIN THE LOW LVL JET LATER TONIGHT. BUFKIT
SNDGS IMPLY THIS AFT MIDNIGHT WITHIN AREA. IF THIS HAPPENS, THIS
CONVECTION COULD LINGER INTO TMRW AM. THEREFORE...WILL CONTINUE WITH
SLGT CHC FOR CONVECTION TONIGHT...THEN MENTION CONVECTION CNTRL AND
ERN PTN CWA ON THURSDAY. FOLLOWING MESO-ETA LOW LVL MOISTURE
PROFILE... WRN PTN CWA NOT LIKELY TO SEE ANY CONVECTION TMRW SINCE
DRYER AIR LIKELY WORKING IN BY MIDDAY TMRW. QUESTION THEN BECOMES
WHERE BEST MOISTURE CONVERGENCE SETS UP BY THIS TIME THURSDAY. ALSO
AGREE WITH ICT THAT TMRW COULD BE AN ACTIVE SVR WX DAY. NUMEROUS
SHORT WAVE IMPULSES MOVG OVR AREA LATE IN THE AFTN COULD BE JUST
ENOUGH IMPETUS FOR EXPLOSIVE DVLPMT. GIVEN CURRENT MESO-ETA
FCST...WOULD SUSPECT THAT MAY HAPPEN NEAR OR JUST EAST OF A
SENECA-ABILENE LINE BY MID TO LATE AFTN. CONVECTION WOULD THEN PUSH
EAST OVR REST OF CWA...EXITING SOUTHEASTERN PTN OF CWA AFT MIDNIGHT.

LATER FORECAST PDS PROBLEMATIC TOO. IF HPCS SFC WX DEPICTION IS
RIGHT...CANT SEE MUCH SUPPORT FOR PCPN OVER THE WEEKEND...CERTAINLY
NOT TSTMS. OF COURSE, COULD SEE LOTS OF CLOUDS WITH SOME
OVRRNG...BUT WIDESPREAD PCPN NOT LIKELY. WITH NORTHERLY FLOW AND
CLOUDS...TEMPERATURES BLO CLIMO LIKELY. NICE RECOVERY BY EARLY NEXT
WEEK. IF LESS CLOUDS OCCUR THAN FORECAST...WEEKEND TEMPS WOULD NOT
BE THAT FAR REMOVED FROM CLIMO HIGHS/LOWS...I.E. 60S/40S.

.TOP...NONE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 18, 12:55 AM CST, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
155 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1120 PM    3 S CARLTON               KS    POSSIBLE TORNADO
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED ROARING
                                           NOISE OVERHEAD AS STORM
                                           PASSED BY

WWUS30 KTOP 180657 COR
LSRTOP

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
157 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1243 AM    POWHATTAN                 KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   BROWN                           50 MPH NON TSTM WINDS.
                                           PUBLIC REPORTED BLOWING
                                           DUST WITH THE STRONG
                                           WINDS

Local storm report, Apr 18, 12:57 AM CST, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
157 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1243 AM    POWHATTAN                 KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   BROWN                           50 MPH NON TSTM WINDS.
                                           PUBLIC REPORTED BLOWING
                                           DUST WITH THE STRONG
                                           WINDS

Local storm report, Apr 18, 12:58 AM CST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
120 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1111 PM    3 SW CARLTON              KS    1.25 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED HALF
                                           DOLLAR SIZE HAIL

1113 PM    2 SW CARLTON              KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED DIME
                                           SIZE HAIL

1120 PM    3 S CARLTON               KS    TORNADO
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED ROARING
                                           NOISE OVERHEAD AS STORM
                                           PASSED BY

1123 PM    CARLTON                   KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON

1124 PM    3 S ELMO                  KS    1.75 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED GOLF
                                           BALL SIZE HAIL

1124 PM    1S ELMO                   KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON

1130 PM    ST MARYS                  KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   POTTAWATOMIE                    POWER OUT IN ST MARYS.
                                           REPORTS OF HIGH WINDS
                                           IN BELVUE ALSO.
                                           REPORTED BY CO EM.

1144 PM    9N DELIA                  KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   JACKSON                         ESTIMATED 75 MPH

1148 PM    5N HERINGTON              KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON

1155 PM    15W HOLTON                KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   JACKSON                         ESTIMATED 70 TO 75 MPH.

1159 PM    CORNING                   KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   NEMAHA                          ESTIMATED 70 TO 75.

1241 AM    2N LONGFORD               KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/18/02   CLAY                            REPORTED BY SO

Local storm report, Apr 18, 12:59 AM CST, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
159 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1243 AM    POWHATTAN                 KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   BROWN                           50 MPH NON TSTM WINDS.
                                           PUBLIC REPORTED BLOWING
                                           DUST WITH THE STRONG
                                           WINDS

1111 PM    3 SW CARLTON              KS    1.25 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED HALF
                                           DOLLAR SIZE HAIL

1113 PM    2 SW CARLTON              KS    .75 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED DIME
                                           SIZE HAIL

1120 PM    3 S CARLTON               KS    TORNADO
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED ROARING
                                           NOISE OVERHEAD AS STORM
                                           PASSED BY

1123 PM    CARLTON                   KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON

1124 PM    1S ELMO                   KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON

1124 PM    3 S ELMO                  KS    1.75 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED GOLF
                                           BALL SIZE HAIL

1130 PM    ST MARYS                  KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   POTTAWATOMIE                    POWER OUT IN ST MARYS.
                                           REPORTS OF HIGH WINDS
                                           IN BELVUE ALSO.
                                           REPORTED BY CO EM.

1144 PM    9N DELIA                  KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   JACKSON                         ESTIMATED 75 MPH

1148 PM    5N HERINGTON              KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/17/02   DICKINSON

1155 PM    15W HOLTON                KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   JACKSON                         ESTIMATED 70 TO 75 MPH.

1159 PM    CORNING                   KS    NON TSTM WINDS
04/17/02   NEMAHA                          ESTIMATED 70 TO 75.

Local storm report, Apr 18, 1:01 AM CST, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
201 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0106 AM    CLAY CENTER               KS    1.25 INCH HAIL
04/18/02   CLAY

0120 AM    3S GREEN                  KS    1 INCH HAIL
04/18/02   CLAY

Local storm report, Apr 18, 1:02 AM CST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
202 AM CDT THU APR 18 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1120 PM    3 S CARLTON               KS    POSSIBLE TORNADO
04/17/02   DICKINSON                       PUBLIC REPORTED ROARING
                                           NOISE OVERHEAD AS STORM
                                           PASSED BY

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 44 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:03 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Pottawatomie

When: April 18, 1:05 AM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County, 4 mi SSW of Westmoreland
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 39.350, -96.450

High Wind, Nemaha

When: April 18, 1:10 AM CST
Where: Nemaha forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.784, -96.014 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds destroyed several buildings 3 miles west of Sabetha.

High Wind, Brown

When: April 18, 1:47 AM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.827, -95.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 6 foot diameter tree was uprooted in Morrill.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, April 2002

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: 5289912, 5289913, 5289914.