6 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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 May 24, 12:38 PM CST, 8 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
138 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002
HEAVY PRECIPITATION IN SOUTHERN ZONES MAIN CONCERN...
THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO REFIRE THIS AFTERNOON WITH ONE CELL
ALREADY NOTED ALONG THE OKLAHOMA BORDER SOUTH OF WICHITA AS OF THIS
WRITING. WILL CONTINUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 6 AM SATURDAY IN
THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED COUNTIES...WHICH IS THE SOUTHERN PART OF
THE CWA.
SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN SOUTH OF OUR CWA TONIGHT
ALTHOUGH SOUTHERN FRINGE COUNTIES NEAREST THE FRONTAL ZONE MAY HAVE
A CLOSE CALL.
ALL ACTIVITY SHOULD BE OUT OF THE CWA BY LATE TONIGHT EXCEPT FOR THE
FAR EAST AND SOUTHERN COUNTIES WHERE HAVE CONTINUED WITH A CHANCE
POP FOR EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.
DRY WEATHER THEREAFTER UNTIL ANOTHER ROUND OF PRECIPITATION STARTS
MEMORIAL DAY AND CONTINUES THROUGH DAYTIME THURSDAY.
FOR TEMPERATURES HAVE FOLLOWED A BLEND OF THE LATEST GUIDANCE
CONSENSUS WITH GOING FORECAST.
.TOP...FLOOD WATCH FOR EAST CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY.
KSZ037-054>056-058-059
34KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-250400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 729 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #327... REPUBLIC WASHINGTON MARSHALL CLOUD CLAY OTTAWA SOME CITIES NO LONGER IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #327... CLAY CENTER CONCORDIA MARYSVILLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #327 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... NEMAHA BROWN JACKSON RILEY POTTAWATOMIE JEFFERSON GEARY SHAWNEE WABAUNSEE DICKINSON DOUGLAS MORRIS OSAGE LYON FRANKLIN COFFEY ANDERSON SOME CITIES STILL IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #327... EMPORIA OTTAWA ABILENE LAWRENCE JUNCTION CITY TOPEKA MANHATTAN HIAWATHA
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
811 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0623 PM AMERICUS KS .88 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 LYON PUBLIC REPORTED NICKEL
SIZE HAILPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
825 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0823 PM 3 S LAWRENCE KS .75 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 DOUGLAS SPOTTER REPORTED DIME
SIZE HAILKSZ011-012-022>024-026-035>040-054>056-058-059-250400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 856 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002 THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #327... NEMAHA BROWN JACKSON RILEY POTTAWATOMIE JEFFERSON GEARY SHAWNEE WABAUNSEE DICKINSON MORRIS SOME CITIES NO LONGER IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #327... ABILENE JUNCTION CITY TOPEKA MANHATTAN HIAWATHA SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #327 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... DOUGLAS OSAGE LYON FRANKLIN COFFEY ANDERSON SOME CITIES STILL IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #327... EMPORIA OTTAWA LAWRENCE WOLTERS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
943 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0714 PM 5 WSW OTTUMWA KS 1.25 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 COFFEY PUBLIC REPORTED HALF
DOLLAR SIZE HAILPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
955 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0445 PM 11 E MANCHESTER KS 1.5 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 DICKINSON PUBLIC REPORTED WALNUT
SIZE HAIL-
0542 PM 4 S WILSEY KS .88 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 MORRIS PUBLIC REPORTED NICKEL
SIZE HAIL
0623 PM AMERICUS KS .88 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 LYON PUBLIC REPORTED NICKEL
SIZE HAIL
0652 PM NEOSHO RAPIDS KS .88 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 LYON SPOTTER REPORTED NICKEL
SIZE HAIL
0653 PM 3 W HARTFORD KS 1 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 LYON PUBLIC REPORTED QUARTER
SIZE HAIL
0710 PM OSAGE CITY KS .75 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 OSAGE PUBLIC REPORTED DIME
SIZE HAIL
0714 PM 5 WSW OTTUMWA KS 1.25 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 COFFEY PUBLIC REPORTED HALF
DOLLAR SIZE HAIL
0823 PM 3 S LAWRENCE KS .75 INCH HAIL
05/24/02 DOUGLAS SPOTTER REPORTED DIME
SIZE HAILThe Topeka radar (KTWX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:55 UTC.
6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rains produced flash flooding in Osage county. Street flooding was reported in Osage City and a car was washed off a roadway near Osage City.
Heavy rains produced flash flooding in souther Douglas county near Pleasant Grove.
Heavy rains produced flash flooding in the southwest part of Lyon county.
Heavy rains forced a creek out of its banks for a short time near Rantoul.
Heavy rains produced street flooding in Burlington.
Heavy rains produced flash flooding near Gridley. Water was reported over Highway 57 for a time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, May 2002
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: 5291448, 5291449, 5291450, 5291451, 5291452, 5291453.