2 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 28, 8:12 PM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 912 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2003 LATEST RADAR LOOP SHOWING A STRONG OUTFLOW BOUNDARY STARTING TO PUSH INTO SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. LATEST PROFILER OUT OF HAVILAND SHOWING THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW ABOVE THE RAIN COOLED BOUNDARY LAYER STARTING TO INCREASE FAIRLY RAPIDLY TO 30 TO 40 KTS OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST DUE TO THE PASSAGE OF A MID LEVEL TROF. UPPER AIR PLOTS SHOWING UPSTREAM 850MB DEWPOINTS AROUND +16 DEG C. LATEST WATER VAPOR LOOP/MDCRS PLOTS ALSO SHOWING GOOD DIFFLUENCE TAKING PLACE ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS WITH UPPER LEVEL FLOW INCREASING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THIS WILL ENHANCE THE ISENTROPIC LIFT IN THE CWFA TONIGHT AS DEPICTED ON THE 310-315K THETA SURFACE. WITH ALL THAT SAID, IT APPEARS THINGS SHOULD START SETTING UP FOR COPIUS AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL TONIGHT. THE MAIN QUESTION WILL BE THE LOCATION OF WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL SET UP. LATEST RUC SHOWING THE BEST ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE TAKING PLACE ACROSS EAST OF INTERSTATE 35 WHERE STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP. RUC DEPICTS THE LOW LEVEL FLOW VEERING OUT OVERNIGHT WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR THE CORFIDI VECTORS TO POINT BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST. AS A RESULT, WE COULD SEE TRAINING ECHOES ACROSS SOUTHEAST KANSAS. WE ARE NOT GOING TO ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH AT THIS TIME, SINCE THE LOW LEVEL FLOW TENDS TO WEAKEN TOWARDS DAYBREAK AND WE ARE QUITE DRY IN THAT REGION. WEST OF INTERSTATE 35, WE SHOULD SEE SCATTERED STORMS DEVELOP TO THE NORTH OF THE OUTLFOW BOUNDARY, BUT COVERAGE MAY NOT BE AS GREAT. WE WILL BOOST POPS IN AREAS EAST OF INTERSTATE 35 FOR NOW AND TAPER THEM SOME FURTHER WEST. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD GRADUALLY WEAKEN TOWARDS MID MORNING BEFORE THE LOW LEVEL FLOW WEAKENS. --------------------------------------------------------------------- COX 300 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2003 FCST FOCUS REMAINS ON THUNDERSTORM CHCS TONIGHT THROUGH SAT. PRIMARY FOCUS IS ON EVOLUTION TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW. WILL LEAN TOWARD AN ETA/GFS SOLUTION FOR PRECIP OVERNIGHT INTO SAT. LATEST WATER VAPOR INDICATED A WEAK MCV ACROSS NE KS WHILE A DIFFUSE 850MB BOUNDARY WAS EVIDENT ACROSS NORTHERN KS ON THE PROFILER NETWORK. THIS BOUNDARY WAS ACTING AS A TRIGGER FOR CONTINUED ELEVATED TSRA TODAY. MEANWHILE, A SUBTLE WAVE MAY BE PRESENT ACROSS EASTERN COLO. WITH ANOTHER ACROSS THE 4 CORNERS. STRONGEST UPPER WAVE WITHIN WESTERLIES REMAINS DISPLACED ACROSS MT/ND. AM UPPER AIR SHOWED A VERY MOIST 850MB LAYER ACROSS THE REGION WITH 12-15C DEWPOINTS. AT THE MOMENT, FORCING FROM PERSISTENT WAA/ISENTROPIC PRESSURE ADVECTION IS DRIVING ELEVATED STORMS WHILE 300-200MB WINDS ARE ALSO DIVERGENT ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE. SFC MAP/VIS IMAGERY SUGGESTS THAT CONDS ARE BECOMING MORE FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING. CYCLONIC SFC FLOW ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE CWA IS ENHANCING MASS CONVERGENCE FROM HUT TO SLN WESTWARD. MUCH OF THE CWA NOW MODERATELY/EXTREMELY UNSTABLE WITH 100MB MIXED LAYER CAPES ON THE ORDER OF 2500J/KG. 0-6KM SHEAR ONLY 10-20KTS SO MULTICELLS WITH DOWNBURSTS AND LARGE HAIL GIVEN DIRECTIONAL SHEAR IN THE 850-500MB LAYER. WILL INCLUDE SEVERE WORDING INTO TONIGHT/S FCST WITH BEST CHCS FOR RAIN IN A MONTH OR SO OVERNIGHT AS CONTINUED UPPER DIV SUPPORTS CONVECTION DRIVEN FROM MODEST PRESSURE ADVECTION, SFC-800MB CONVERGENCE, AND PERSISTENT INSTABILITY. FRIDAY, BELIEVE THAT CLOUDS/THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIMIT DAYTIME HEATING TO NEAR OR BELOW GUIDANCE. WILL TRIM HIGHS ACCORDINGLY AND INCREASE RAIN CHCS AS MAIN MID LEVEL CONVERGENT AXIS PASSES ACROSS THE CWA. RAIN CHCS SHOULD PERSIST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES INTO FRIDAY NIGHT/EARLY SAT AS THE INSTABILITY AXIS SHIFTS SOUTH. THE MAIN UPPER TROUGH WILL LAG AND PASS ACROSS THE AREA SAT-SUNDAY HOWEVER AT THIS TIME, THE ETA/GFS SUGGEST THAT THE INSTABILITY AXIS IS SOUTH OF THE CWA. FOR NOW WILL DECREASE POPS BUT KEEP RAIN WORDING IN FOR THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES INTO SAT-SAT NIGHT. FCSTID = 11 ICT 69 79 63 76 / 70 60 40 30 HUT 66 79 61 77 / 70 50 30 20 EWK 68 79 62 78 / 70 60 40 20 EQA 69 78 63 77 / 70 60 40 20 WLD 71 83 65 76 / 50 70 50 40 RSL 63 79 58 76 / 60 30 20 20 GBD 64 79 59 75 / 50 40 30 20 SLN 65 79 61 79 / 60 40 20 10 MPR 67 79 62 78 / 70 60 40 20 CFV 71 82 65 77 / 50 70 50 40 CNU 69 79 65 78 / 50 60 50 20 K88 69 80 65 78 / 60 60 50 20 .ICT... KS...NONE. CO
KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-291030- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 935 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MUCH OF THE REGION TONIGHT. THE LOW LEVEL JET IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THIS SHOULD KEEP THE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT GOING ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS IS POSSIBLE FOR SOME OF THESE AREAS, ESPECIALLY FOR LOCATIONS EAST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. ISOLATED OCCURRENCES OF HAIL AND STRONG WINDS ARE POSSIBLE, BUT WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE MORE OF A THREAT IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, ALONG AND WEST OF I-35, AND REGIONWIDE OVERNIGHT. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION, SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/ICT/HWO/HWOICT.HTM CJ
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA, KANSAS
1046 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0517 PM GYPSUM KS .75 INCH HAIL
08/28/03 SALINE REPORTED BY KSAL.The Tulsa radar (KINX), 114 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:31 UTC.
2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Unspecified number of power poles struck, severing power to 1,073 residences. By approximately 10AM the following morning, power had been restored to all but 61 residences. Times of incidents approximate. Narrative courtesy of the Parsons Sun.
Unspecified number of power poles struck, severing power to 586 residences. By approximately 10 AM the following morning, power had been restored to all but 20 residences. Times of incidents are approximate. Narrative courtesy of Parsons Sun.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, August 2003
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: 5378035, 5378034.