Damaging Winds and High Wind in Kansas, July 21 to 22, 2003

Name: Damaging Winds and High Wind in Kansas, July 21 to 22, 2003
Start: 2003-07-21T21:55
End: 2003-07-22T00:47
Location: Kansas

July 21 to 22, 2003 · NWS ICT · 9 events in 6 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: $227,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 21, 2:46 PM CST, 7 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 2:46 PM CST, 7 hours 9 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
346 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2003

FCST CONCERNS...
PCPN CHCS TNGT AND COOL DOWN TUE/WED...

CANADIAN AIRMASS HAS ALREADY MOVD INTO THE NRN PLAINS/UPR MDWST
AND IS POISED TO OVERSPREAD THE CNTRL PLAINS/KS RGN TNGT/TUE. ALTHO
THE LO LVL MSTR HAS BEEN SCOURED OUT BY LEADING SFC TROF, ELEVATED
MSTR ASSOCD WITH TRUE BNDRY/BAROCLINIC ZONE WL SLIDE SSEWD TNGT. THIS
WL RESULT IN MRGNL INSTBY BASED ABV THE H8 FNT MOVG OUT OF NEB INTO
CNTRL/SERN KS AFT 06Z, WITH ELEVATED CAPE VALUES LIFTED FM 750 MB OF
500-650 J/KG. INCRSG WNDS ALOFT AND APCHG MID/UPR SHRTWV SHOULD
MAINTAIN CNVTV CHCS ACRS THE CWA LATE TNGT/TUE MRNG.

SCT CNVTN AND DENSITY CURRENT ALG LEADING EDGE OF CANADIAN AIR WL
RESULT IN OCNLY GUSTY WNDS ACRS THE CWA INTO MIDDAY TUE, FOLLOWED BY
CLRG TREND/DMNSHG WNDS INTO THE AFTN. TEMPS MUCH COOLER BY JULY
STANDARDS WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 80S.

UPR PTRN WL CONT TO UNDERGO AMPLIFICATION AS SHRTWVS CONT TO DIG
SEWD INTO THE TN/OH VLYS INTO WED. COOLEST MINS WL LKLY OCCUR ON WED
MRNG WITH SOME UPR 50S XPCTD ACRS THE CWA. MAXS WED WL AGAIN BE HELD
INTO THE 80S, ALTHO PERHAPS A FEW DEGRESS WARMER.

EXTENDED FCST...GENL WARMING TREND TO COMMENCE BY THU, CONTG INTO
THE START OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND, AS ERN TROF LIFTS OUT ALLOWING
UPR RDG TO BUILD EWD ACRS THE PLAINS ONCE AGAIN. THE LATEST AVN
OUT TO 120HRS DISCOUNTS THE 00Z MRF AND LENDS MORE CREDENCE TO THE
ECMWF, SHOWG HIER HGTS ACRS THE NRN PLAINS AND LWR HGTS ACRS ID/MT
BY SAT. THIS SHOULD MAINTAIN WARMER TEMPS FOR LONGER DURATION ACRS
THE CNTRL PLAINS/KS THRU THE WEEKEND, WITH ANY FROPA STAYING N OF
THE AREA. THIS IS ALSO CONSENSUS OF ADJACENT OFFICES AND WL BE
FOLLOWED. CHCS FOR SGFNT PCPN ALSO LOOK SML/NIL, WITH PROXIMITY OF
UPR RDG ACRS THE PLAINS.

FCSTID = 13/DARMOFAL
ICT   68  84  62  86 /  40  40   0   0
HUT   67  83  60  86 /  50  30   0   0
EWK   67  83  61  86 /  50  30   0   0
EQA   68  83  61  85 /  40  40   0   0
WLD   69  85  61  85 /  40  50   0   0
RSL   64  82  58  85 /  60  20   0   0
GBD   65  82  59  85 /  60  20   0   0
SLN   66  83  60  86 /  60  30   0   0
MPR   67  83  60  86 /  50  30   0   0
CFV   69  84  61  84 /  40  50   0   0
CNU   67  82  60  84 /  40  50   0   0
K88   67  82  59  84 /  40  50   0   0

.ICT...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 21, 12:45 PM CST, 9 hours 10 minutes before

KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-221200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
145 PM CDT MON JUL 21 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS NEBRASKA AND
EASTERN KANSAS TONIGHT.  THIS SYSTEM MAY BRING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA LATE TONIGHT.  GUSTY WINDS MAY ACCOMPANY
THE SHOWERS AND STORMS AT TIMES, BUT SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

&&

FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION, SEE OUR
WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/ICT/HWO/HWOICT.HTM

COX/WOLF

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 142 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Russell

When: July 21, 9:55 PM CST
Where: Russell County, Lucas
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.050, -98.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Reno

When: July 21, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Reno County, Hutchinson
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.067, -97.917

Large limbs downed, one of which fell onto a car.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When: July 21, 11:29 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County, Mt Hope
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.867, -97.667

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When: July 21, 11:50 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County, Clearwater
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.500, -97.500

Small branches downed. (Possible over-estimate on speed).

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When: July 21, 11:55 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County, Wichita
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 37.700, -97.333

Twenty-foot Bradford pear tree split in half and downed near 119th West/Central intersection in Northwest Wichita.

Lightning, Sedgwick

When: July 21, 11:55 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County, Wichita
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.685, -97.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a transformer, severing power to approximately 11,000 homes. Lightning also struck the edge of the west runway at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, leaving a hole the size of a watermelon.

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When: July 21, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Butler County, 4 mi E of El Dorado
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.817, -96.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Sumner

When: July 22, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Sumner County, Wellington
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.267, -97.400

Construction trailer overturned near Wellington Airport, and one shed blown down. Tree damage. The Wellington Daily contributed to this narrative.

High Wind, Cowley

When: July 22, 12:35 AM CST to 12:47 AM CST
Where: Cowley forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.238, -96.837 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Non-thunderstorm winds downed power lines and limbs, uprooted one tree that blocked an adjacent road, and blew over an unspecified number of small storage sheds. A second tree was split about three feet from it's base, causing it to fall onto power lines, two vehicles (both severely damaged), and a storage shed. One of the vehicles, a pick-up truck, was destroyed.

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.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, July 2003

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: 5368067, 5367765, 5367766, 5367767, 5368066, 5368069, 5368068, 5367768, 5368065.