Flash Flood and Hail in Kansas, August 23, 2004

Name: Flash Flood and Hail in Kansas, August 23, 2004
Start: 2004-08-23T18:47
End: 2004-08-23T20:30
Location: Kansas

August 23, 2004 · NWS TOP · 8 events in 4 counties and zones

5 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm 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: $5,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 23, 4:59 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 23, 4:59 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
559 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

.DISCUSSION...

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO REDEVLOP IN MOSITURE CONVERGENT AREA WITH
SEVERAL APPROACHING SEVERE CRITERIA.  WILL UPDATE ZONES TO GO
SCATTERED AND MENTION SOME POSSIBLE SEVERE FOR THE EVENING HOURS.

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
MAIN CONCERNS ARE CONVECTIVE CHANCES...THEN TEMPERATURES.

NUMEROUS BOUNDARIES AT SURFACE WITH A DIRTY WEST/SOUTHWEST H500
FLOW.  THIS CREATES A VERY COMPLEX PATTERN FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

PRECIP OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON LIKELY FORMING FOR
SEVERAL REASONS...INCLUDING H500 SHORTWAVE/ISENTROPIC LIFT AND H850
THETA-E ADVECTION.

H850 AND H700 THETA-E INCREASE DURING THE EVENING WITH PRECIPITABLE
WATER VALUE REMAINING ABOVE 1.5 INCHES.  MEANWHILE...THE LEFT EXIT
REGION OF THE H200 JET WILL BE POISED ALONG THE OK-KS BORDER DURING
THE EVENING AS A TRAILING VORT LOBE SWINGS AROUND THE BACKSIDE WITH
THE H500 SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND
NORTHEAST KANSAS.  THIS SHOULD ALLOW TSTMS TO REFORM ACROSS MUCH OF
THE FORECAST AREA LATER THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT.

REMNANTS WILL HANG THROUGH EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA TUESDAY
MORNING...AND DEPENDING ON SURFACE BOUNDARIES AND THE AMOUNT OF
HEATING...MAY REFORM NEAR THE NEBRASKA BORDER DURING THE AFTERNOON.
THE MAIN PROBLEM WILL BE WHETHER ENOUGH OF A CAP CAN GET IN PLACE
DURING THE AFTERNOON TO INHIBIT SOME OF THE ACTIVITY.

WITH A SURFACE WARM FRONT IN THE AREA AND WEAK SHORTWAVES ALOFT...
EXPECT A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR TSTMS WEDNESDAY INTO THE EVENING BEFORE
DRYING OCCURS THURSDAY.

FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...MODELS GENERALLY IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH
THIS PERIOD.  THE ECMWF WAS SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN
GFS/DGEX/UKMET/NOGAPS  WITH THE CANADIAN SLIGHTLY SLOWER.  THERE IS
A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR HEAT INDUCED THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS
MOISTURE LEVELS INCREASE.  THE BEST THREAT FOR PRECIPITATION WILL BE
CENTERED AROUND 12Z SATURDAY WITH THE SURFACE FRONT CROSSING THE
FORECAST AREA AND THE H500 TROF MOVING THROUGH THE PLAINS.  WILL
HOLD HIGHS JUST ABOVE 90 THURSDAY AND FRIDAY THEN COOL TO AROUND 80
ON SATURDAY WITH LOTS OF CLOUDS AND PRECIP IN THE AREA.  HIGHS
SHOULD RETURN TO THE MID 80S SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH GOOD SUNSHINE...
BUT ANOTHER FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST BY MONDAY AFTERNOON.

&&

.TOP...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 23, 5:35 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
635 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-241000-
ANDERSON-BROWN-CLAY-CLOUD-COFFEY-DICKINSON-DOUGLAS-FRANKLIN-GEARY-
JACKSON-JEFFERSON-LYON-MARSHALL-MORRIS-NEMAHA-OSAGE-OTTAWA-
POTTAWATOMIE-REPUBLIC-RILEY-SHAWNEE-WABAUNSEE-WASHINGTON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ABILENE...CLAY CENTER...CONCORDIA...
EMPORIA...HIAWATHA...JUNCTION CITY...LAWRENCE...MANHATTAN...
MARYSVILLE...OTTAWA AND TOPEKA
635 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL...NORTHEAST AND
EAST CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR OVERNIGHT.  A FEW OF THE STORMS
COULD BE SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  AN
ISOLATED TORNADO IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
EVENING.  SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS OCCURS LATE FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS WILL BE NEEDED TONIGHT.

&&

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE:
   HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/TOP  (ALL LOWER CASE)

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 23, 5:48 PM CST, 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
648 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0647 PM     HAIL             2 W RILEY               39.30N 96.87W
08/23/2004  1.00 INCH        RILEY              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

DS

Local storm report, Aug 23, 5:52 PM CST, 55 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
652 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0647 PM     HAIL             6 SSE TOPEKA            38.97N 95.64W
08/23/2004  0.88 INCH        SHAWNEE            KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

DS

Local storm report, Aug 23, 5:53 PM CST, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
653 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0651 PM     HAIL             W RILEY                 39.30N 96.83W
08/23/2004  1.75 INCH        RILEY              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

DS

Local storm report, Aug 23, 6:13 PM CST, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
713 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0712 PM     TORNADO          3 S SILVER LAKE         39.06N 95.86W
08/23/2004                   SHAWNEE            KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

DS

Local storm report, Aug 23, 6:31 PM CST, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
731 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0730 PM     HAIL             TOPEKA                  39.05N 95.68W
08/23/2004  0.88 INCH        SHAWNEE            KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            HIGHWAY 75 AND SILVER LAKE ROAD

&&

DS

Local storm report, Aug 23, 6:47 PM CST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
747 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0747 PM     HAIL             MANHATTAN               39.18N 96.57W
08/23/2004  1.00 INCH        RILEY              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

DS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Riley

When: August 23, 6:47 PM CST
Where: Riley County, Manhattan
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.183, -96.583

Hail, Riley

When: August 23, 6:54 PM CST
Where: Riley County, Manhattan
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.183, -96.583

Hail, Shawnee

When: August 23, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County, Topeka
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.050, -95.683

Hail, Riley

When: August 23, 7:14 PM CST
Where: Riley County, Manhattan
Measured: 2 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.183, -96.583

Flash Flood, Shawnee

When: August 23, 7:19 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County, Topeka
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.042, -95.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rains produced flash flooding in Shawnee county for a time. Water was 1 foot deep over Paulen Road near Topeka. Nearly a foot of water was over 29th Street between Topeka Avenue and Kansas Avenue for a time.

Hail, Geary

When: August 23, 7:28 PM CST
Where: Geary County, Milford
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.167, -96.917

Lightning, Wabaunsee

When: August 23, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee County, Eskridge
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.953, -96.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a house in Eskridge and ignited a fire that did some damage to the house.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wabaunsee

When: August 23, 7:31 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee County, 5 mi N of Paxico
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.133, -96.167

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, August 2004

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: 5417426, 5417427, 5417428, 5417429, 5417431, 5417430, 5417433, 5417432.