Flooding in Kansas, March 3 to 4, 2004

Name: Flooding in Kansas, March 3 to 4, 2004
Start: 2004-03-03T06:00
End: 2004-03-04T23:00
Location: Kansas

March 3 to 4, 2004 · NWS TOP · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

Heavy rain of three to four inches over several days produced areas of flooding. Many farm fields had standing water on them.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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: $350,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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.

Heavy rain of three to four inches over several days produced areas of flooding. Many farm fields had standing water on them. Some rivers and streams temporarily flooded and excess runoff closed many roads for a time. Some roads and bridges were washed out or damaged. Two people were rescued from a vehicle that was swept off a road near Emporia.

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 Mar 3, 4:07 AM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 3, 4:07 AM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KANSAS
407 AM WED MAR 3 2004

.DISCUSSION...

SHORT TERM CONCERNS ARE EXTEND OF RAINFALL THIS MORNING AND
TEMPERATURES TODAY.  BEYOND THIS CONCERNS ARE CHANCE FOR HEAVY RAINS
OVER PARTS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL CWA THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO
THURSDAY NIGHT...AND MIXED PRECIP CHANCES FOR NORTH CENTRAL LATE
THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AM.

ISENTROPIC LIFT ENHANCED PRECIP HAS BEEN ONGOING OVER CWA SINCE
AROUND MIDNIGHT.  ONE BATCH IS MOVING NORTHEAST OF CWA WHILE ANOTHER
TRIES TO DEVELOP TO THE SOUTHWEST.  WILL KEEP CATEGORICAL PRECIP
MENTIONED FOR THE MORNING  HOURS ALL BUT FAR WESTERN PORTIONS OF CWA.
TEMPS TODAY NOT GOING VERY FAR GIVEN EXPECTED CLOUD COVER AND
PRECIP...MAINLY MID 40S NORTH TO UPPER 40S EAST CENTRAL.

WEAK OVERRUNNING ACROSS CWA OVERNIGHT KEEPING CHANCES FOR PRECIP
WHILE WAITING FOR UPPER LOW OVER BAJA TO KICK NORTHEAST DURING THE
DAY THURSDAY.  MODELS FAIRLY SIMILAR WITH FEATURE...FAVORING THE GFS
TRACK AND PRECIP...ETA THERMAL STRUCTURE.  OVERRUNNING AND DYNAMIC
LIFT INCREASE ACROSS CWA DURING THE MORNING HOURS THURSDAY.
PRECIPITABLE WATERS AROUND OR A LITTLE OVER AN INCH ON MODELS...ETA
IN PARTICULAR AND SPREAD FURTHER WEST OVER CWA THURSDAY INTO
THURSDAY NIGHT.  KEPT THUNDER IN FORECAST FOR EAST CENTRAL AND PARTS
OF NORTHEAST KANSAS THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT.  WITH STRONG
MOISTURE RETURN OVER THE BOUNDARY...ESPECIALLY OVER EASTERN PORTIONS
OF CWA...HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE.  BEST H850 MB INFLOW LATE THURSDAY
AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY NIGHT.  WILL PROBABLY ISSUE ESF FOR FLOOD
POTENTIAL OVER THE EAST.  WILL LET DAY SHIFT GET ANOTHER LOOK AT
MODEL RUNS FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WATCH IF MODELS CONSISTENT WITH WATER
CONTENT.  AS PER SPC OUTLOOK...COULD NOT RULE OUT SOME SEVERE
WEATHER POTENTIAL GIVEN THE STRONG DYNAMICS AND FRONT BOUNDARY AND
WILL MENTION IN HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. TEMP WISE...LOWS MID 30S
TO AROUND 40 TONIGHT WITH HIGHS THURSDAY LOWER 40S NORTHCENTRAL TO
UPPER 40S EAST CENTRAL. LOWS FRIDAY AM LOWER 40S NORTH CENTRAL TO
AROUND 40 SOUTHEAST CORNER OF CWA.

ON FRIDAY...UPPER LOW EJECTS ACROSS AREA DURING THE MORNING HOURS.
ETA H850 DIPS BELOW ZERO OVER THE NORTHCENTRAL AND WILL MENTION SOME
RAIN/SNOW CHANCES.  IF GFS VERIFIES...WILL HAVE TO SPREAD ACROSS
REST OF CWA.  HIGHS FRIDAY MAINLY LOWER TO MID 40S.

FOR REST OF PERIOD...ECMWF AND LATEST EXTENDED GFS HINTING OF
ANOTHER CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM IN NORTHWEST FLOW SATURDAY NIGHT INTO
SUNDAY.  LEAVING DRY AT THE MOMENT...SOMETHING TO WATCH.  OTHERWISE
DRY FOR REST OF EXTENDED.  LOWS MID 20S TO LOWER 30S.  HIGHS
MODERATING INTO LOWER TO MID 50S MONDAY INTO TUESDAY.

&&

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

&&

PF

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 3, 5:54 AM CST, 6 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
554 AM CST WED MAR 3 2004

KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-041100-
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
554 AM CST WED MAR 3 2004

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST KANSAS THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY EVENING.  ISOLATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS CAN NOT BE RULED OUT
AT THIS TIME.

A POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINS...BETWEEN 1 TO 2 INCHES...WILL ALSO BE
POSSIBLE OVER NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS THURSDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.  RAINFALL OF THIS AMOUNT WOULD LEAD TO SATURATED GROUNDS
AND RUN OFF THAT COULD PRODUCE FLOODING ON SOME RIVERS AND STREAMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT.

&&

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

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Anderson

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Anderson forecast zone
Property damage: $350,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.214, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Clay

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.350, -97.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Cloud

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Cloud forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.480, -97.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Coffey

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Coffey forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.237, -95.734 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dickinson

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Dickinson forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.867, -97.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Douglas

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.885, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Franklin

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.565, -95.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Geary

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Geary forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.002, -96.752 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lyon

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Lyon forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.456, -96.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Morris

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Morris forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.687, -96.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Osage

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Osage forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.652, -95.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Ottawa

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Ottawa forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.133, -97.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Riley

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Riley forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.297, -96.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Shawnee

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Shawnee forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.042, -95.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Wabaunsee

When: March 3, 6:00 AM CST to March 4, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.953, -96.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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, March 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: 5387708, 5387709, 5387710, 5387711, 5387712, 5387713, 5387714, 5387715, 5387790, 5387791, 5387792, 5387793, 5387794, 5387795, 5387796.