Showers and thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary stretching across portions of east central Kansas. Wind gusts to sixty miles per hour were estimated in Lyon County.
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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 episode as NWS TOP wrote it up.
Showers and thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary stretching across portions of east central Kansas. Wind gusts to sixty miles per hour were estimated in Lyon County. The atmosphere was also exceptionally moisture laden, which promoted heavy rainfall in the vicnity of the frontal boundary. NWS-Topeka received public reports of four to five inches of rainfall during the early morning hours of the sixth. One storm total rainfall report of an impressive 7.47 inches was received from a trained spotter northwest of Hartford. A second, nearly astonishing report of 8.5 inches was received from a citizen five miles southwest of Hartford in Lyon County.
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 5, 11:01 PM CST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1201 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 .UPDATE... UPDATE FOR 06 UTC AVIATION... && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE TAF SITES THROUGH THE NEXT FEW HOURS. BY EARLY MORNING...AN INCREASE IN CONVECTION IS EXPECTED ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY...RESULTING IN SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. RECENTLY...NEW CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED IN EAST CENTRAL SECTIONS OF KANSAS...OWING TO THE BEGINNING OF ASCENT OVER THE BOUNDARY. ACCAS HAS ALSO DEVELOPED OVER PORTIONS OF THE REGION. INCLUDED A TEMPO PERIOD AT FOE/TOP PRIOR TO SUNRISE WHEN BEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS APPEAR TO EXIST AND MVFR CONDITIONS MAY BE OBTAINED. WHILE A BRIEF LULL IN THUNDER MAY OCCUR AT TIMES...CHANCES FOR CONVECTION WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING WEDNESDAY AND LEFT VCTS DURING THE FORECAST PERIOD. BLAIR && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 634 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008/ UPDATE... UPDATE FOR 00 UTC AVIATION. ADDITIONALLY...CANCELED REMAINDER OF THE EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING AS TEMPERATURES HAVE COOLED OFF INTO THE UPPER 80S WITH HEAT INDICIES BELOW 100 DEGREES. WILL STILL HAVE A MUGGY AND WARM EVENING...BUT THE DANGEROUS HEAT CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AS AN INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ENTERS THE REGION. HWO UPDATED TO REFLECT REMOVED HAZARD INFORMATION. BLAIR PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 254 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008/ DISCUSSION... THE 17Z WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY ALONG WITH THE 12Z UPPER AIR MAPS SHOWED A BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CONUS. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WAS MOVING EAST ACROSS THE MIDWEST INTO THE GREAT LAKES STATES. A SECOND UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WAS DIGGING SOUTHEAST OUT WESTERN CANADA INTO THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. THE 17Z SURFACE MAP SHOWED A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM LWC...SOUTHWEST TO WEST OF EMP...THEN SOUTHWEST INTO THE OK PNHDL. NORTH OF THE FRONT TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE MID 80S AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE LOWER 90S. LWC ALREADY HAD A HI OF 103 DEGREES THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST COUNTIES OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. HIGHS LATE THIS AFTERNOON...SOUTH OF KS TURNPIKE WILL REACH INTO THE MID TO UPPER 90S...AND WHEN COMBINED WITH LOWER TO MID 70 DEGREE DEWPOINTS WILL PRODUCE HEAT INDICES OF 104 TO 108 DEGREES. FCST SOUNDINGS FOR THIS AFTERNOON SHOW THE CAP HOLDING ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE COLD FRONT ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. I CANNOT RULE OUT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG AND SOUTH I-35 LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IF THUNDERSTORMS DO DEVELOP THEY MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. ISENTROPIC LIFT NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS WILL CAUSE SCT SHOWERS AND PERHAPS AN ISOLATED ELEVATED THUNDERSTORM TO DEVELOP. TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...BOTH THE NAM AND SREF SHOW THE FRONT MOVING SOUTH OF THE CWA TONIGHT. THE 850MB WINDS WILL VEER TO THE SOUTH AND AND TRANSPORT MOISTURE NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. THE RESULTING ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL CAUSE SCT SHOWERS AND ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA LATER TONIGHT. THE BEST WAA/ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS OF WEDNESDAY BEFORE LIFTING NORTH INTO NE AND NORTHWEST KS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. PWS ARE FORECASTED TO BE IN THE 1.5 TO 2.0 INCH RANGE...THUS SOME HEAVY RAINFALL MAY BE POSSIBLE WITH THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING. LOWS TONIGHT WILL BE IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. CLOUD COVER AND A CHANCE OF RAIN WILL KEEP HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA IN THE 80S. THOUGH AFTERNOON INSOLATION SOUTH OF I-70 MAY HELP WARM TEMPS INTO THE LOWER 90S ACROSS THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES. GARGAN WED NIGHT-FRI...ENERGY ROUNDING THE RIDGE AXIS FROM THE SW CONUS...AND SHORTWAVE ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT NORTHEAST KANSAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. GFS/NAM REASONABLY CONSISTENT SENDING THIS WAVE AROUND THE AMPLIFYING UPPER RIDGE COINCIDENT WITH LINGERING MIDLEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE STRETCHING ALONG THE KS/NE BORDER...AND SURFACE FRONT THAT LAYS UP SOMEWHERE OVER KANSAS. THESE LOW LEVEL FEATURES WILL ALSO SERVE AS THE SOURCE FOR CONVERGENCE DURING THIS TIME AS WELL. NAM/GFS THEN SHOVE THE FRONT WELL SOUTH OF THE REGION AS CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS AT THE SURFACE AND STRETCHES THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS. WILL SEE A REPRIEVE FROM THE HEAT/HUMIDITY FOR A FEW DAYS. SAT-TUE...LOCAL AREA LOOKS TO REMAIN AT THE SOUTHERN EXTENT OF THE ACTIVE NORTHWESTERLY FLOW REGIME...WITH THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING ALONG THE FRONT RANGE OF THE ROCKIES. CONSIDERABLE SMALL SCALE VARIABILITY EXISTS BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF IN THE LONG LONG TERM...PARTICULARLY WITH ENERGY IN THE PAC NW AND SHORTWAVES ROTATING THROUGH THE EASTERN TROUGH. TRENDED BEST FORECAST POPS TOWARD THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD WHERE WARM ADVECTION AND STRENGTHENING LLJ MAY SPARK A FEW STORMS SAT AND SUN MORNING...THEN WITH FROPA AND SHORTWAVE PASSAGE SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY MORNING. RIDGE DAMPENS TOWARD THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. WITH INHERENT UNCERTAINTY RESOLVING FEATURES SEVERAL DAYS OUT...PREFERRED TO KEEP LONG RANGE FORECAST DRY WITH UPDATES LIKELY FORTHCOMING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. KONOP && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1249 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-070600- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 1249 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...WITH SOME CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS AS WELL. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...WHICH COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAY BE SEVERE. A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THEN RETURNS TO THE OUTLOOK AREA FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER ONE INCH TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA.
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1220 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 KSZ058-060600- COFFEY- 1220 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 THROUGH 100 AM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE EAST AT 10 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF COFFEY COUNTY. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL... STRONG WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...HEAVY RAIN...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. SOME LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE AFFECTED INCLUDE NEW STRAWN AND BURLINGTON. STAY ALERT TO THE WEATHER IN CASE A WARNING IS ISSUED.
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 304 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 KSZ054-058-060845- COFFEY-LYON- 304 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 THROUGH 345 AM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF LYON AND COFFEY COUNTIES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL...STRONG WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. SOME LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE AFFECTED INCLUDE HARTFORD...JOHN REDMOND RESERVOIR...NEW STRAWN AND BURLINGTON. STAY ALERT TO THE WEATHER IN CASE A WARNING IS ISSUED.
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:14 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Three foot diameter trees were uprooted, and several one foot diameter tree limbs were blown down.
Several tents were blown down at the Emporia Fairgrounds based on images sent to KVOE.
There were reports of seven to eight inches of rainfall during the early morning hours southeast of Emporia. Four inches of rainfall was reported within the city limits of Emporia, and several low spots flooded. Water rescues were performed between four and five in the morning according to newspaper clippings. Lyon County dispatch reported handling one hundred and fifty calls between four and five in the morning regarding heavy rainfall and flooding. Twelve to eighteen inches of water was also reported to be flowing over Highway 50 on Emporia's west side.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, August 2008
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: 131310, 131312, 131306.