Low level moisture pooled along a weak nearly stationary cold front located just south of Interstate 70 in the Topeka County Warning Area during the afternoon hours. An isolated supercell thunderstorm developed along this boundary during the peak heating hours and moved east along the boundary through sunset.
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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.
Low level moisture pooled along a weak nearly stationary cold front located just south of Interstate 70 in the Topeka County Warning Area during the afternoon hours. An isolated supercell thunderstorm developed along this boundary during the peak heating hours and moved east along the boundary through sunset. This storm produced a swath of golfball sized hail through east central Kansas, and isolated reports of wind damage were also noted. Wind driven severe hail produced damage to residences and farmsteads.
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 Jul 22, 5:35 PM CST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 635 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR 00 UTC AVIATION. && .DISCUSSION... SEE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION. && .AVIATION... PRESENCE OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES...A WEAK UPPER WAVE...AND PLENTY OF INSTABILITY SUGGEST SOME CONVECTIVE CONCERNS FOR THE TERMINALS. WILL GO WITH CB FOR THE EARLY EVENING UNTIL INSTABILITY WANES AS THE CHANCES OF A TS IN THE AERODROMES SEEM REMOTE. WINDS SHOULD GENERALLY BE LIGHT AND EASTERLY...WITH AN INCREASE IN SPEEDS BY LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE 00Z CYCLE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 344 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008/ DISCUSSION... WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY JUST SOUTH OF I70 AT 20Z. MESOANALYSES SHOW SOME SURFACE CONVERGENCE ALONG BOUNDARY...AND WEAK CAP. DEWPOINTS HAVE POOLED JUST NORTH OF FRONT...WITH MIXED LAYER CAPES NEAR 4000 J/KG. HOWEVER...NO SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION HAS FIRED AND NOTHING APPEARS IMMINENT ON SATELLITE IMAGERY. RUC ANALYSIS AND PROFILER WINDS SHOWS WEAK VORT MAX OVER ERN NEBRASKA MOVING SE. HOWEVER...SUBSIDENCE IN WAKE OF THIS MORNINGS MISSOURI MCS HAS HELPED WITH OVERALL CONVECTIVE SUPPRESSION. WITH BOUNDARY REMAINING IN AREA...EXPECT ISOLATED CONVECTION TO STILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS WEAK POSITIVE 850 MB THETA-E ADVECTION CONTINUES. POPS KEPT AOB 20 PERCENT TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. RELATIVELY HIGH DEWPOINTS ACROSS ERN KS SHOULD KEEP LOW TEMPS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. ON WEDNESDAY...GFS MOS GUIDANCE WARMER THAN NAM OR NGM AND HAVE GONE CLOSER TO THIS BASED ON RECENT PERFORMANCE. PHILLIPS WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...THE UPPER RIDGE WILL AMPLIFY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WHILE AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES EAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST. WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING THERE MAY BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR ELEVATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP AS WAA/ISENTROPIC LIFT INCREASES ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA...BUT BEING UNDER THE 5H RIDGE AXIS MAY INHIBIT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS. AS THE 5H TROUGH MOVES ACROSS THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS THEN DIGS SOUTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES...A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD ACROSS NE AND INTO NORTH CENTRAL KS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH SFC CONVERGENCE FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THURSDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS ALONG THE COLD FRONT. HIGHS ON THURSDAY MAY BE CLOSE TO 100 DEGREES ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL CWA...WITH LOWER 90S ACROSS THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES OF THE CWA. THE FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN CWA PROVIDING AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY NIGHT. FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...THE WEAK FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD AND STALL OUT AND WEAKEN ALONG I-70. THE 5H TROUGH OVER THE MIDWEST WILL DIG SOUTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES STATES. BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS SHOW THE SOUTHERN PLAINS 5H RIDGE RE-AMPLIFYING. SYNOPTIC SCALE SUBSIDENCE UNDER THE 5H RIDGE SHOULD CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT UNFAVORABLE FOR DEEP MOIST CONVECTION...BUT I CANNOT RULE OUT PULSE STORMS DEVELOPING ALONG OR NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS FRIDAY...GIVEN DEEP MOISTURE AND STRONG SFC HEATING. THEREFORE...I KEPT A 14 POP DURING THE DAY FRIDAY AND 15 POPS FRIDAY EVENING. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES MAY ONLY REACH THE LOWER TO MID 90S NORTH OF THE WEAK SFC BOUNDARY. SOUTH OF THE SFC BOUNDARY HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 90S...POSSIBLY NEAR 100 DEGREES OVER THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA. ON SATURDAY BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS SHOW THE 5H RIDGE AXIS RETROGRADING INTO THE WEST CENTRAL CONUS AS A LONGER WAVE LENGTH 5H TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN CONUS AMPLIFIES. HIGH TEMPERATURES MAY BE A FEW DEGREES COOLER AS THE CENTER OF THE RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS WEST OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. HIGHS ON SATURDAY WILL BE IN THE MID 90S ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA. SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS KEEP A LONGER WAVE LENGTH 5H TROUGH ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS AND A BROAD 5H RIDGE ACROSS THE WEST CENTRAL CONUS. THE ECMWF IS A BIT MORE AMPLIFIED WITH THE 5H TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN CONUS...AND BRINGS A COLD FRONT SOUTHWESTWARD INTO THE CWA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THIS WOULD PROVIDE THE CWA WITH A BETTER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER...THE GFS IS NOT AS AMPLIFIED WITH THE EASTERN CONUS 5H TROUGH AND KEEPS THE FRONT NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS EASTERN NE...SOUTHEAST INTO WESTERN MO. IF THE GFS WERE TO VERIFY THE BEST RAIN CHANCES WILL REMAIN NORTH AND EAST OF THE CWA. THEREFORE...I PLACED IN SLIGHT CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE CWA. THE ECMWF MODEL FORECAST SHOWS THE FRONT MOVING SOUTHWARD INTO NORTHERN OK MONDAY AND TUESDAY...AND THE GFS MODEL SOLUTION KEEPS THE FRONT NORTHEAST OF THE CWA...THEREFORE I KEPT POPS AT 14 PERCENT MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. HIGHS SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WILL ONLY REACH THE LOWER TO MID 90S...SINCE THE 5H RIDGE AXIS WILL SHIFT FARTHER WEST. HIGH MAY BE A BIT COOLER ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY IF THE ECMWF SOLUTION WERE TO VERIFY BRING THE SFC COLD FRONT SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE CWA. GARGAN && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && 65
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 348 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-232100- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 348 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAY BE STRONG AND COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT.
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:50 UTC.
11 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The top of a tree and several tree limbs reported to have been blown down.
Reports from both the public and trained spotters of hail one inch to one and a half inches in diameter were received. Wind driven hail broke a few windows on a spotter's home.
Several reports of golfball size hail south of Osage City.
Hail damaged vehicle at the spotter's home and some crops. No cost estimates were provided.
Trained spotter called back several times during the evening. Hail fell for several minutes at his home, with the diameters of most stones around one inch, but several up to one and a half inches in diameter.
The same spotter that reported one inch hail also noted that strong winds knocked down an eight inch diameter tree branch in her yard.
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, July 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: 125343, 125345, 125346, 128319, 128320, 128321, 128322, 128323, 128324, 128325, 128326, 128327, 128328.