Supercell thunderstorms developed along and north of a surface warm front lifting north through northeast and north central kansas during the mid afternoon hours. These storms primarily produced large hail, with some isolated reports of minor thunderstorm wind damage.
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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.
Supercell thunderstorms developed along and north of a surface warm front lifting north through northeast and north central kansas during the mid afternoon hours. These storms primarily produced large hail, with some isolated reports of minor thunderstorm wind damage. Hail was as large as baseball size in Wabaunsee 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 Jul 26, 1:45 PM CST, 1 hour 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 245 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2008 .DISCUSSION... EVENING/TONIGHT...WELL-DEFINED SHORTWAVE TROUGH LOCATED OVER CENTRAL NEBRASKA PER WATER VAPOR IMAGERY WAS PROVIDING LARGE SCALE ASCENT OVER PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS. AT THE SURFACE...A WEAK COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED FROM JUST SOUTH OF ICT EAST- NORTHEASTWARD TO NEAR HYS. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE INITIATED AHEAD OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND NORTH OF THE SFC BOUNDARY WHERE ENHANCED ASCENT WAS PRESENT. THESE AND ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING PROGRESS. A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT EXISTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. AS OF EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...MUCAPE VALUES ARE IN EXCESS OF 3500 J/KG ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA WITH EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR AT 30-40 KTS. CONVECTIVE INHIBITION IS QUICKLY ERODING AND THEREFORE EXPECT FAIRLY RAPID THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. SOME OF THESE MAY BE LONG-LIVED SUPERCELL STORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING WITH SUPPORTIVE CONDITIONS IN PLACE. FOR THIS REASON...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE CWA TO ACCOUNT FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS. ALTHOUGH MODEST LOW LEVEL TURNING IN THE LOWEST 1 KM EXISTS...THE SPEEDS ARE RATHER ANEMIC WHICH IS CONTRIBUTING TO LOW SRH VALUES. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. WITH FREEZING LEVELS FAIRLY HIGH...LONG-LIVED ROBUST CONVECTION WILL BE REQUIRED TO GENERATE LONG RESIDENCE TIMES NEEDED FOR LARGE HAIL PRODUCTION. PW VALUES ARE NEAR 1.75 OWING TO SOME STORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL. LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE IF STORMS TRAIN OVER SAME AREAS FOR A MODEST DURATION. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN TO WANE OVERNIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING. SUNDAY...MODELS ARE VERY INCONSISTENT TO CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL TOMORROW AFTERNOON...SO TRENDED CLOSER TO MEAN SOLUTION IN SREF GUIDANCE...WITH SLIGHT CHANCES ACROSS THE CWA WITH THE BETTER CHANCES OVER THE NORTHEASTERN SECTIONS. HOWEVER...SUNDAY SETUP IS HIGHLY DEPENDANT ON EVOLUTION OF EVENING AND OVERNIGHT CONVECTION WHICH IS UNRESOLVABLE ATTM...WITH THE BEST CHANCES FOR CONVECTION NEAR RESIDUAL OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES. BLAIR MON/TUES...NAM GENERATES MCS AND DROPS IT INTO NE KS OVERNIGHT MONDAY INTO TUESDAY...WHILE GFS DEVELOPS THE COMPLEX IN IOWA. THINK GFS MAY BE ON TO SOMETHING AS SYNOPTIC FLOW BETTER TO OUR NORTH...AND SHORTWAVES IN THAT FLOW WOULD DRAW BETTER 850MB FLOW AND CONVERGENCE NORTHWARD. WILL KEEP SLT CHANCE POPS ACROSS NE COUNTIES AT THIS TIME FOR OVERNIGHT HOURS. ON TUESDAY...REMNANTS OF DOLLY LIKELY TO BECOME A PLAYER...ALTHOUGH SOLUTIONS VERY DIFFERENT. NAM BRINGS A MORE ORGANIZED WAVE INTO THE HIGH PLAINS...WHILE GFS KEEPS SMALLER CIRCULATION IN THE TX PANHANDLE. GFS BRINGS ANOTHER FRONT INTO THE NORTHERN COUNTIES BEHIND A SHORTWAVE TO OUR NORTH...AND WILL GO WITH SLT CHANCE POPS FOR EITHER SCENARIO ATTM. WED-SAT...ABOVE AVERAGE UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES IN THIS PERIOD. LONG RANGE ENSEMBLES SUGGEST NORTHWEST FLOW OVER THE STATE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...TRANSITIONING TO A BUILDING RIDGE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. TIMING AND STRENGTH OF IMPULSES SLIDING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST FLOW VARY AND ARE MORE MESOSCALE IN NATURE AND TO BE CONSIDERED AS EVENTS DRAW CLOSER. HAVE GONE WITH SLT CHANCE POPS THROUGH THURSDAY...THEN A DRY FORECAST BEYOND. AS SYSTEMS SLIDE THROUGH THE FLOW COULD SEE SLIGHT COOLING IN THE TEMPS AND HAVE REFLECTED THIS IN THE GRIDS AS WELL. 67 && .AVIATION... FROM 18Z TAF UPDATE...PATCHY GROUND FOG HAS FULLY MIXED OUT AND DISSIPATED. WITH ABUNDANT BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE IN ITS WAKE ...FEW-BKN MVFR CEILINGS HAVE DEVELOPED ABOVE THE TAF SITES. EXPECT THE CEILINGS TO PERSIST AND SLOWLY RISE AS DEEPER MIXING COMMENCES...BUT MAY REMAIN BELOW 3 KFT FOR MOST OF THE DAY. A WELL-DEFINED SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO INITIATE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN NEBRASKA AND NORTHERN KANSAS. ADDITIONAL STORMS MAY DEVELOP NORTH OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN CENTRAL KANSAS. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD MATURE AND NEAR TAF SITES EARLY THIS EVENING...AND WILL MONITOR CONVECTIVE EVOLUTION FOR POSSIBLE TAF AMENDMENTS. SOUTHEAST WINDS AOB 12 KTS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. BLAIR && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 132 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2008 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-271845- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 132 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE MAIN THREATS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA SUNDAY MORNING...AND ACROSS MAINLY NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS SUNDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE AGAIN THE PRIMARY THREATS WITH THESE STORMS. THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THEN RETURNS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT.
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 424 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2008 KSZ036>038-262145- GEARY-MORRIS-WABAUNSEE- 424 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2008 THROUGH 445 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE EAST AT 13 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF GEARY...WABAUNSEE AND MORRIS COUNTIES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PENNY SIZE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE AFFECTED INCLUDE ALTA VISTA AND VOLLAND. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT.
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 26 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:34 UTC.
7 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trained spotter in Alta Vista reported hail from one and three quarter inches in diameter to two and a half inches in diameter.
Assistant director of Emergency Management reported nickel size hail at her home.
Citizens also reported that several shingles on their roof were damaged.
Live four inch diameter tree limbs reported to have been blown down.
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: 128340, 128341, 128343, 128350, 128345, 128346, 128348, 128349.