A line of severe thunderstorms moved into north central Kansas early the morning of the 24th. Hail to the size of half dollars fell, and winds to 70 mph were reported across the region.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved into north central Kansas early the morning of the 24th. Hail to the size of half dollars fell, and winds to 70 mph were reported across the region. Minor damage was reported, mainly to tree limbs, power lines, and some structures. One home had it's roof partially torn off, and it's carport destroyed.
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 May 23, 8:49 PM CST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 949 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008 .DISCUSSION... 00Z UPPR AIR ANLYS CONT TO INDC IMPRESSIVE UPPR LVL LO OVR THE WRN US. MAIN SHRTWV OF INTEREST ROTATING AROUND THE PARENT LO WAS LOCATED AT 00Z OVR ERN NM. LARGE SCALE FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE WAVE ALLOWING FOR SQUALL LINE DEVELOPMENT OVER WESTERN KS THIS EVNG. 00Z RAOB FM KTOP INDCD DECENT SIZE EML CONTD OVR ERN KS AND H7 ANALYSIS ALSO CONFIRMS THIS WITH WIDESPREAD +13 C OVER THE CNTRL AND SRN PLAINS. QUALITY GULF MOISTURE WAS IN PLACE ACRS A LARGE PART OF THE CNTRL AND SRN PLAINS THIS EVNG WITH A +16 C H85 DEWPOINT NOTED AT KTOP. MAIN FORECAST ISSUE OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS IS EVOLUTION OF CONVECTION OVR CNTRL AND WRN KS. UPPR LVL SHRTWV TROF SHLD CONT TO ROTATE NEWD INTO NEB AFTER MIDNIGHT. CWA WL REMAIN IN FAVORABLE LARGE-SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT IN ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHRTWV. THIS WLD ARGUE THAT STORMS OVER CNTRL KS SHLD CONT TO TRACK NEWD INTO THE WRN CWA...AND THIS SEEMS LIKELY. EWD EXTENT OF ACTIVITY IS IN QUESTION DUE TO CAPPING INVERSION. LATEST DETERMINISTIC MODELS WLD INDC A MOISTENING IN THE CAPPING LAYER LIKELY DUE TO PERSISTENT ISENTROPIC LIFT AS LO LVL JET INCREASE. THIS MAY ACT TO WEAKEN THE CAPPING INVERSION SOME AND ALLOW FOR AT LEAST ISO STORMS AS FAR EAST AS HIGHWAY 75. LATEST RUC WLD ALSO SUPPORT THIS AS WELL. THUS WL CONT WITH THE POPS OVER THE CWA WITH THE HIGHEST POPS IN THE NW. INCREASED POPS THERE TO CAT AND LOWERED IN THE SE TO SCHC. ALSO UPDATED EARLIER TO REMOVE EVNG CHANCES. AS FAR AS SVR WX POTENTIAL. THERE IS CERTAINLY STRONG INSTABILITY OVR THE CNTRL/WRN CWA THRU THE NIGHT AND SUFFICIENT SHEAR FOR ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS. FEEL THAT AS THINGS MOVE FARTHER EAST NOCTURNAL INVERSION SHLD LIMIT TOR THREAT AND THUS WND AND HAIL SEEM TO BE THE MAIN THREAT OVER THE WRN CWA. THUS CURRENT HWO LOOKS ON TRACK. WL ALSO CONT WITH THE FLOOD WATCH OVER THE NW CWA WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAINS FELL LAST NIGHT. NEW ZFP/GRIDS ALREADY OUT. BOUSTEAD && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 312 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008/ DISCUSSION... MESSY START TO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. AT 19Z...CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN KANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING IN ZONE OF WEAK CONVERGENCE COINCIDENT WITH A WEAK SHORTWAVE LIFTING NORTHEASTWARD NOW PUSHING THROUGH CENTRAL NE. HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL...UP TO DIME SIZE...HAIL WAS REPORTED WITH SOME OF THE STRONG STORMS THIS MORNING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS SET THE STAGE FOR WATER ISSUES IN THE NEAR TERM FORECAST. AFTERNOON WV IMAGERY DEPICTING DEEP...BROAD TROUGH CONTINUES TO ROTATE OVER THE WESTERN CONUS. SEVERAL PIECES OF ENERGY ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE TROUGH...WHICH WILL EJECT NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. ONE NOTABLY NOW OVER NORTHERN NM...WHICH WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR CONCERN OVERNIGHT. AT THE SURFACE...WARM/NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT SITS ALONG A LINE FROM JUST SOUTH OF HAYS...SOUTHEASTWARD TO JUST NORTH OF CHANUTE. WEAK CONVERGENCE ALONG THE BOUNDARY HELPING A FEW SHOWERS POP-UP OVER CENTRAL KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. TONIGHT...CONVECTION WILL INITIATE ALONG THE SURFACE DRYLINE OVER WESTERN KANSAS. MEAN WINDS/CORFIDI VECTORS POINT CONVECTIVE PROPAGATION N/NE-WARD...SIMILAR TO LAST EVENING. THIS WILL TAKE THE BULK OF THE CONVECTION ACROSS NE...AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS. SEVERAL FACTORS PLAYED INTO THE DECISION TO ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH OVERNIGHT. FIRST...PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES GREATER THAN 1.5 INCHES WILL ALLOW FOR STORMS TO BE EFFICIENT RAIN PRODUCERS. NEXT... SATURATED GROUND IN PLACE OVER NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FROM RAINFALL THIS MORNING. THIRD...RIVERS HAVE ALSO BEEN ON THE RISE. FINALLY...EVEN IF HEAVIEST RAINFALL STICKS NORTHWEST OF THE AREA...WATER WILL DRAIN THROUGH BASINS INTO NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. TROUBLE LIES IN WHAT HAPPENS BEYOND THE FLOODING. CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL LOOKS CONFINED TO NORTH CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST KANSAS OVERNIGHT...WHERE BETTER SHEAR EXISTS. BEST AXIS OF MOISTURE ADVECTION ALONG THE LOW LEVEL JET STREAMS ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS THROUGH THE NIGHT. DIFFICULTY HERE IF CONVECTION OVER NE THROWS OUT AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY...AS WAS THE CASE THIS MORNING...WHICH WOULD LIMIT PRECIPITATION CHANCE ACROSS NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. ALSO...QUALITY OF MOISTURE RETURN MAY BE COMPROMISED IF CONVECTION OVER OKLAHOMA REALIZES. SATURDAY...WARM FRONT LOOKS A BIT FURTHER TO THE NORTH THAN TODAY. MAY SEE THE EASTERN EDGE STICK A BIT FURTHER SOUTH THAN THE MODELS ARE SHOWING...REINFORCED BY A POTENTIAL AFOREMENTIONED OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. CONVERGENCE LOOKS A LITTLE BETTER ALONG THE BOUNDARY TOMORROW. GOOD CAPE VALUES OF AROUND 3500J/KG AND FAVORABLE SHEAR VALUES WOULD SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE STORMS...AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL...THUNDERSTORM WINDS...AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES. HEAVY RAIN WOULD REINFORCE THE FLOODING POTENTIAL. EL THUNDERSTORMS STILL POSSIBLE TO THE EAST OF THE DRY LINE ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS SATURDAY EVENING AND IN EASTERN KANSAS NORTH OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN SOUTHERN KANSAS. FLOW THROUGH THE SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY PERIOD CONTINUES TO BE FROM THE SOUTHWEST WITH THE UPPER TROUGH RETROGRADING INTO THE EASTERN PACIFIC. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO SET UP ACROSS TO BE NEAR THE KANSAS AND NEBRASKA BORDER THROUGH SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. WITH THE LOW LEVEL JET INCREASING EACH NIGHT AND CONVERGENCE ALONG THE BOUNDARY AS WELL AS POOLING OF MOISTURE WILL SEE PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHERN KANSAS AND CORFIDI VECTORS SHOWING AN EAST SOUTHEAST MOVEMENT FOR FORWARD PROPAGATING STORMS ACROSS NORTHERN KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES INCREASE TO 1.80 INCHES IN NORTHEAST KANSAS SUNDAY NIGHT. COULD SEE SOME FLOODING AGAIN IN NORTHEAST CORNER IF SCENARIO PLAYS OUT. UPPER FLOW FLATTENS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY WEDNESDAY WITH MINOR WAVES EJECTING OUT INTO THE PLAINS FROM THE TROUGH IN THE WEST. THE BAROCLINIC ZONE SETS UP ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS ON WEDNESDAY WITH THE FRONT THEN MOVING BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT ON THURSDAY. WILL KEEP SMALL CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION GOING THROUGH THE PERIOD AS CONFIDENCE IS LOW ON EXACT PLACEMENT OF FRONTAL BOUNDARIES AND TIMING OF WAVES. A TROUGH IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS MAINLY AFFECTING THE NORTHERN COUNTIES THURSDAY NIGHT THEN EXITING FRIDAY. HIGHS MAINLY IN THE 80S AND LOWS IN THE 60S. 53 AVIATION... SEVERAL CONCERNS FOR THE 18Z TAF CYCLE AT EACH TOP/FOE/MHK. FIRST...THE CHANCE FOR THUNDER. CONVECTION THAT INITIATES ALONG THE DRYLINE ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS TONIGHT LOOKS TO PROPAGATE MAINLY NE. WARM ADVECTION MAY HELP SPARK STORMS LATE THIS EVENING OTHERWISE...BUT WITH LOW CONFIDENCE AS TO WHEN INITIATION WILL BE...CHOSE TO MAINTAIN GOING VCTS GROUP AFTER 01-03Z. SECOND...CIGS LOOK TO REMAIN RIGHT AT TO BELOW VFR THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. THIS AFTERNOON...CIGS HAVE SCATTERED OUT FOR THE MOST PART...BUT ROBUST MOISTURE ADVECTION AXIS LOOKS TO SET UP RIGHT OVER MHK TONIGHT. EXPECT CIGS TO DROP TO IFR...POTENTIALLY LIFR AT MHK EARLY SAT MORNING. TOP/FOE WILL MORE LIKELY STAY MVFR...POTENTIALLY DROPPING TO IFR EARLY IN THE MORNING--WHICH WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED BY UPCOMING SHIFTS. WINDS WILL BE EASTERLY THROUGH THE PERIOD GENERALLY NORTH OF WHERE THE WARM/STATIONARY FRONT SETS UP...AND REMAIN GUSTY THROUGH THE EVENING...AND AGAIN TOMORROW MORNING. VIS WILL BE MVFR FOR A FEW HOURS SAT MORNING WITH MOISTURE POOLING ALONG THE FRONT. EL && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 10 AM SATURDAY FOR KSZ008-KSZ009-KSZ010- KSZ020. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 355 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-242100- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 355 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...AND THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REST OF OUTLOOK AREA TONIGHT. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS LATER TONIGHT. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. IN ADDITION...THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT MAY DROP AN ADDITIONAL ONE INCH OF RAIN TO LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS AROUND TWO INCHES OF RAIN ON ALREADY SATURATED GROUNDS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS OVERNIGHT. HEAVY RAIN AND RUNOFF MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORM CHANCES CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE OUTLOOK PERIOD. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH MEMORIAL DAY...WITH THE GREATER RISKS OCCURRING DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS ON SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. SPOTTERS ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO REPORT RAINFALL TOTALS GREATER THAN ONE INCH TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TOPEKA. LUNDE
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:44 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Three to four inch diameter live tree limbs breaking as a result of the wind.
A shed was blown over near the begnning of the damage path, and a barn collapsed onto a tractor near the end. Trees were reported down along the path, and a home on Nickel Road has it's roof partially torn off. The same home had it's carport destroyed. Tree limbs were reported down across Belleville. A house near the intersection of N and 24th Streets had a large limb fall onto a nearby power line and porch. A wall on the south side of the Belleville Car Wash was also blown down by the strong winds. Wind damage continued along a swath from 6 miles south of Belleville to Hanover in Washington County. Near Hanover, minor damage was reported across the town. A tree fell onto the roof of a home on the west side of the home, causing damage to a home.
There were several reports of power lines down in town, and shingles reported to have been torn off of several homes.
Power lines and tree limbs reported down in the town of Wilsey. Power was out to many of the town's residents.
Four men were camping at Pomona Lake State Park. A thunderstorm rolled through, and lightning struck the tent in which the men were sleeping. The three men in the tent were injured, but the fourth man standing outside the tent near a tree was killed. It was reported that he was killed as he headed toward more sturdy shelter.
Two grain bins were damaged near the intersection of Highway 50 and Emmer Road. One of these bins was blown across a roadway.
The Bahr Storage storage unit was destroyed, and debris from the building was scattered across Hwy 75. Of note, the town's mural was painted on the east side of this now destroyed building. Several power lines were also snapped.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Osage | 2008-05-24 | 20 | Male | Under Tree | Direct |
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, May 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: 101003, 101065, 101066, 101067, 102013, 101069, 101071, 101072, 101075.