Rogue gradient wind gust measured by the Concordia ASOS.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Rogue gradient wind gust measured by the Concordia ASOS.
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 Apr 4, 2:26 PM CST, 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 326 PM CDT SAT APR 4 2009 .DISCUSSION... 19Z WATER VAPOR IMAGERY DEPICTS VIGOROUS CLOSED LOW LIFTING THROUGH NORTHWEST KANSAS. HAVILAND PROFILER DEPICTING 90KT 500MB JET MAX ROTATING THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST QUADRANT OF THE LOW...FAIRBURY DEPICTING 75KTS. 992MB SFC LOW ANALYZED OVER WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AND RELATIVELY DEEP MIXING THIS AFTERNOON BROUGHT WINDY CONDITIONS TO THE CWA. SFC WARM FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE LOW TO JUST NORTH OF MANHATTAN AND TOPEKA...AND LIFTING NORTHWARD. SFC DRYLINE ANALYZED AND NOW REFLECTED BY RADAR FINE LINE AND BY CU ON VISIBLE SATELLITE WRAPPING NORTH OF HAYS...THROUGH OTTAWA COUNTY...SOUTH TO NEAR HUTCHISON. IMAGE FROM STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTION HELPED DEWPOINTS REACH UP INTO THE MID-40S NEAR FORECAST ISSUANCE TIME...BUT NEAR-TERM MODELS POORLY REFLECTING CURRENT MOISTURE SITUATION. THIS MAY BE DUE TO UNDERESTIMATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF MIXING DOWN DRY LOW/MIDLEVEL AIR NOTED ON 12Z OUN AND SGF SOUNDINGS. TOP SOUNDING REMAINS DOWN DUE TO THE ONGOING INSTALLATION OF THE RRS. FORECAST FOCUS TODAY WILL BE ON NEAR-TERM CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL. LATE THIS AFTERNOON/TONIGHT...UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES. CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP AS STRONG UPPER FORCING SHIFTS EASTWARD...GENERALLY ALONG THE SFC DRYLINE AND WARM FRONT LIFTING TO ALONG THE KS/NE LINE AROUND 00Z. MITIGATING FACTOR FOR THE EVENT THOUGH REMAINS THE PALTRY MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA. CONVECTION HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KS WHERE NARROW AXIS OF 400-600J/KG OF MLCAPE ARE NOTED IN WARM/RELATIVELY MOIST LL SECTOR WITH STEEPENING LAPSE RATES ALOFT. FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILES WOULD SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR LOW-TOPPED SUPERCELLS. SMALL TORNADO RISK SEEMS WARRANTED CONSIDERING THE SHEAR...BUT HIGH CLOUD BASES MAY IMPEDE A HEIGHTENED RISK. BUT...WITH THE LOW FREEZING LEVEL...LARGE HAIL CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. SHOULD SEE A BREAK IN THE ACTION WITH LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE LATE TONIGHT. THEN...SEE NEXT PARAGRAPH. OVERNIGHT...QUICK TRANSITION BACK TO A POTENTIAL WINTER WEATHER SCENARIO...AS KANSAS SEEMS TO BE NOTORIOUS FOR THIS SPRING...AS COLD FRONT AND COLDER AIRMASS INVADE THE PLAINS. SATURATED LOW LEVEL ATMOSPHERE...INCLUDING THE FAVORED DENDRITIC GROWTH ZONE SUNDAY MORNING WARRANTS THE SNOW MENTION. BUT...NEAR SFC TEMPS STAY A BIT WARMER THAN PREVIOUS FORECASTS HAD SUGGESTED...AND WAS A BIT SLOWER WITH THE RAIN/SNOW TRANSITION LINE OVERNIGHT. MODEST FORCING THROUGH THE LOW LEVEL DEFORMATION ZONE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS WARRANTS THE CONTINUED GOOD POPS CHANCE. NOT ALL THAT CONVINCED THAT ACCUMULATING SNOW IS LIKELY. GROUND TEMPERATURES REMAIN WARM...AND BEST FORCING SITS BELOW THE FAVORED SNOW GROWTH ZONE...WHICH ALSO BEGINS TO DESATURATE BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON. SNOW RATES SHOULD BE SLOW ENOUGH TO ALLOW FOR MELTING TO OCCUR ON CONTACT...BUT DO NOT ANTICIPATE GOOD ACCUMULATIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE. OTHER CONCERN OF NOTE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. TIGHT GRADIENT ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE LOW MAY ALLOW FOR GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. LOOKS TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA AT THIS TIME...BUT WILL LEAVE TO NEXT SHIFT TO REASSESS. LUNDE THE UPPER TROUGH WILL BE OVER THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SUNDAY EVENING WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHEAST KANSAS AS ENERGY ROTATES AROUND THE BACK SIDE OF THE UPPER TROUGH. COLD ADVECTION SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY NIGHT WILL YIELD BELOW NORMAL TEMPS FOR EARLY APRIL. LOWS MONDAY MORNING WILL DIP INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S WITH HIGHS MONDAY IN THE 30S. LEFT A MENTION OF SOME FLURRIES MONDAY WITH THE PASSAGE OF ANOTHER WAVE ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS. SKIES CLEAR OFF MONDAY NIGHT AS THE SYSTEM PULLS OFF AND BROAD HIGH PRESSURE IS PRESENT AT THE SURFACE. AS MENTIONED ABOVE THE CLEARING SKIES AND COLD ADVECTION WILL SEND TEMPS DOWN INTO THE LOWER 20S. BULK OF THE COLD AIR MOVES OFF TO THE EAST AND RETURN FLOW SETS UP ON TUESDAY...HIGHS WILL REBOUND INTO THE LOW AND MID 50S. THE NEXT SYSTEM TO AFFECT THE PLAINS WILL OCCUR IN THE MID TO LATE WEEK PERIOD FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. A BAROCLINIC ZONE SETS UP ACROSS NORTHERN KANSAS WITH AN UPPER WAVE MOVING ACROSS THE PLAINS. ECMWF ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE PREFERRED THROUGH THE PERIOD AND ALSO OP 12Z GFS BRINGS A SYSTEM ACROSS THE PLAINS. TIMING MAY BE AN ISSUE AND HAVE LEFT THURSDAY NIGHT DRY FOR NOW BUT IF SYSTEM IS A BIT SLOWER THAN WILL NEED TO HOLD ONTO SHOWERS THURSDAY EVENING IN NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. TEMPERATURES WILL HOVER NEAR NORMAL FOR LOWS AND SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN NORMAL FOR HIGHS THURSDAY WITH TEMPS IN THE 50S. 53 THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH EXITS THE REGION THURSDAY EVENING AND GRADUALLY CLEARS OUT OVERNIGHT FRIDAY. GFS AND ECMWF ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE EFFECTS OF THE SYSTEM...BUT THE GFS IS A LITTLE MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH ITS EXIT. DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE SPEED OF THE SYSTEM...LEFT ANY WORDING OF LINGERING PRECIPITATION OUT OF THE FORECAST...FOR NOW. BEHIND THE SYSTEM UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE HIGH WILL BRING DRIER CONDITIONS. COOLER NORTHWEST FLOW WILL KNOCK TEMPERATURES DOWN INTO THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S LATE NEXT WEEK. JL && .AVIATION... SEVERAL CONCERNS TO TOUCH ON FOR THE 18Z TAF ISSUANCE. FIRST...TIGHT SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT AND IMPROVING MIXING THIS AFTERNOON WILL MAKE FOR STRONG...GUSTY WINDS AT EACH OF THE TERMINALS. NEXT IS THE POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION LATER THIS AFTERNOON. PRIMARY CONCERN WILL BE NORTHWARD LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TRANSPORT...WHICH AS OF LATE MORNING WAS SLOW TO OCCUR. BUT...EVEN WITH LIMITED MOISTURE...STRONG FORCING SHOULD ALLOW FOR AT LEAST SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA. BEST CHANCE FOR SH/TSRA LOOKS TO SET-UP NORTH OF THE TERMINALS NEARER TO THE LIFTING SFC WARM FRONT. NOT OVERLY CONFIDENT IN SH/TSRA FURTHER SOUTH...AND LEFT AS VCTS FOR NOW AT TOP/FOE. WINDS VEER BEHIND COLD FRONT DURING THE EVENING HOURS. MODELS CONSISTENT DEPICTING MVFR STRATUS AFTER 09Z...WITH SOME FORCING LATER SUNDAY MORNING WHICH WILL BRING RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS TO EACH TERMINAL...GENERALLY AFTER 13Z. LUNDE && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM SATURDAY FOR KSZ008-KSZ009-KSZ010-KSZ011-KSZ012-KSZ020-KSZ021-KSZ022-KSZ023- KSZ024-KSZ026-KSZ034-KSZ035-KSZ036-KSZ037-KSZ038-KSZ039-KSZ040-KSZ054- KSZ055-KSZ056-KSZ058-KSZ059. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 217 PM CDT SAT APR 4 2009 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-051930- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 217 PM CDT SAT APR 4 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS GENERALLY NORTH OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A BRIEF TORNADO...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND HAIL. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD...PRIMARILY AFFECTING PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING AS A STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS NEAR 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE AREA...AS STRONG SOUTH WINDS AND WARM TEMPERATURES DEVELOP OVER EASTERN KANSAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY EXPECT OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES EARLY MONDAY AND EARLY TUESDAY TO BE WELL BELOW NORMAL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS NORTH OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong gradient winds produced a wind gust of 50 knots, which was measured by the Concordia ASOS. No damage was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, April 2009
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: 166814.