Late night thunderstorms developed across portions of north central and northeast Kansas on July 14th. One storm became severe across central portions of Riley County just before midnight.
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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.
Late night thunderstorms developed across portions of north central and northeast Kansas on July 14th. One storm became severe across central portions of Riley County just before midnight. A spotter reported quarter-sized hail and 50 mph wind gusts near Tuttle Creek Lake. Just to the south, Riley County Emergency Management reported several power poles down from damaging straight-line winds five miles north-northwest of Manhattan, KS.
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 14, 12:52 AM CST, 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 152 AM CDT TUE JUL 14 2009 .DISCUSSION... MCS IS MOVING EAST ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL KS EARLY THIS MORNING. THE MOST INTENSE PORTION OF THE COMPLEX IS ALONG I-70 EAST AND NORTHEAST OF HAYES...KS WHERE 60 TO 70 MPH WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED VERY EARLY THIS MORNING. THE SOUTHERN SECTION OF THE MCS WILL PROBABLY MOVE EAST AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH OF I-70. THE STRONGER SOUTHERLY OF LLJ OF 40KTS EXTEND FROM SOUTH-CENTRAL KS...NORTH AND NORTHWEST ACROSS WEST CENTRAL. THE LLJ WILL MOST LIKELY INCREASE AHEAD OF THE MCS. MAXIMUM MUCAPES WERE LOCATED ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KS WITH MUCAPES VALUES AROUND 5,000 J/KG WITH 3,000 J/KG EXPENDING NORTHWARD TO I-70 ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST COUNTIES OF THE CWA. ATTM...MY THINKING IS THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WIND GUSTS WILL BE ALONG I-70. THE MCS MAY WEAKEN BEFORE REACHING EAST CENTRAL KS AFTER AROUND DAY BREAK. I KEPT CHANCE POPS IN ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA AS THE MCS OR REMNANTS OF THE MCS MOVES EAST ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KS INTO MO. AS THE 5H TROUGH OVER THE GREAT BASING LIFT NORTHEAST OUT INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS...LOW-LEVEL WINDS WILL VEER TO THE SOUTHWEST. IF THE MIXING IS DEEP ENOUGH TEMPERATURES MAY REACH TO AROUND 100 DEGREES ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST COUNTIES WITH MID TO UPPER 90S ELSEWHERE. IF CONVECTIVE TEMPS ARE REACHED THEN HIGH BASED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE AND CAPABLE OF WINDS GUSTS OF 60 TO 70 MPH. THE A SQUALL LINE MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KS...THE SQUALL LINE MAY BE SEVERE WITH THE PRIMARY HAZARD BEING WINDS GUSTS OF 60 TO 70 MPH. ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTINUE NORTH OF THE FRONT THROUGH THE NIGHT. AS THE DEPTH OF THE COOLER AIR INCREASES THE BETTER WAA/ISENTROPIC LIFT SHOULD SHIFT SOUTHEAST OF THE CWA THROUGH WED MORNING. KEPT THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST THE SAME. PREPARING NOW FOR SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS. GARGAN && .AVIATION... HAVE CONTINUED WITH A VFR FORECAST THROUGH 06Z WED. CONFIDENCE IN CONVECTION TO THE WEST IS STILL NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO INCLUDE A PREVAILING GROUP. THEREFORE OPTED TO INSERT VC PRECIP. STILL IF THE CONVECTION OUT WEST HOLD TOGETHER...IT WOULD BE FOUR HOURS PLUS BEFORE REACHING THE TERMINALS. FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO MOVE IN TOWARDS 00Z WED. CONFIDENCE IN CONVECTION ALONG THIS BOUNDARY IS LOW GIVEN THE BETTER DYNAMICS REMAINING NORTH OF THE AREA. WOLTERS && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...HEAT ADVISORY FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM ABILENE TO HOLTON. KSZ022>024-026-035>040-054>056-058-059. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 518 AM CDT MON JUL 13 2009 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-141030- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 518 AM CDT MON JUL 13 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY TODAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTH CENTRAL AND IN THE EAST CENTRAL COUNTIES SOUTH OF I 35. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA TONIGHT. STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY TO THE SOUTH OF I 70. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG A COLD FRONT BY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS...THEN MOVE SOUTHWARD ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT. WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH ALONG WITH HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH A FEW OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. HEAT INDICES ALONG AND TO THE SOUTH OF I 70 TUESDAY AFTERNOON WILL CLIMB INTO THE 104 TO 107 DEGREE RANGE. HEAT INDICES ELSEWHERE WILL GENERALLY BE 100 TO 103 DEGREES. THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 203 AM CDT TUE JUL 14 2009 KSZ020-034-140730- CLOUD-OTTAWA- 203 AM CDT TUE JUL 14 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR CLOUD AND OTTAWA COUNTIES... THROUGH 230 AM CDT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT 40 MPH ACROSS CLOUD AND OTTAWA COUNTIES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THIS LINE OF STORMS IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AND HEAVY RAIN. SOME LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE AFFECTED INCLUDE TESCOTT...ADA...GLASCO...DELPHOS...CULVER... JAMESTOWN...MINNEAPOLIS.. .WELLS...CONCORDIA...BENNINGTON AND AURORA. LUNDE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 229 AM CDT TUE JUL 14 2009 KSZ008-009-020-021-034-140800- CLAY-CLOUD-OTTAWA-REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON- 229 AM CDT TUE JUL 14 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR REPUBLIC...WASHINGTON...CLOUD...CLAY AND OTTAWA COUNTIES... THROUGH 300 AM CDT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST AT 45 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF REPUBLIC...WASHINGTON...CLOUD...CLAY AND OTTAWA COUNTIES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THIS LINE OF STORMS IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH AND HEAVY RAIN. SOME LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE AFFECTED INCLUDE AURORA...BELLEVILLE...MILTONVALE...MUNDEN...CLYDE...AGENDA...OAK HILL...LONGFORD...NARKA...MAHASKA...HADDAM...MORROWVILLE AND CLAY CENTER. LUNDE
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:29 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree of unknown diameter was blown onto 25th street blocking the roadway. The tree also knocked down a powerline.
Several power poles were snapped, some at ground level and others half way up the pole.
Winds were estimated at 50 mph. The power was out at home.
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, July 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: 188762, 188779, 188761, 188784.