A vigorous upper level storm system produced periodic bouts of widespread showers and thunderstorms from the early morning through late evening hours on the 19th. Widespread moderate to heavy rainfall did occur at times, producing localized, relatively minor areal flooding across portions of central and southeast Kansas.
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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 ICT wrote it up.
A vigorous upper level storm system produced periodic bouts of widespread showers and thunderstorms from the early morning through late evening hours on the 19th. Widespread moderate to heavy rainfall did occur at times, producing localized, relatively minor areal flooding across portions of central and southeast Kansas. Additionally, a rural Kingman home was deemed a total loss after lightening struck the home during the predawn hours on the 19th. Lightning also struck and badly damaged a tank battery southwest of Russell during the afternoon hours, as well as a farmstead in rural Labette County during the late evening hours, destroying several small outbuildings.
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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 19, 2:32 AM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 332 AM CDT WED MAY 19 2010 .DISCUSSION... FORECAST HIGHLIGHT: FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF SE KS FROM 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL 7 PM CDT THU. TODAY-THU NIGHT: AS EXPECTED...WIDESPREAD SHRA & TSRA ARE MARCHING SLOWLY E ACROSS CNTRL & SC KS EARLY THIS MORNING IN ASSOCIATION WITH WEAK MID-UPR LOW THAT IS DRIFTING E OVER CO. THIS FEATURE CONTINUES TO INDUCE RICHER & DEEPER MOISTURE TO MIGRATE N FROM THE SRN PLAINS TO KS & NEBRASKA & WITH LIFT LIKEWISE INCREASING...ALL OF KICT COUNTRY IS IN FOR A PROLONGED RAINY & STORMY PERIOD FROM TODAY THROUGH THU NGT. DEEP-LAYER SHEAR IS IMPRESSIVE OVER TX...OK & SRN KS (ESPECIALLY THE DIRECTIONAL VARIANT). GREATEST INSTABILITY REMAINS ENCAMPED OVER TX & OK BUT MAY SPREAD N ACROSS THE NW & NC OK BORDER LATE THIS AFTERNOON & EARLY EVENING IN RESPONSE TO A WARM FRONT THAT'LL LIKELY DEVELOP IN A W-E MANNER OVER OK & LIFT DUE N ACROSS THE OK/KS BORDER. THE NWD PROGRESS OF THE WARM FRONT WILL REQUIRE CLOSE MONITORING TODAY AS IT WILL NO DOUBT PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE SVR TSRA POTENTIAL ACROSS EXTREME SC & SE KS. (ESPECIALLY FROM THIS EVENING THRU THU NGT.) EQUALLY CONCERNING IS +RA THAT ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE FLOODING. THE GREATEST RISK FOR FLOODING IS OVER SE KS WHERE LWR TO MID-LVL WARM MOIST ADVECTION IS GREATEST. (ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON & TONIGHT.) WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS PROGGED TO REACH ~150% OF NORMAL HAVA ISSUED A FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL SE KS THAT'LL BE IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON TIL THU AFTERNOON. SHRA/TSRA STILL SCHEDULED TO END IN W-E MANNER THU NGT AS THE FILLING MID-UPR LOW TRANSITIONS INTO AN OPEN WAVE & VENTURES E/NE TOWARD THE MID-UPR MS VALLEY. TEMPERATURE-WISE THE ONLY CHANGES MADE WERE TO RAISE MAXES THU & FRI AFTERNOONS...PRIMARILY OVER SC & SE KS. && .AVIATION...06Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU ANTICIPATING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE/DEVELOP NORTHEAST INTO THE AREA TONIGHT...AND LIKELY PERSISTING THROUGH AT LEAST A GOOD PORTION OF THE MORNING...AS STRONG 850-700 MB WARM/MOIST ADVECTION AND MOISTURE TRANSPORT INCREASES AHEAD OF APPROACHING SHORTWAVE TROUGH. THIS ACTIVITY IS CURRENTLY ARRIVING A BIT EARLIER THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. ADDITIONALLY...LOW CIGS/VSBYS SHOULD DEVELOP FROM WEST TO EAST...PARTLY DUE TO SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...BUT ALSO FROM INCREASINGLY MOIST EAST/SOUTHEASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW. IFR CIGS LOOK PROBABLY FOR MOST SITES EXCEPT KCNU...WITH POSSIBLE LIFR CONDITIONS FOR MAINLY KRSL. ADK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 66 54 70 57 / 90 70 40 20 HUTCHINSON 65 53 68 55 / 90 70 40 20 NEWTON 65 53 69 57 / 90 80 40 20 ELDORADO 66 54 70 58 / 90 80 40 20 WINFIELD-KWLD 68 56 71 59 / 90 70 40 20 RUSSELL 62 51 63 52 / 100 70 40 20 GREAT BEND 63 51 65 52 / 90 60 30 20 SALINA 63 52 65 54 / 100 80 50 20 MCPHERSON 64 52 67 55 / 90 80 40 20 COFFEYVILLE 68 58 71 61 / 100 90 50 30 CHANUTE 67 56 69 61 / 100 90 50 40 IOLA 66 56 68 60 / 100 90 60 40 PARSONS-KPPF 68 57 70 61 / 100 90 50 30 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR KSZ070>072-094>096-098>100. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 455 AM CDT WED MAY 19 2010 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-201000- RUSSELL-LINCOLN-BARTON-ELLSWORTH-SALINE-RICE-MCPHERSON-MARION-CHASE- RENO-HARVEY-BUTLER-GREENWOOD-WOODSON-ALLEN-KINGMAN-SEDGWICK-HARPER- SUMNER-COWLEY-ELK-WILSON-NEOSHO-CHAUTAUQUA-MONTGOMERY-LABETTE- 455 AM CDT WED MAY 19 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PROLONGED HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY AS NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS CROSS THE AREA. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL OCCUR OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS WHERE A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON ONWARD. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. AREAS AT GREATEST RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...CAPABLE OF PRIMARILY HAIL AS LARGE AS GOLFBALLS... ARE THE OKLAHOMA-BORDERING COUNTIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER MOST OF SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS ON THURSDAY. AREAS AT GREATEST RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...CAPABLE OF PRIMARILY HAIL AS LARGE AS GOLFBALLS...ARE THOSE GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF THE TURNPIKE. IN ADDITION...VERY HEAVY RAINS ARE LIKELY AND MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS WHERE A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM THURSDAY. SOUTH WINDS MAY INCREASE TO AROUND 30 MPH SUSTAINED ON SATURDAY OVER AREAS GENERALLY ALONG...AND WEST...OF I-135. AS SUCH A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THESE AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER EXTREME SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP ES
The Wichita radar (KICT), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:01 UTC.
4 flood, 3 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
During the predawn hours of May 19th, lightning from a weakening area of showers and thunderstorms struck a residence in rural Kingman. The house was set ablaze. No injuries were incurred, but the century-old house was deemed a total loss by insurance adjusters. The Kingman Leader-Courier contributed to this article.
Flooding was reported near mile marker 378 along Highway 160 between Elk Falls and Moline. Damage estimates, if any, are unknown.
Flooding was reported over numerous rural roads across mainly northern portions of the county. Damage estimates, if any, are unknown.
Sometime on the 19th, lightning from a relatively weak area of showers and thunderstorms struck a tank battery near the intersection of 184th Street and Plymouth road southwest of Russell. The battery was set ablaze. No injuries were incurred, but the tank battery was badly damaged. The time of the event was roughly estimated based off of archived radar data. The Russell County News contributed to this article.
Relatively minor flooding occurred countywide, which likely included some urban and rural flooding of typical flood prone areas. However, water covered Highway 4 near Claflin for a time. Damage estimates, if any, are unknown.
During the late evening hours on the 19th, lightning from a relatively weak area of showers and thunderstorms struck a farmstead northwest of Altamont in Labette County. Several small outbuildings were set ablaze. No injuries were incurred, but several small outbuildings were deemed a total loss. The Parsons Sun contributed to this report.
Relatively minor flooding occurred on various flood-prone, rural roads countywide. Damage estimates, if any, are unknown.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, May 2010
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: 236445, 234321, 234324, 236450, 234333, 236461, 234336.