Hail in Kansas, September 18, 2010

Name: Hail in Kansas, September 18, 2010
Start: 2010-09-18T15:53
End: 2010-09-18T23:30
Location: Kansas

September 18, 2010 · NWS EAX · 11 events in 1 county or zone

A warm and unstable airmass was located over the region, during the afternoon and evening hours of September 18, 2010. A cold front moved southeast across the area in the afternoon and evening hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS EAX wrote it up.

A warm and unstable airmass was located over the region, during the afternoon and evening hours of September 18, 2010. A cold front moved southeast across the area in the afternoon and evening hours. There were numerous reports of hail.

What forecasters said that day

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 Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 18, 2:20 PM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 18, 2:20 PM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
320 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

.DISCUSSION...

OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARY HAS PUSHED WELL INTO CNTRL MISSOURI THIS
AFTERNOON...AND ESSENTIALLY WASHED OUT WITH DIURNAL HEATING...WHILE
TRUE SHALLOW SYNOPTIC FRONT/DENSITY CURRENT HAS NEARLY STALLED ALONG
A KHYS-KCNK-KFNB-KLWD LINE. BETWEEN THESE TWO
BOUNDARIES...CONVERGENCE HAS BEEN RATHER LIMITED...WITH THE BEST
MOISTURE FLUX AND SFC CONVERGENCE FOCUSED THROUGH CNTRL KANSAS AS
EVIDENCED BY THE ENHANCED CU FIELD ON VISIBLE SATELLITE.
HOWEVER...SPECIAL 18Z KTOP SOUNDING INDICATES RATHER MINIMAL
INHIBITION LEFT WITH MLCAPES ON THE ORDER OF 3000 J/KG...COINCIDENT
WITH BULK SHEAR VALUES IN THE 30-40KT RANGE ON THE SRN PERIPHERY OF
THE STRONGER JET AXIS NORTH OF THE SYNOPTIC FRONT. INVESTIGATION OF
WV IMAGERY AND PROFILERS (WITH SUPPORT FROM OBJECTIVE RUC GUIDANCE)
HINTS AT A SUBTLE WAVE EJECTING ACROSS SWRN NEBRASKA TOWARDS THE
WARM SECTOR...WHICH MAY PROVIDE JUST ENOUGH LIFT IN THE NEXT COUPLE
HOURS TO SUPPORT DEEPER CONVECTIVE OVERTURNING. WITH DEEP LAYER
SHEAR JUST SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT SUPERCELLULAR STRUCTURE AND 0-1KM
SHEAR LARGELY RELEGATED TO THE COLD SECTOR...EXPECTING STORMS THAT
DO FORM TO CONGEAL INTO CLUSTERS AND BECOME OUTFLOW DOMINATED BY THE
EARLY EVENING. HOWEVER...BEFORE THAT TIME...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS...THOUGH A BRIEF ISOLATED TORNADO
CANNOT BE ENTIRELY DISCOUNTED UPON INITIAL ROBUST THUNDERSTORM
UPDRAFT FORMATION...ESPECIALLY FROM THE KC METRO AREA WEST ALONG
I-70 WHERE LOW LEVEL VORTICITY HAS BEEN MAXIMIZED AND WOULD
CONCEIVABLY BE INGESTED AND ENHANCE LOW LEVEL STRETCHING.
OVERALL...PREFERRED AN EVOLUTION SIMILAR TO THE HI-RES 00Z NSSL WRF
(WHICH HANDLED EARLY MORNING OUTFLOW MOST ACCURATELY)...WITH
SUPPLEMENTAL INPUT FROM RECENT HRRR RENDITIONS.

OUTFLOW ENHANCED CONVECTION SHOULD MOVE SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA
THIS EVENING...HOWEVER WITH THE SHALLOW BOUNDARY LIKELY RESUMING A
SLIGHT SOUTHWARD PUSH AND WEAK LLJ AXIS IMPINGING ACROSS THIS
FRONT...HAVE DECENT CONFIDENCE OF ELEVATED SHRA AND ISOLD TSTMS
REFORMING ACROSS NRN MISSOURI THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS.
THEREAFTER...SIGNIFICANT UNCERTAINTY EXISTS REGARDING THE EXTENT TO
WHICH THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY LIFTS BACK NORTH TOMORROW...WITH THE
OPERATIONAL NAM-WRF ALMOST COMPLETELY SCOURING OUT THE SHALLOW COLD
AIRMASS...WITH THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND ECMWF FAR MORE PESSIMISTIC.
CANNOT COMPLETELY IGNORE THE NAM SOLUTION GIVEN ITS BETTER BOUNDARY
LAYER RESOLUTION...YET THIS MODEL HAS LITTLE OTHER SUPPORT...AND
HAVE HEDGED MORE TOWARDS AN SREF MEAN SOLUTION ONLY BRINGING
LOCATIONS SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 36 BACK INTO THE TRUE WARM SECTOR.

WARM AND WINDY CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED ON MONDAY AS THE OLD
FRONTAL BOUNDARY WASHES OUT AND REFORMS NORTH WITH BUILDING HEIGHTS
ALOFT AND RENEWED LEE SFC PRESSURE FALLS. THIS BOUNDARY WILL
EVENTUALLY TAKE THE FORM OF A COLD FRONT...PUSHING BACK INTO THE
REGION ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CURRENT SUITE OF MODELS
INDICATES THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER EPISODE OF STRONG TO SEVERE
STORMS WITH THIS FRONT. ONLY MINOR CHANGES MADE THEREAFTER...WITH A
SIMILAR PATTERN OF QUASI-ZONAL FLOW AND REGULAR FRONTAL PASSAGES.

&&

.AVIATION...

VERY LARGE UNCERTAINTY THROUGHOUT THE TAF PERIOD REGARDING BOTH
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES THIS AFTERNOON...AND VSBY/CIG FLIGHT
RESTRICTION LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. WEAK OUTFLOW BOUNDARY
HAS PUSHED SOUTH OF TERMINALS...WITH SHALLOW SYNOPTIC FRONT NOW
NEARLY STALLED OVER SERN NEBRASKA. CONVERGENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO
FEATURES WAS RATHER WEAK...HOWEVER ATMOSPHERE WAS BECOMING QUITE
UNSTABLE AND SUPPORTIVE OF CB DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON. KEPT CB
MENTION GOING DURING THE MID/LATE AFTERNOON...ANTICIPATING SCT
DEVELOPMENT JUST WEST OF TERMINALS. WILL AMEND FOR A STRONGER
MENTION ONCE INITIATION TAKES PLACE AND BETTER TIMING AND PLACEMENT
CAN BE DETERMINED.

OTHERWISE...CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY SHOULD PUSH SOUTHEAST OF TERMINALS
THIS EVENING...AND THINKING NOCTURNAL PRESSURE RISES BEHIND THE
SYNOPTIC FRONT AIDED BY MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE INFLUENCES WILL BEGIN
TO PULL LOWER CIGS SOUTH TOWARDS THE MISSOURI RIVER. INCREASING LLJ
SHOULD PULL MOISTURE NORTH OF THIS BOUNDARY OVERNIGHT...AND HAVE
JUST INCLUDED A VCSH MENTION AT THIS TIME. STAYED ON THE MOST
PESSIMISTIC SIDE WITH GFS/MAV GUIDANCE BRINGING IFR/LOWER MVFR
FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS INTO THE AREA BEFORE SUNRISE. WILL HAVE TO WATCH
SOUTHWARD PROGRESSION OF IFR CIGS OVERNIGHT...AND MAY BE ABLE KEEP
KANSAS CITY TERMINALS VFR IF NAM/MET GUIDANCE COMES TO FRUITION.

21

&&

.EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...NONE.
KS...NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 18, 12:00 PM CST, 3 hours 53 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
100 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040-
043>046-053-054-191800-
ATCHISON KS-MIAMI-LINN KS-DONIPHAN-LEAVENWORTH-WYANDOTTE-JOHNSON KS-
ATCHISON MO-NODAWAY-WORTH-GENTRY-HARRISON-MERCER-PUTNAM-SCHUYLER-
HOLT-ANDREW-DE KALB-DAVIESS-GRUNDY-SULLIVAN-ADAIR-BUCHANAN-CLINTON-
CALDWELL-LIVINGSTON-LINN MO-MACON-PLATTE-CLAY-RAY-CARROLL-CHARITON-
RANDOLPH-JACKSON-LAFAYETTE-SALINE-HOWARD-CASS-JOHNSON MO-PETTIS-
COOPER-BATES-HENRY-
100 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST...NORTH CENTRAL AND
WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI...AS WELL AS EXTREME EASTERN KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A WARM AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS HAS DEVELOPED SOUTH OF A FRONT STRETCHED
ACROSS FAR NORTHWEST MISSOURI. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER
EASTERN KANSAS AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI LATER THIS AFTERNOON...WITH A
FEW STRONG TO PERHAPS SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREATS...THOUGH A BRIEF ISOLATED TORNADO MAY
BE POSSIBLE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THUNDERSTORMS INITIATE...ESPECIALLY
ALONG AN OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM CENTRAL MISSOURI THROUGH
EAST CENTRAL KANSAS.

ANY THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE SOUTH OF THE
OUTLOOK AREA THIS EVENING...WITH ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVITY
LIKELY NEAR THE IOWA BORDER AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CONTINUING INTO EARLY
SUNDAY MORNING. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL RETURN TO THE OUTLOOK AREA TUESDAY
AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT PUSH SOUTH. SOME OF THESE
STORM COULD REACH STRONG TO SEVERE LIMITS...WITH HEAVY RAINFALL ALSO
POSSIBLE.

ANOTHER FRONT IS FORECAST TO REACH THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT...THOUGH
IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE WHETHER SEVERE WEATHER WOULD BE
POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING FOR
LOCATIONS SOUTH OF A ST. JOSEPH TO KIRKSVILLE LINE.

21

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 18, 3:34 PM CST, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
434 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0410 PM     HAIL             3 NNE SUGAR CREEK       39.18N 94.39W
09/18/2010  E1.00 INCH       JACKSON            MO   PUBLIC

&&

GAMIS

Local storm report, Sep 18, 3:36 PM CST, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
436 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0436 PM     HAIL             INDEPENDENCE            39.09N 94.35W
09/18/2010  M1.00 INCH       JACKSON            MO   PUBLIC

&&

GAMIS

Special weather statement, Sep 18, 3:38 PM CST, 15 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
438 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

MOZ045-182230-
PETTIS MO-
438 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN PETTIS COUNTY UNTIL 530
PM CDT...

AT 436 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTH OF LA MONTE...OR 8 MILES NORTHEAST
OF KNOB NOSTER...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  LA MONTE...HOUSTONIA AND HUGHESVILLE.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

IN ADDITION...THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AREA. BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO
AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

LAT...LON 3872 9307 3876 9351 3893 9350 3893 9307
TIME...MOT...LOC 2138Z 269DEG 13KT 3885 9345

CUTTER

Local storm report, Sep 18, 3:44 PM CST, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
444 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0427 PM     HAIL             1 SSW MILLARD           40.09N 92.55W
09/18/2010  E1.75 INCH       ADAIR              MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

SFORTIN

Local storm report, Sep 18, 3:46 PM CST, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
446 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0427 PM     HAIL             3 WNW BLUE SPRINGS      39.03N 94.33W
09/18/2010  E2.75 INCH       JACKSON            MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

SFORTIN

Local storm report, Sep 18, 3:47 PM CST, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
447 PM CDT SAT SEP 18 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0440 PM     HAIL             LA PLATA                40.03N 92.49W
09/18/2010  M1.25 INCH       MACON              MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

GAMIS

The radar

The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:51 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 hail, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 3:53 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 2.14 mi SSW of Jarbalo
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.170, -95.080

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 4:37 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 4.34 mi W of Tonganoxie
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.110, -95.160

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 4:43 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 4.34 mi W of Tonganoxie
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.110, -95.160

Funnel Cloud, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 4:57 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 2.25 mi WSW of Tonganoxie
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 39.110, -95.120

A rain wrapped funnel cloud was observed.

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 4:59 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 2.25 mi WSW of Tonganoxie
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.110, -95.120

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 5:14 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 0.69 mi S of Tonganoxie
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.110, -95.080

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 3.45 mi S of Basehor
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.080, -94.930

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 10:50 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 2.07 mi S of Easton
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.320, -95.120

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 11:02 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 2.07 mi S of Easton
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.320, -95.120

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 3.99 mi WSW of Leavenwrth Sherman A
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.350, -95.000

Hail, Leavenworth

When: September 18, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County, 0.53 mi E of Leavenwrth Sherman A
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.370, -94.920

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, September 2010

Sources

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: 260525, 260526, 260527, 260524, 260530, 260528, 260529, 260531, 260532, 260533, 260534.