A high precipitation supercell initially developed to the north of Greensburg, Kansas and Pratt, Kansas, where an existing outflow boundary intersected the main synoptic cold front. The supercells quickly dropped southeast into Barber and Harper County, Kansas.
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 ICT wrote it up.
A high precipitation supercell initially developed to the north of Greensburg, Kansas and Pratt, Kansas, where an existing outflow boundary intersected the main synoptic cold front. The supercells quickly dropped southeast into Barber and Harper County, Kansas. These intense supercell thunderstorms evolved into a bow echo type storm as it moved into Barber and Harper Counties, producing widespread wind damage across Harper County, Kansas. Additional thunderstorms developed along the main cold frontal boundary across Central Kansas and produced damaging winds across portions of McPherson County near Goessel and Harvey County near Hesston and Newton. The line of storms continued to drop southeast across much of Southern Kansas producing much needed rainfall to most of the area.
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 Aug 12, 5:57 PM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 657 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 ..AVIATION...00Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN KANSAS WILL DRIFT SOUTHEAST IMPACTING KCNU AFTER 02-03Z AND POSSIBLY KICT AROUND 02Z BUT THE MORE WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN SOUTHWEST OF THE KICT TERMINAL. A MORE STABLE AIRMASS IS ANTICIPATED IN THE WAKE OF THE STORMS AS A COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTH POSSIBLY RESULTING IN PATCHY FOG DEVELOPMENT WHERE RAINFALL IS OBSERVED IN THE PRESENCE OF LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS. MWM && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 330 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011/ DISCUSSION... FORECAST HIGHLIGHTS: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING...WITH MORE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WEEK. PRECIPITATION: CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATES LOW PRESSURE OVER WEST-CENTRAL KS...WITH A COLD FRONT TRAILING SOUTHWEST FROM THERE...AND AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM EARLIER CONVECTION TRAILING SOUTHEAST THROUGH SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN KS. SHORTWAVE TROUGH EVIDENT IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS CURRENTLY PROGRESSING ACROSS THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. AT LEAST SOMEWHAT ELEVATED CONVECTION IS CURRENTLY ONGOING OVER SOUTHEAST KS...ALONG/NORTH OF SURGING OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. THE MORE ROBUST CONVECTION IS ANTICIPATED FURTHER WEST THOUGH...THINKING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP NEAR THE TRIPLE POINT OVER WEST-CENTRAL KS THIS AFTERNOON AND TRACK SOUTHEAST OVER PRIMARILY SOUTH-CENTRAL KS...ALONG DECENT INSTABILITY GRADIENT SETTING UP. OTHER THAN SOME POTENTIAL ELEVATED CONVECTION...THINKING CENTRAL KS MAY BE DONE WITH WIDESPREAD CONVECTION CHANCES. ADDITIONALLY...EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KS AIRMASS IS PRETTY "WORKED OVER" FROM EARLIER/ONGOING CONVECTION...ALTHOUGH COULD STILL SEE SOME ELEVATED CONVECTION OVER THE AREA THIS EVENING/OVERNIGHT AS SHORTWAVE APPROACHES FROM NW. BEST SEVERE CHANCES WILL LIKELY BE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND FAR SOUTHERN KS DUE TO VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS MODEST AT BEST...BUT DEGREE OF INSTABILITY WILL STILL PROMOTE VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. ACTIVITY SHOULD THEN TRACK SOUTHEAST INTO NORTHERN OK THIS EVENING/OVERNIGHT...WITH AN INCREASING THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS AS STORMS/COLD POOLS MERGE. PER GFS/ECMWF...THE NEXT CHANCE OF STORMS APPEARS TO BE SUNDAY NIGHT-MONDAY NIGHT...AS WEAK MID-LEVEL TROUGHING ROUNDS CREST OF SOUTHERN CONUS RIDGE. BOTH MODELS WOULD SUGGEST THE GREATEST COVERAGE OVER NORTHERN KS INTO NE...WITH CHANCES DECREASING SOME FURTHER SOUTH. DEVELOPMENT OF NW FLOW ALOFT WILL PROVIDE CONTINUED CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH AT LEAST LATE WEEK ACROSS THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS...ALTHOUGH TIMING THESE CHANCES THIS FAR OUT IS TOUGH...SO WILL ONLY BROAD BRUSH POPS FOR NOW. BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THE FAVORED LATE AFTERNOON...OVERNIGHT THROUGH EARLY MORNING PERIODS. TEMPERATURES: SEASONAL TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ANTICIPATED THIS WEEKEND IN WAKE OF THIS EVENING'S SYSTEM. MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE SUGGESTS BUILDING RIDGE AND SUBSEQUENT WARMING TEMPERATURES SUNDAY-MONDAY. SHOULD BE LOOKING AT A RETURN TO NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES BY AT LEAST MID TO LATE WEEK...AS NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT DRAGS MODIFIED CANADIAN AIR SOUTH. HOWEVER...THERE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT TIMING ISSUES WITH GFS/ECMWF AT THIS POINT. ADK AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU A RATHER COMPLICATED TAF FORECAST WITH A FAIRLY POTENT OUTFLOW BOUNDARY CURRENTLY DROPPING SOUTH TO NEAR KHUT AND KICT AT THIS TIME...WITH SOME POST FRONTAL CONVECTION DEVELOPING JUST TO THE NORTH OF IT. WENT AHEAD AND SHIFTED KICT WIND DIRECTION TO THE NORTHEAST AS THIS OUTFLOW WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CITY WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. WILL ALSO INCLUDE A TEMPO -TSRA CHANCE FOR KICT/KHUT AS STORMS DEVELOP ALONG THIS FEATURE. COULD ALSO SEE OUTFLOW IMPACT KCNU IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS...SO WILL GO WITH VCTS IN THIS AREA WITH AN EXPECTED WIND SHIFT HERE AS WELL. COMPLICATED PART OF THE FORECAST INVOLVES HOW THIS BOUNDARY WILL IMPACT CHANCE OF RENEWED CONVECTION LATER THIS EVENING ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION...WITH RENEWED CONVECTION POSSIBLE TO THE NW OF KHUT BY AROUND 23Z WHERE OUTFLOW WILL FORM A TRIPLE POINT NEAR MAIN SYNOPTIC FRONT. THIS CONVECTION WILL IMPACT THE KHUT/KICT TAFS FROM 23Z TO 02Z/SAT. COULD SEE SOME GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE MVFR CEILINGS NEAR ANY STRONG/SEVERE TSRA THAT MOVES IN...SO FEEL CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO INCLUDE ANOTHER TEMPO GROUP FOR THIS CHANCE NEAR KHUT/KICT. NOT SURE OF THE TIMING OF THE NEXT ROUND OF CONVECTION TO MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO KCNU...SO WILL ONLY GO WITH A VCTS FOR NOW. SUSPECT COOLING IN THE WAKE OF THE OUTFLOW/BOUNDARY MAY RESULT IN AT LEAST SOME MVFR CLOUDS ACROSS CEN KS AFTER 06Z/SAT. KETCHAM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 69 91 65 89 / 70 10 10 10 HUTCHINSON 68 90 65 89 / 50 10 10 10 NEWTON 68 90 64 89 / 50 10 10 10 ELDORADO 69 91 64 88 / 60 10 0 10 WINFIELD-KWLD 70 92 66 90 / 80 10 10 10 RUSSELL 65 88 64 88 / 20 10 10 10 GREAT BEND 66 89 65 89 / 30 10 10 10 SALINA 67 89 63 88 / 20 10 10 10 MCPHERSON 68 89 64 89 / 30 10 10 10 COFFEYVILLE 71 92 65 88 / 80 10 0 0 CHANUTE 70 90 63 87 / 60 10 0 0 IOLA 70 90 63 86 / 60 10 0 0 PARSONS-KPPF 71 91 65 87 / 80 10 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 351 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-132100- 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- 351 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY THIS EVENING OVER PRIMARILY SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS. THE GREATEST THREAT WILL LIKELY BE GENERALLY SOUTHWEST OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM GREAT BEND TO HUTCHINSON...TO EL DORADO TO SEDAN. THE STRONGEST ACTIVITY WILL BE CAPABLE OF GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL OR LARGER AND DAMAGING WINDS GREATER THAN 70 MPH. THE SEVERE THREAT WILL WANE LATER THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SCATTERED STRONG TO MARGINALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT GENERALLY WEST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE...WITH THESE CHANCES CONTINUING ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. WHILE CONFIDENCE IS LOW REGARDING SPECIFICS...PERIODIC THUNDERSTORM CHANCES COULD CONTINUE TUESDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...GENERALLY SOUTHWEST OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM GREAT BEND TO HUTCHINSON...TO EL DORADO TO SEDAN. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP EPS/ADK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 314 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 KSZ098-099-122045- CHAUTAUQUA-MONTGOMERY- 314 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CHAUTAUQUA AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES... AT 312 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR CHAUTAUQUA...OR 8 MILES SOUTH OF SEDAN... AND MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. JAKUB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 418 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 KSZ049-122200- SALINE- 418 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SALINE COUNTY... AT 413 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BROOKVILLE...OR 13 MILES WEST OF SALINA... AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. UP TO PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. JAKUB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 459 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 KSZ047-122245- BARTON- 459 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN BARTON COUNTY... AT 456 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR PAWNEE ROCK...OR 7 MILES NORTH OF LARNED...AND MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. PENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IN THE EVENT THE STORMS INTENSIFY AND BECOME SEVERE, OR A WARNING IS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. JAKUB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 622 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 KSZ048-130000- ELLSWORTH- 622 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ELLSWORTH COUNTY... AT 621 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ELLSWORTH...AND MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. PENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. JAKUB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 643 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 KSZ049-051-130045- MCPHERSON-SALINE- 643 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN MCPHERSON AND SALINE COUNTIES... AT 639 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SMOLAN...OR 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SALINA...AND MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. PENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. JAKUB
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
659 PM CDT FRI AUG 12 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0648 PM TSTM WND GST ATTICA 37.24N 98.23W
08/12/2011 M57 MPH HARPER KS MESONET
MEASURED BY KSN PINPOINT WEATHER LAB AT ATTICA HIGH
SCHOOL.
&&
ADKThe Vance AFB radar (KVNX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:04 UTC.
15 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread tree damage was noted to the county from the storms that moved across.
Widespread tree damage and a few downed powerlines were noted as the storms moved through.
Estimated using a handheld anemometer.
Several 6 to 9 inch tree limbs were blown down and several powerlines as well.
Large tree branch was blown out of a tree.
Up to the size of nickels.
Some tree limbs were blown out of trees.
Since this is a pretty remote area, only minor damage to trees were noted.
A report of a railroad tie being picked up and damaging a fence. They also reported an aluminum flagpole being snapped in half and several tree limbs at least 3 inches in diameter on the ground.
Leaves were stripped from trees and an antenna had blown off a roof.
Minor damage to trees.
Significant tree damage was reported due to strong winds.
Powerlines were blown down.
Minor damage to trees.
Estimated wind gust.
Minor street flooding was reported in the city.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, August 2011
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: 342693, 342672, 342673, 342698, 342701, 342675, 342676, 342674, 342706, 342707, 342680, 342683, 342708, 342685, 342720, 342688, 342709, 342712, 342671.