Significant wind event moves across South Central Kansas causing widespread damage due to 70 to 75 mph winds.
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.
Significant wind event moves across South Central Kansas causing widespread damage due to 70 to 75 mph winds.
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 17, 1:55 PM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 255 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 .DISCUSSION... MAIN FORECAST UPDATES WILL FOCUS ON PLACEMENT OF PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS INTO THE WEEKEND...FOLLOWED BY BUILDING HEAT OVER THE AREA FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. TONIGHT LOW-LEVEL UPSLOPE FLOW AND UNCAPPED ATMOSPHERE WILL ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS TO FIRE OVER THE HIGH PLAINS REGION THIS AFTERNOON. THIS ACTIVITY WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EASTWARD AND COULD AFFECT CENTRAL KANSAS TONIGHT. MCS DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT BUT WOULD BE FAVORED FURTHER NORTH IN NEBRASKA WHERE MOISTURE TRANSPORT WILL BECOME FOCUSED. THU-SAT THE HEAT WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH HEAT INDICES REACHING DANGEROUS LEVELS....AS A RESULT WE WILL ISSUE A HEAT ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR SOME OF THE AREA. THE HEADLINES COULD BE EXPANDED INTO FRIDAY AFTERNOON BUT LATER SHIFTS. MEANWHILE A MORE ROBUST MCS LOOKS LIKELY FOR THURSDAY NIGHT OVER EASTERN NEBRASKA WHICH WILL THEN DIVE SOUTHEAST INTO MISSOURI...AS STRONG SIGNALS OF MOISTURE TRANSPORT/ISENTROPIC LIFT ARE FOCUSED IN THAT REGION. SOME OF THE MCS ACTIVITY COULD CLIP EASTERN KANSAS...THUS WE WILL KEEP PRECIPITATION CHANCES CONFINED TO SOUTHEAST KANSAS FOR LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. ANOTHER MCS LOOKS TO DEVELOP OVER NORTHWEST KANSAS/WESTERN NEBRASKA FRIDAY EVENING WITH-IN UPSLOPE REGIME...AS A UPPER WAVE MOVES OUT OF THE ROCKIES. THIS MCS WOULD TRACK EASTWARD FRIDAY NIGHT AND INTO PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS. THE WEATHER FORECAST GETS A LITTLE MORE MURKY COME SATURDAY WITH REMNANT OUTFLOW FROM MCS IN THE AREA OR SURGING SOUTH OF THE KANSAS/OKLAHOMA BORDER. EXTENDED: SUN-WED THE UPPER RIDGE WILL AMPLIFY OVER ROCKIES THIS PERIOD WITH NORTHWEST FLOW REGIME ALOFT PREVAILING. THIS WILL RESULT IN SLIGHTLY COOLER NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND DRY WEATHER ACROSS THE REGION. JAKUB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 72 101 75 103 / 10 10 10 10 HUTCHINSON 71 101 74 102 / 10 10 10 10 NEWTON 71 99 74 101 / 10 10 10 10 ELDORADO 71 99 74 101 / 10 10 10 10 WINFIELD-KWLD 72 101 75 103 / 10 10 10 10 RUSSELL 70 101 71 97 / 20 20 10 10 GREAT BEND 71 102 72 101 / 20 20 10 10 SALINA 71 98 72 97 / 20 20 10 10 MCPHERSON 71 99 74 100 / 10 10 10 10 COFFEYVILLE 72 97 74 101 / 10 10 20 20 CHANUTE 71 96 74 99 / 10 20 20 20 IOLA 71 97 73 98 / 10 20 20 20 PARSONS-KPPF 71 97 74 101 / 10 10 20 20 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM TO 7 PM CDT THURSDAY FOR KSZ032-047-050- 067-068-082-083-091>093-098. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 559 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-182300- 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- 559 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS...WITH ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY POSSIBLE OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL KANSAS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BE STRONG...CAPABLE OF SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COULD LINGER THURSDAY MORNING ACROSS THE FLINT HILLS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS...BUT THESE ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE STRONG OR SEVERE. HOWEVER...THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS THURSDAY NIGHT...ROUGHLY NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM LINCOLN TO ELDORADO TO OSWEGO. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREAT. HEAT INDICES OF 100 TO 108 DEGREES ARE FORECAST OVER MOST OF THE AREA THURSDAY...AND 100 TO 110 ON FRIDAY. REFER TO THE LATEST HEAT ADVISORY FOR MORE DETAILS. HEAT INDICES NEAR 100 DEGREES ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AFTERNOON ALONG THE OKLAHOMA BORDER. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY NIGHT ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS. THE STORMS OVER THE WEEKEND MAY BE STRONG...BUT WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP PJH/CDJ/ADK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 457 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 KSZ091-172230- HARPER- 457 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HARPER COUNTY... AT 452 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR HARPER...OR 6 MILES NORTH OF ANTHONY. THIS STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. DIME 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. CARUSO
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 536 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 KSZ091-172315- HARPER- 536 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HARPER COUNTY... AT 532 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ANTHONY. THIS STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. DIME 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. CARUSO
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 606 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 KSZ082-091-092-172345- HARPER-KINGMAN-SUMNER- 606 PM CDT WED AUG 17 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HARPER...KINGMAN AND SUMNER COUNTIES... AT 605 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF NORWICH...OR 17 MILES NORTHEAST OF ANTHONY...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 5 MPH. WINDS TO AROUND 50 MPH AND PEA SIZE HAIL 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. CARUSO
The Wichita radar (KICT), 26 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:52 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread reports of 70 mph winds and significant tree damage along the path was noted.
Several estimated wind speeds were reported along the path with some significant tree damage.
This was also accompanied with 70 mph winds.
Estimated by a trained spotter.
Also accompanied by pea sized hail.
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: 342756, 342759, 342745, 342751, 342760, 342763.