Late on this Friday afternoon, a narrow line of strong to severe thunderstorms erupted across portions of North Central Kansas, resulting in at least one localized zone of wind damage. In southern Smith County, winds estimated to around 80 MPH downed 17 power poles along Highway 281 north of Harlan, while in the community of Harlan itself, a few grain bins were destroyed. Storms first started bubbling up into the six-county area as early as 3 to 5 PM CDT, mainly in Rooks County. The primary development then took place between 530 and 630 PM, as a narrow, broken line of storms materialized between Jewell County and northern Rooks County, including those that affected the Harlan area. These storms steadily weakened as they sagged southeast, and the entire six-county area was precipitation free by around 830 PM.
The main axis of convection initiated near a southwest-northeast oriented surface trough axis, and along the northern edge of a plume of steep low-level lapse rates. At the surface, temperature-dewpoint spreads were on the order of 25 to 30 degrees, helping facilitate the development of damaging winds. Mesoscale parameters across North Central Kansas late in the afternoon featured 1000-2000 J/kg mixed-layer CAPE, but barely 30 knots of deep layer vertical wind shear. In the mid levels, a subtle shortwave passed from northwest to southeast through the area, directed along the eastern periphery of an expansive ridge centered near the Four Corners.