A combination of temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s and dewpoints in the 70s contributed to heat indices as high as 114 at FOE, 118 at TOP, and 120 at LWC. Temperatures and heat indices finally dropped below 100 to 105 on the 13th as a boundary moves across eastern Kansas.
Every event with a place to put it; 18 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 TOP wrote it up.
A combination of temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s and dewpoints in the 70s contributed to heat indices as high as 114 at FOE, 118 at TOP, and 120 at LWC. Temperatures and heat indices finally dropped below 100 to 105 on the 13th as a boundary moves across eastern Kansas.
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 Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 10, 11:30 AM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1230 PM CDT SUN JUL 10 2011 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION AND SHORT TERM FORECAST... .UPDATE... HAVE ISSUED AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING FOR THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING...AND CONTINUED THE HEAT ADVISORY THROUGH TOMORROW. A WEAK BOUNDARY PUSHED ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA OUT OF MORNING SHOWERS WITH A SIGNIFICANT JUMP IN DEWPOINT TEMPS IN ITS WAKE. WHILE CLOUD COVER HAS LIMITED TEMPS A BIT IN NORTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA...DEWPOINTS ARE IN THE UPPER 70S IN THIS REGION AND HEAT INDEX VALUES ARE ALREADY IN THE 105 TO 111 RANGE. THE TEMPERATURE AT NOON IN ABILENE HAD ALREADY HIT 100...AND WHILE THE ATMOSPHERE IS BETTER MIXED WITH LOWER DEWPOINTS WHERE TEMPS ARE EXCEEDING 100... EXTREME TEMPS FORECAST TO NEAR 105 AND DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 60S STILL SEEM TO WARRANT A WARNING TODAY. BARJENBRUCH && .DISCUSSION... 08Z WATER VAPOR SHOWS AN ELONGATED UPPER LEVEL RIDGE FROM THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES EAST INTO THE DEEP SOUTH...WITH THE RIDGE AXIS ALONG THE OK/KS STATE LINE. THERE WAS ALSO A VORT MAX RETROGRADING WEST ACROSS SOUTH TX. THE MAIN CONCERN CONTINUES TO BE THE HEAT OVER THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. MODELS SHOW 850 TEMPS WARMING BETWEEN 28C AND 30C WITH LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES DRY ADIABATIC. THE GFS CONTINUES TO KEEP THE BOUNDARY LAYER TO MOIST WHILE THE NAM LOOKS TO MIX IT OUT TO MUCH. THEREFORE USED A COMPROMISE FOR HIGHS TODAY. ACROSS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES WHERE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO BE GREATEST...KEPT HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S. ACROSS CENTRAL KS WHERE DEWPOINTS SHOULD MIX OUT INTO THE LOWER AND MID 60S...HAVE GONE WITH HIGHS BETWEEN 100 AND 105. REGARDLESS OF THE ACTUAL TEMPS...HEAT INDICES SHOULD RANGE BETWEEN 105 AND 110 ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA. FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WEAKENS AND MOVES EAST AND THE MODELS COOL 850 TEMPS SUGGESTING TEMPS WILL NOT BE QUITE AS HOT AS TODAY. WHILE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE HEAT MAY NOT BE AS GREAT...IT SHOULD STILL FEEL HOT. CONSIDERED EXTENDING THE ADVISORY INTO TUESDAY OR EVEN UPGRADING TO A WARNING FOR THE PROLONGED DURATION /FOUR CONSECUTIVE DAYS/ OF 105 DEGREE HEAT INDICES. HOWEVER WITH THE MODELS SLIGHTLY COOLER AT 850 AND SFC DEWPOINTS A LITTLE COOLER DUE TO THE DEEP MOISTURE AXIS LIFTING NORTH...HEAT INDICES STAY CLOSER TO AROUND 100 FOR TUESDAY. THEREFORE CONDITIONS LOOK MARGINAL FOR A HEAT ADVISORY ON TUESDAY AND WILL LEAVE THE CURRENT HEAT ADVISORY INTACT. THE SMALL PRECIP CHANCES THERE ARE WILL BE HIT OR MISS THROUGH TUESDAY SINCE THERE IS NO STRONG FORCING AND A LACK OF A SFC FEATURE TO FOCUS CONVECTION. CONVECTION FORM THE HIGH PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON MAY MOVE ALONG THE NEB STATE LINE OVERNIGHT AND KEPT SOME POPS ACROSS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES FOR THIS. OTHERWISE THE BETTER CHANCES FOR PRECIP SHOULD BE TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS THE VORT MAX NOTED IN SOUTH TX LIFTS ACROSS CENTRAL KS. THERE REMAINS A LACK OF A STRONG SFC FEATURE SO WOULD EXPECT CONVECTION TO BE RATHER SCATTERED THROUGH THIS PERIOD. LOWER HEIGHTS AND CLOUD COVER SHOULD BRING A MINOR BREAK TO THE HEAT WEDNESDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 90S. FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THE GFS AND ECMWF REDEVELOP THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CENTERING IT OVER EASTERN KS AND THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN BEGINNING TO RESEMBLE AN OMEGA BLOCK. THEREFORE HAVE A HOT AND DRY FORECAST WITH HIGHS BACK INTO THE TRIPLE DIGITS FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. WOLTERS && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST THROUGH THE ENTIRE TAF PERIOD. THERE ARE SLIGHT CHANCES FOR TS OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING... BUT SHOULD NOT BE WIDESPREAD AND PROBABILITY OF IMPACTING TAF SITE APPEARS TOO LOW TO WARRANT EVEN A CB GROUP AT THIS TIME. BARJENBRUCH && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059. HEAT ADVISORY FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 PM CDT MONDAY FOR KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1147 AM CDT SUN JUL 10 2011 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-111700- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 1147 AM CDT SUN JUL 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. DANGEROUS HEAT INDEX VALUES OF 108 TO 113 DEGREES ARE FORECAST ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA TODAY...AND LASTING INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS...MAINLY DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL CLIMB INTO THE 103 TO 108 DEGREE RANGE ON MONDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
18 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
Heat indices across the county reached to 110-115 as a warm and moist air mass moved into the area.
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, July 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: 334996, 335041, 335043, 335046, 335047, 335048, 335049, 335052, 335054, 335056, 335057, 335058, 335060, 335061, 335063, 335065, 335067, 335068.