Scattered pulse-type thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and early evening on the 29th across portions of south-central and east-central Kansas, in response to a weak frontal boundary interacting with strong daytime heating. Due to dry sub-cloud conditions, isolated wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph affected the Wichita area, as well as portions of Chase county.
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.
Scattered pulse-type thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and early evening on the 29th across portions of south-central and east-central Kansas, in response to a weak frontal boundary interacting with strong daytime heating. Due to dry sub-cloud conditions, isolated wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph affected the Wichita area, as well as portions of Chase county.
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 Jul 29, 11:25 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 1225 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011 .UPDATE... MADE A FEW TWEAKS TO POPS EARLIER THIS MORNING. ALTOCUMULUS CASTELLANUS/SPRINKLES CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL KS. THE MAIN FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL LIKELY BE BOUNDARY WHICH HAS BECOME RATHER COMPLEX. A WEAK CIRCULATION IS EVIDENT IN THE OBSERVATIONS/RADAR LOOPS JUST WEST OF KICT...WITH COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWEST TO P28. THE WARM FRONT EXTENDS FROM NORTH OF KEWK TOWARDS KTOP. HOWEVER ANOTHER BOUNDARY OR POSSIBLY GRAVITY WAVE IS EVIDENT IN THE RADAR FROM KEWK TO NEAR KIDP...WHICH HAS SLOWED TO A CRAWL AFTER PUSHING SOUTHWEST MOST OF THE MORNING. SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS DAYS...PULSE STRONG/SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED GIVEN AN ESTIMATED 2000 J/KG CAPE AND DRY AIR ALOFT. -HOWERTON && .AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU WEAK BOUNDARY WITH WAVE JUST WEST OF KICT WILL BE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE GREATEST COVERAGE WILL LIKELY BE ALONG/JUST NORTH OF HIGHWAY 400. WINDS AT ALL SITES WILL BE HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY CONVECTION. CONSENSUS OF MODELS SUGGEST THAT SOUTH FLOW WILL RETURN OVER ALL BUT KSLN/KRSL BY MID MORNING SAT. CONVECTIVE DEBRIS WILL LIKELY PERSIST WELL INTO SAT MORNING GIVEN WEAK FLOW ALOFT. -HOWERTON && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 620 AM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011/ AVIATION...12Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU MAIN CONCERN: THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. WEAK STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED FROM CENTRAL MISSOURI INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KS AND NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA EARLY THIS MORNING. SHOWERS/T-STORMS WERE DIMINISHING OVER NORTHERN KS EARLY THIS MORNING AS A LOW-LEVEL JET WEAKENS. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REDEVELOP BY MID PM ALONG AND NORTH OF THE STATIONARY FRONT...AND COULD PERSIST INTO TONIGHT GIVEN WEAK LOW-LEVEL JET REDEVELOPMENT. WILL UTILIZE VCTS AT TAF SITES FOR NOW. JMC PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 325 AM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011/ DISCUSSION... MAIN FORECAST UPDATES WILL FOCUS ON PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR TODAY FOLLOWED BY EXTREME HEAT BUILDING BACK INTO KANSAS FOR THE WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEK. TDY-TONIGHT THE COMBINATION OF OVERNIGHT CONVECTION AND WEAK UPPER LEVEL WINDS COULD MAKE CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE FOR MCV DEVELOPMENT TODAY. THIS WOULD KEEP SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN PLACE OVER CENTRAL KANSAS WHERE EVEN HIGHER PRECIPITABLE WATER AXIS WILL BE LOCATED. SAT-SUN THE TRIPLE DIGIT HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE RESTORED OVER KANSAS FOR THE WEEKEND...AS UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE CENTER INTENSIFIES OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS REGION. COULD SEE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP IN THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS ON SATURDAY...AS SLIGHTLY COOLER 700MB TEMPERATURES WILL BE OVER THE REGION. WE ISSUED A HEAT WATCH AS HEAT INDICES BEGIN TO SOAR AGAIN OVER THE ENTIRE AREA THIS PERIOD. EXTEND: MON-THU HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT THE SIZZLING TRIPLE DIGIT HEAT WILL CONTINUE FOR KANSAS EARLY NEXT WEEK...AND IT COULD PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEK THEREFORE WILL HAVE THE HEAT WATCH RUN THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MODELS ARE SHOWING GLARING SIGNALS OF TREMENDOUSLY HOT TEMPERATURES FOR TUESDAY WITH DAYTIME HIGHS POSSIBLY REACHING THE HIGHEST VALUES YET THIS SUMMER. MEANWHILE...LONG RANGE MODELS ARE SHOWING A FRONTAL BOUNDARY TRYING TO PUSH SOUTHWARD INTO THE AREA FOR WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY...BUT FRONTS HAVE HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME PENETRATING INTO THE BUBBLE OF VERY HOT AIR THIS SUMMER. THEREFORE WE WILL KEEP THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN PLACE AND KEEP SMALL CHANCE POPS CONFINED TO CENTRAL KANSAS. JAKUB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 99 77 101 79 / 30 30 10 10 HUTCHINSON 96 76 101 79 / 40 40 10 10 NEWTON 96 76 99 79 / 40 40 20 20 ELDORADO 98 77 99 78 / 30 30 20 20 WINFIELD-KWLD 100 77 102 79 / 20 20 10 10 RUSSELL 92 72 100 77 / 30 20 20 20 GREAT BEND 94 73 101 77 / 30 30 10 10 SALINA 92 74 99 77 / 30 30 20 20 MCPHERSON 94 75 99 79 / 30 40 20 20 COFFEYVILLE 100 78 99 79 / 20 20 20 20 CHANUTE 98 76 98 78 / 20 20 20 20 IOLA 98 75 97 77 / 20 30 20 20 PARSONS-KPPF 99 78 98 78 / 20 20 20 20 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 510 AM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-301015- 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- 510 AM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT CENTRAL KANSAS AND PARTS OF SOUTHERN KANSAS FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH...AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS. HEAT INDICES OF 100 TO 104 WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A RUSSELL TO NEWTON...TO COFFEYVILLE LINE FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED WITH ANY OF THIS ACTIVITY. INTENSE HEAT IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE ENTIRE AREA FOR THE WEEKEND AND CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY...WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HEAT INDICES RANGING FROM 100 TO 112. VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER IS FORECAST ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OVER KINGMAN AND HARPER COUNTIES...AS WELL AS THE ADJACENT AREA OF SEDGWICK AND SUMNER COUNTIES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP CJ
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 156 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011 KSZ083-292000- SEDGWICK- 156 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SEDGWICK COUNTY... AT 155 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR WICHITA MID CONTINENT AIRPORT...OR 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN WICHITA...AND MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH. WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. HOWERTON
The Wichita radar (KICT), 2 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:02 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds were estimated around 60 mph.
Winds were estimated around 60 mph.
Winds were estimated around 75 mph.
A large tree was downed, and 8 to 10-inch diameter tree limbs were snapped.
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: 336396, 336397, 336398, 336400, 336395.