During the afternoon and evening of June 9th 2011, storms developed in central and south central Kansas and moved northeast and east. A series of storms moved northeast from Herington to Manhattan to near Seneca producing quarter to golfball size hail.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
During the afternoon and evening of June 9th 2011, storms developed in central and south central Kansas and moved northeast and east. A series of storms moved northeast from Herington to Manhattan to near Seneca producing quarter to golfball size hail. Aside from the severe weather, strong straight line winds were produced by showers which were not considered thunderstorms.
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 Jun 9, 5:25 AM CST, 5 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 625 AM CDT THU JUN 9 2011 .UPDATE... UPDATED THE AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... SEE PREV DISCUSSION. && .AVIATION... SFC BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO LIFT BACK NORTH AND WEST OF THE TERMINALS BY THIS AFTERNOON WITH A SOUTH WIND RETURNING. THERE WILL BE INSTABILITY ALONG THE BOUNDARY AGAIN...HOWEVER CONFIDENCE IN WHERE ISOLD OR WIDELY SCT CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP IS TO LOW TO MENTION IN THE FORECAST ATTM. THEREFORE CONTINUED WITH A VFR FORECAST. ELEVATED CONVECTION OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KS HAS SHOWN SIGNS OF WEAKENING AND THINK IT IS LIKELY TO FALL APART BEFORE MAKING IT TO THE TERMINALS. WITH THIS IN MIND THINK THE BEST TIMING OF CONVECTION WOULD ONCE AGAIN BE LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. HOPEFULLY TIMING AND LOCATION OF TS WILL BECOME MORE EVIDENT AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. WOLTERS && .PREV DISCUSSION... /410 AM CDT THU JUN 9 2011/ LATEST WATER VAPOR AND REGIONAL PROFILERS SHOWING UPPER RIDGE AXIS CENTERED FROM CENTRAL MO TO CENTRAL TX WITH A WELL DEFINED SHORTWAVE TROUGH EXTENDED FROM UPPER LOW OVER ID SOUTHEASTWARD TO NEAR THE 4 CORNERS. AT THE SURFACE...A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED FROM SOUTH CENTRAL KS TO JUST WEST OF MANHATTAN INTO NORTHWEST MO. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE LITTLE OR SLIGHTLY NORTHWARD AS A SFC LOW MOVES NORTHEAST ALONG THE FRONT INTO NORTHEAST KS BY THIS EVENING. ELEVATED CONVECTION THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPING TO THE NORTH OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA THIS MORNING WITHIN DEEPER MOISTURE ADVECTION AND CONVERGENCE AND MAY STILL DEVELOP SOUTHWARD INTO THE FAR NORTHERN CWA THIS MORNING. OTHER ELEVATED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP/SPREAD NORTHEAST INTO THE CWA THIS MORNING WITHIN WARM ADVECTION REGIME AND PASSAGE OF VERY WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH. AT THIS POINT...EXPECTING MOST OF THE CONVECTION TO THE SOUTH AND WEST DIMINISHING SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE AND ANY CONVECTION ACROSS THE NORTH MOVING AWAY EARLY...WITH THE BETTER CHANCES FOR PRECIP THEN LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS SFC BASED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP NEAR FRONT ACROSS THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN CWA AND THEN EXPAND SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING. WITH MUCAPES COMMONLY 2500-3500 J/KG AND MUCH STRONGER SHEAR THAN YESTERDAY WITH TEMPS BY LATE AFTERNOON STILL NEAR JUST ABOVE 90...STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL A SEVERE WEATHER CONCERN...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHEAST KS AFT 4 PM INTO THE EVENING. ALTHOUGH CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO WITH SUSTAINED STRONGER STORMS NEAR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY BETWEEN 5 PM AND SUNSET. THE FRONT WILL CREATE QUITE A SIGNIFICANT RANGE IN HIGHS FROM THE UPPER 70S IN THE FAR NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE CWA TO THE LOW 90S IN THE EAST CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF THE NORTHEAST. AS THE MAIN SHORTWAVE TROUGH LIFTS OUT INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS...THE FRONT WILL BEGIN TO MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD TONIGHT BUT ONLY REACH THE FAR SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE CWA BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WILL CREATE A HIGH TEMP GRADIENT ON FRIDAY FROM THE 70S NORTH CENTRAL TO NEAR 90 AT GARNETT. THEREFORE...FOCUSED HIGHER THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ALONG AND EAST OF THE TURNPIKE WITH ANOTHER CHANCE FOR STRONG WINDS AND HAIL WITH THE STRONGER CELLS BEFORE PUSHING SOUTHEAST OF THE CWA IN THE EVENING. MODELS CONTINUE TREND OF PUSHING THE FRONT SOUTH OF THE CWA BY SATURDAY WITH DRIER AND MORE STABLE ATMOSPHERE BEHIND IT ON SATURDAY. HAVE LIMITED POPS ON SATURDAY TO ONLY THE FAR SOUTH/WEST FRINGES OF THE CWA...WITH MUCH BETTER CHANCE FOR ELEVATED CONVECTION DEVELOP OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE CWA. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN MCS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE CWA DURING THIS TIMEFRAME...ALTHOUGH THE LLVL JET IS NOT AS IMPRESSIVE AS WITH PREVIOUS RUNS. EITHER WAY...HIGHER POPS STILL WARRANTED. THIS EVENT WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED FOR HEAVY RAIN/FLOODING POTENTIAL...ESPECIALLY IF HEAVY RAIN OCCURS ACROSS THE CWA PRIOR TO SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT HIGH TEMPS GRADIENT POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY DEPENDING ON PRECIP AND CLOUDCOVER WITH THE WARMER AIR PUSHING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST. FOR NOW...WILL RANGE HIGHS FROM THE UPPER 70S FAR NORTHEAST TO AROUND 90 DEGREES SOUTHWEST COUNTIES. THE WARMER AIR WILL BECOME BETTER ESTABLISHED ACROSS THE CWA AHEAD OF THE NEXT MID WEEK SYSTEM...HIGHS MONDAY AND TUESDAY IN THE 80S AND LOWER 90S LOOK ON TRACK ALONG WITH CHANCES FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS. NEW EC HOWEVER WOULD LEAN DRIER FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH STRONGER ELEVATED MIXED LAYER WITH BETTER PRECIP CHANCES FOR WEDNESDAY AS MAIN TROUGH APPROACHES. EITHER WAY...HIGHS IN THE 80S LOOK GOOD FOR WEDNESDAY. 63 && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 457 AM CDT THU JUN 9 2011 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-101000- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 457 AM CDT THU JUN 9 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY...ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. ALTHOUGH THE MAIN HAZARDS WOULD BE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL UP TO HALF DOLLAR SIZE...AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT OVER THE NORTHEAST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE BRINGING THE POTENTIAL OF LOCALIZED FLOODING ALONG WITH RISES IN AREA RIVERS AND CREEKS. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL LINGER ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA INTO NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
The Pleasant Hill radar (KEAX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:09 UTC.
15 hail, 5 high wind, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained weather spotter reported that high winds blew off shed doors and damaged multiple trees. These winds were produced from stratiform rain, rather than from thunderstorms.
The ASOS at Emporia reported 66 mph winds.
A member of the public reported two inch tree limbs broken.
Strong wind associated with stratiform showers caused damage to a camper and boat storage area near Melvern Lake. Numerous trees were also damaged as a result of the strong wind gusts. Also, trees were blown down near Vassar.
In Ottawa numerous large tree branches were blown down which also took down some power lines between Pomona and Ottawa. A tree was blown down onto a car, and shed doors were blown down near Centropolis.
In Baldwin City power lines were blown down.
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, June 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: 325807, 325809, 325791, 325792, 325793, 325794, 325796, 325795, 325797, 325798, 325799, 325800, 325801, 325802, 325803, 325804, 325805, 325806, 326287, 326292, 326293.