Rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rainfall battered portions of central and north-central Kansas late May, causing the Salt Creek, Spillman Creek and Saline River to overflow their banks. Widespread flooding occurred along these creeks, rivers and associated tributaries, resulting in numerous flooded roads.
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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.
Rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rainfall battered portions of central and north-central Kansas late May, causing the Salt Creek, Spillman Creek and Saline River to overflow their banks. Widespread flooding occurred along these creeks, rivers and associated tributaries, resulting in numerous flooded roads.
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 May 25, 11:39 AM CST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 1239 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011 .AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU MAIN AVIATION CONCERNS WILL BE MVFR CIGS ALONG WITH STRONG NW WINDS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. CLOSED UPPER LOW IS SITUATED ALONG THE KS/MO BORDER AND IS SLOWLY PUSHING EAST. SCATTERED POCKETS OF SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ON THE BACKSIDE OF THIS LOW OVER ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA. A FEW STORMS MAY ALSO BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON OVER SE KS. CIGS WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BE VARIABLE...BOUNCING FROM VFR TO MVFR IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AS THE SHOWERS PASS. STRONG NW WINDS WILL CONTINUE OVER CENTRAL KS AND WILL EVENTUALLY CREEP DOWN INTO SOUTH CENTRAL KS THIS AFTERNOON. GUSTS TO 40-45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH THE HIGHER GUSTS OVER CENTRAL KS. THE SHOWERS AND "LOWER" CIGS WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH EAST OVERNIGHT. LAWSON && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 635 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011/ AVIATION...12Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU MVFR CIGS WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS THIS MORNING OTHERWISE CLOUD CEILINGS WILL RISE A BIT ABOVE MVFR LEVELS FOR ALL LOCATIONS BY THIS AFTERNOON. OCCASIONAL SHOWERS WILL ROTATE AROUND THE UPPER LOW PRESSURE TODAY WITH VERY GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS KICKING UP IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. NORTHWEST WINDS AROUND 30MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED. THE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH AROUND SUNSET...BUT WILL STILL SEE SOME GUSTS. JAKUB PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 332 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011/ DISCUSSION... FORECAST CONCERNS TODAY WILL BE CONTINUED CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED TSRA TODAY...THEN POSSIBLY SOME PESKY SHOWER CHANCES FOR THE START OF THE WEEKEND. TODAY: UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO DEEPEN ACROSS WRN KS AT THIS TIME... WITH MAIN SFC LOW LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL KS. THIS UPPER LOW WILL MAKE SLOW PROGRESS ACROSS THE ERN HALF OF KS FOR THE DAYTIME HOURS TODAY. COLD CORE NATURE TO THE SYSTEM WILL LEAD TO A WIDESPREAD CHANCE OF SHOWERS TODAY....AS THE UPPER LOW SPINS ACROSS THE AREA. CANNOT RULE OUT SOME EMBEDDED TSRA WITH THE SHOWERS...AS HEATING OF THE DAY WITH STEEP LAPSE RATES UNDER THE LOW COULD LEAD TO A FEW STRONG STORMS. THE STRONG LOW PRESSURE AREA AND TIGHT GRADIENT ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE LOW WILL ALSO LEAD TO STRONG GUSTY WINDS MOVING INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KS TODAY. 850H WINDS OF 50 KTS COULD LEAD TO MOMENTUM TRANSFER OF 35-45 KT WINDS TO THE SFC. SO WILL HOIST A WIND ADVISORY FOR AREAS WEST OF I-135 FOR THIS CHANCE. THE CLOUD COVER/SHOWERS AND WINDY CONDITIONS WILL KEEP A LID ON TEMPS TODAY...WITH PLACES IN CENTRAL KS NOT RISING UP TOO MUCH TODAY...POSSIBLY EVEN DROPPING A FEW DEGREES. THU-FRI: RIDGING LOOKS TO MOVE INTO THE AREA ON THU IN THE WAKE OF THE UPPER LOW MOVING EAST OF THE AREA. SO THU LOOKS A NICE DAY WITH LIGHT WINDS AND SEASONAL SPRING TEMPS ACROSS THE AREA. THINGS GET A LITTLE MORE INTERESTING FOR FRI...AS A LOW PRESSURE AREA DROPS ACROSS SOUTHWEST KANSAS INTO THE NRN TX. NOT ALOT OF UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT AS THIS FEATURE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA SO NOT EXPECTING A A WIDESPREAD SHOWERS CHANCE. BUT MOISTURE RETURN TO THE EAST OF THIS LOW COULD LEAD TO A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS. THE MOST UNSTABLE AIR LOOKS TO STAY SOUTH OF KS...BUT SOME ELEVATED INSATIABILITY WILL BE AROUND FOR A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER. SAT-TUE: BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF SHOW A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO DRIFT ACROSS SRN KS INTO THE ERN HALF OF KS ON SAT INTO SAT NIGHT. MOISTURE RETURN ALONG THIS BOUNDARY SUGGESTS A LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR THIS TIME FRAME FOR SRN/SOUTHEAST KS. NOT SURE HOW SUNDAY WILL PLAY OUT...AS UPPER RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST US GETS STRONGER...WITH WARMER AIR MOVING NORTH ACROSS THE PLAINS. THIS WILL PROBABLY KEEP THINGS CAPPED OFF AS WARMER AIR ALOFT MOVES INTO THE PLAINS...BASICALLY CAPPING ANY TSRA CHANCES...EVEN THOUGH THE ECMWF/GFS SHOW THE WEAK BOUNDARY REMAINING ACROSS ERN KS. WILL KEEP SUNDAY DRY FOR NOW...AND ALSO KEEP MON INTO TUE DRY...AS A WARM AND DRY AIRMASS LOOKS TO BUILD INTO THE PLAINS. KETCHAM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 66 51 71 52 / 60 20 0 10 HUTCHINSON 65 49 71 52 / 70 20 0 10 NEWTON 66 50 70 51 / 60 30 0 10 ELDORADO 67 53 70 51 / 60 30 10 10 WINFIELD-KWLD 67 53 72 52 / 50 20 10 10 RUSSELL 61 46 70 52 / 70 20 0 10 GREAT BEND 61 47 71 54 / 70 20 0 10 SALINA 64 48 70 52 / 70 20 10 10 MCPHERSON 65 48 70 51 / 70 30 0 10 COFFEYVILLE 68 54 70 53 / 50 30 10 10 CHANUTE 68 53 69 51 / 60 40 10 10 IOLA 68 53 69 51 / 60 40 10 10 PARSONS-KPPF 68 53 69 52 / 50 40 10 10 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR KSZ032-033-047>051- 067-068-082-083-091-092. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 547 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-261100- 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- 547 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG GUSTY NORTH WINDS TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE FOR AREAS WEST OF INTERSTATE 135 TODAY. SEE THE LATEST WIND ADVISORY FOR MORE DETAILS. SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY..BUT THEY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE STRONG OR SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM MOVING OUT OF THE ROCKIES ON FRIDAY MAY BRING INCREASING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ON SATURDAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED FRIDAY OR SATURDAY WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. .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 KETCHAM
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
218 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0217 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 2 E YATES CENTER 37.87N 95.71W
05/25/2011 WOODSON KS LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS SEVERAL 911 CALLS REPORTING A
BRIEF FUNNEL CLOUD.
&&
SGSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The swollen Salt Creek, Spillman Creek and Saline River produced areas of flooding across portions of Lincoln County. Numerous roads were flooded along those creeks and rivers and associated tributaries. Any property damage that may have occurred is unknown.
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, May 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: 312539.