An unusually early season heat wave moved into Central and South Central Kansas on May 9th, 2011. This very warm airmass led to record high temperatures falling across the region with Russell, Salina and Wichita, Kansas all setting record high temperatures.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 ICT wrote it up.
An unusually early season heat wave moved into Central and South Central Kansas on May 9th, 2011. This very warm airmass led to record high temperatures falling across the region with Russell, Salina and Wichita, Kansas all setting record high temperatures. This early season heat left some people underprepared for the stifling hear with one heat related death.
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 9, 11:17 AM CST, 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 1217 PM CDT MON MAY 9 2011 .AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THE ONLY CONCERN WILL BE GUSTY SOUTH WINDS DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH POSSIBLE. KETCHAM && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 711 AM CDT MON MAY 9 2011/ AVIATION...12Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU NO SIGNIFICANT AVIATION CONCERNS THIS PERIOD. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY OVER MOST LOCATIONS TODAY AND INTO THE NIGHT. FEW CLOUDS ANTICIPATED WITH RELATIVELY DRY AIR IN PLACE AND WARM/DRY AIR ALOFT. -HOWERTON PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 248 AM CDT MON MAY 9 2011/ DISCUSSION... UPPER LEVEL DATA ANALYSIS CONTINUES TO SHOW RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE REGION AS A TROUGH CONTINUES TO DEEPEN OVER THE WEST. AT 06Z...THE 500 MB LOW WAS CENTERED OVER OREGON. THIS LOW SHOULD CONTINUE TO DEEPEN GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF DARKENING NOTED ON THE WATER VAPOR IMAGERY NEAR THE BASE AND WEST OF THE ASSOCIATED TROUGH. SURFACE ANALYSIS AT 06Z SHOWS LOW PRESSURE IN NORTHEAST COLORADO WITH A WARM FRONT EXTENDING EAST INTO THE KANSAS CITY AREA. THE DRYLINE WAS RETREATING TO THE WEST AND WAS LOCATED FROM KHLC-KDDC- KPYX. THE DRYLINE DID MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. BEHIND IT...HIGHS REACHED 102 DEGREES. TODAY-TUESDAY: MAIN CHALLENGE HERE IS THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST TODAY AND TUESDAY. FOR TODAY...THE DRYLINE SHOULD MAKE A GOOD DRIVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA. WILL FORECAST HIGHS ABOVE 100 WEST OF IT...RATHER CONFIDENT IN THIS. THIS WILL BREAK THE CURRENT RECORD HIGHS...WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN THE CLIMATE SECTION. THE 09.00Z NWP CONTINUES TO TREND TOWARD A DEEPER SYSTEM COMING OUT OF THE WEST DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...AS SHOWN BY THE 08.12Z ECMWF. THE 09.00Z GEFS HAS MORE MEMBERS FAVORING A ECMWF SOLUTION...SO THINK THIS TREND IS ACCEPTABLE. AS A RESULT...THE FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA LATER...CAUSING HIGHER MAX TEMPERATURES TUESDAY...AS THE ONSET OF MID-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BE DELAYED. CONVECTION DURING THIS TIME PERIOD WILL BE DIFFICULT GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF CAPPING. WILL CONTINUE WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES AS IS. WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY: MAIN CHALLENGE DURING THIS PERIOD OF THE FORECAST IS CONVECTION. WITH THE SLOWER EVOLUTION OF THIS SYSTEM...THERE ARE A FEW PROBLEMS EVOLVING: /1/ HOW WARM WILL IT GET BEFORE THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH? /2/ WILL THE SEVERE THREAT SHIFT WEST? /3/ WHEN TO END THE PRECIPITATION FROM THE MAIN FRONT? /4/ DIURNAL SHOWER ACTIVITY FROM THE UPPER LEVEL COLD CORE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW. TO ADDRESS THE FIRST ONE...PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT TEMPERATURES WILL TREND UP A FEW DEGREES OVER THE NEXT FEW FORECASTS. HOWEVER...THE AMOUNT OF MID AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM SHOULD PRECLUDE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES. THE SECOND...THE SEVERE THREAT DOES SEEM TO BE SHIFTING WEST...WITH CONVECTION DEVELOPING OVER CENTRAL/SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND MOVING EAST. CAPE/SHEAR PROFILES STILL LOOK FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WINDS/HAIL. TORNADOES LOOK FAVORABLE AS WELL WITH 0-3KM MLCAPES ABOVE 150 J/KG. GIVEN THE SLOWER MOVEMENT OF THE SYSTEM...THINK THE PRECIPITATION WILL EXIT THE AREA LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING. FORCING SEEMS TO TRANSITION FURTHER NORTH DURING THE EVENING. IN ADDITION THE MEAN STORM MOTION SHOULD BE NORTHEAST AT 25-30 MPH. THE TREND OF THE GEFS MEMBERS TOWARD THE ECMWF WILL ALSO MEAN THAT A STRONGER UPPER LEVEL COLD POOL WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA. THIS WILL CAUSE DIURNAL SHOWERS TO DEVELOP INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE SYSTEM SLOWLY EXITS. CONFIDENCE IS RATHER LOW IN GETTING A GREAT DEAL OF RAIN ONCE THE SYSTEM EXITS. COOK CLIMATE... RECORD HIGHS TODAY...MONDAY MAY 9TH: WICHITA...95 IN 1895 SALINA....96 IN 1963 RUSSELL...97 IN 1956 CHANUTE...90 IN 1956 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 101 69 96 68 / 0 0 10 10 HUTCHINSON 102 65 94 67 / 0 0 10 10 NEWTON 101 69 92 68 / 0 0 10 10 ELDORADO 98 70 92 68 / 0 0 10 10 WINFIELD-KWLD 98 71 96 69 / 0 0 10 10 RUSSELL 102 61 94 64 / 0 0 10 10 GREAT BEND 103 61 94 65 / 0 0 10 10 SALINA 103 67 95 67 / 0 0 10 10 MCPHERSON 102 66 94 67 / 0 0 10 10 COFFEYVILLE 92 72 89 70 / 10 10 10 20 CHANUTE 92 71 89 69 / 10 10 10 20 IOLA 92 71 89 69 / 10 10 10 20 PARSONS-KPPF 92 72 90 70 / 10 0 10 20 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 447 AM CDT MON MAY 9 2011 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-101000- 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- 447 AM CDT MON MAY 9 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT VERY HIGH GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS...MAINLY ACROSS BARTON AND RUSSELL COUNTIES. THE HEAT INDEX WILL RANGE FROM 100 TO 105 DEGREES ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE GREATEST THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE PERIOD IS ON WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AN ADVANCING DRYLINE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS WEST OF INTERSTATE 135. THESE STORMS SHOULD MOVE NORTHEAST...AFFECTING THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS WEDNESDAY. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS IS DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND TORNADOES. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE AT THIS TIME. .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 COOK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
The National Weather Service in Wichita, Kansas set a record high temperature of 100 degrees. With the temperature reaching the century mark, this is the earliest in the year that Wichita has ever recorded a 100 degree temperature.
High temperatures near 100 degrees led to the death of a Hispanic man in Rose Hill, Kansas. The 30 year old male collapsed while working on a roof and later died from heat stroke.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excessive Heat, Butler | 2011-05-09 | 30 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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: 311570, 311582.