A significant severe weather outbreak with several damaging long track tornadoes occurred. The strongest tornado moved through portions of central Kansas and produced EF-4 damage at one home stead.
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.
A significant severe weather outbreak with several damaging long track tornadoes occurred. The strongest tornado moved through portions of central Kansas and produced EF-4 damage at one home stead. Two other tornadoes touched down producing EF-3 damage in south central 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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 14, 11:40 AM CST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 1240 PM CDT SAT APR 14 2012 .AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU CONVECTIVE TRENDS WILL BE THE MAIN ISSUE...WITH STRONG-SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VICINITY OF KRSL AT START. ISOLATED-SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON AT KSLN/KHUT/KICT...BUT EXPECT COVERAGE/INTENSITY TO RAMP UP TOWARDS 0000 UTC...WITH 0000 UTC-06 UTC THE MOST ACTIVE AT KHUT/KICT/KSLN. IFR CONDITIONS...LARGE HAIL AND 50KT+ WINDS WILL BE BRIEFLY POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THE SEVERE STORMS. DRYLINE SHOULD ENTER THE AREA LATER TONIGHT...BRINGING END TO PRECIPITATION AND LOSS OF CEILING. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS ANTICIPATED BEHIND DRYLINE. -HOWERTON && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 729 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2012/ UPDATE... THE FORECAST WILL BE UPDATED TO REMOVE THE TORNADO WATCH ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS EARLY THIS MORNING. THE FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING APPEARS ON TRACK WITH SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES STILL EXPECTED. MWM PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 645 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2012/ AVIATION...12Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU A WIDE RANGE OF FLIGHT CATEGORIES IS PRESENT ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING ALTHOUGH MVFR SHOULD PREVAIL AT MOST LOCATIONS THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. SOME LOWER VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS DEVELOPED ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS WHERE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTED NORTHWEST AFTER THE ONSET OF RADIATIONAL COOLING. FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST...LINGERING THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT KCNU THROUGH 13-14Z WITH MVFR CIGS LIKELY THROUGH MUCH OF THE MORNING. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP EAST OF THE DRYLINE WITH WIDELY SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND EAST OF THE DRYLINE AFTER 21-22Z. THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS BEFORE DEVELOPING INTO A SQUALL LINE TOWARDS MIDNIGHT AND SPREADING EAST ACROSS THE AREA. THIS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN A TRANSIENT PERIOD OF REDUCED FLIGHT CATEGORIES AND A PERIOD OF ERRATIC WIND GUSTS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. MWM PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 328 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2012/ DISCUSSION... MAIN FORECAST CONCERN WILL BE MORNING CONVECTION CHANCES...THEN AN EXPECTED TORNADO OUTBREAK TOWARDS EVENING. THIS MORNING: CONVECTION OVER NRN OK WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST THIS MORNING...AS WARM ADVECTION INCREASES ACROSS SRN KS...AND SLOWLY VEERS TO THE NORTHEAST WITH TIME. THIS WILL LEAD TO THE MAIN CONVECTION LIFTING TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES ACROSS ACROSS SRN KS. SO WILL CARRY THE HIGHEST POPS FOR AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE TURNPIKE FOR THE MORNING HOURS...WITH POPS DIMINISHING ACROSS SOUTH CEN AND CEN KS. NEXT CONCERN WILL BE STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN THE WARM SECTOR FOR THE DAYTIME HOURS AS CYCLOGENESIS GETS UNDER WAY ACROSS NW KS. TIGHT GRADIENT AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM SUGGEST SOME WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE...SO CURRENT WIND ADVISORY LOOKS OKAY. THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING: MORNING CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO LEAVE LOTS OF DEBRIS CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE AREA FOR MOST OF THE MID-DAY TIME FRAME. CURRENT GFS AND NAM/WRF SHOWS THAT THE DRY LINE IS EXPECTED TO PUSH WEST ALL WAY BACK TO ALMOST KDDC...WITH UNSTABLE AIRMASS EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE TO THE EAST OF IT...FOR AREAS WEST OF INTERSTATE 135. AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES...CLOUD COVER WILL GENERALLY SCATTER OUT FOR AREAS WEST OF A KSLN-KICT LINE AS THE DRY LINE BEGINS TO PUSH EAST LATE THIS AFTERNOON...REACHING A KHYS TO KP28 LINE BETWEEN 21Z-00Z. CURRENT THINKING...SUGGESTS THAT WITH THE DRY LINE EXPECTED TO BE FURTHER WEST...THAT STORM INITIATION WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL CLOSER TO 00Z/SUN...AS CONVERGENCE INCREASES ALONG THE DRY LINE...JUST WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE BEST COMBINATION OF BULK SHEAR (AROUND 85 KTS) AND INSTABILITY LOOKS TO BE FOCUSED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KS...WITH A MORE UNSTABLE AIRMASS FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KS. SO EXPECTING MORE WIDESPREAD TORNADIC SUPERCELLS FROM CEN KS NORTH INTO NEB...WHILE AREAS FURTHER SOUTH MAY SEE MORE ISOLATED COVERAGE. WITH THAT SAID...SHEAR (70-80KTS) AND INSTABILITY (MLCAPE 2000-3000 J/KG) ALONG THE DRY LINE...FURTHER SOUTH...LOOKS VERY FAVORABLE FOR LONG LIVED SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE STRONG TORNADOES. SO ONCE THE STORMS DEVELOP...THEY WILL CERTAINLY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND A FEW TORNADOES. STILL THE CHANCE FOR SOME STRONG/LONG TRACK TORNADOES LOOKS VALID...WITH LARGE LOOPING HODOGRAPHS...WITH 0-1KM STORM RELATIVE HELICITY VALUES OF 350-400 M2/S2 JUST W-SW OF KHUT BY 00Z/SUN. BUT ALSO THINK THE SUPERCELLS WILL BE MORE ISOLATED IN NATURE. THE REAL CONCERN WILL BE INITIATION A FEW HOURS BEFORE SUNSET...WITH CHANCES OF STRONG TORNADOES STILL ONGOING AFTER SUNSET BEING A REAL CONCERN...WHEN SPOTTING THEM IS MORE DIFFICULT. A FEW HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS SUGGEST TWO OR THREE LARGE SUPERCELLS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...BUT PLACEMENT IS STILL UNCERTAIN. CURRENT GUESS PLACES THE BEST CHANCE FROM KHUT SOUTH TO THE OK/KS LINE. THE SUPERCELLS WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST-NORTHEAST AFTER DARK...AS THE SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS NEB HELPS PUSH THE DRYLINE INTO ERN KS. THIS WILL PUSH MOST OF THE CONVECTION INTO ERN KS AND WRN MO. SUN: CONVECTION MAY STILL BE ONGOING ACROSS EXTREME SERN KS FOR THE EARLY PART ON SUN...AS MAIN SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVES ACROSS CEN KS. AS THIS SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS CEN KS DURING THE AFTERNOON... HEATING COULD SEE SOME DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STORMS ACROSS CEN KS. SO WILL KEEP THIS CHANCE IN PLACE. MON-TUE: WEAK RIDGING MOVES OVER THE AREA FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK...ALLOWING THE AREA TO DRY OUT SOME. WILL ALSO TEMPS CLOSER TO SEASONAL AVERAGES WITH SUNNY SKIES. REST OF THE EXTENDED: DIDN MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED...WITH THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SHOWING ZONAL FLOW AND SEASONAL TEMPS FOR TUE THROUGH THU. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF SHOW A WEAK SYSTEM PUSHING THROUGH THE AREA FOR THU AND THU NIGHT. SO WILL GO WITH POPS FOR THIS CHANCE. KETCHAM AVIATION...06Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ANTICIPATED TO CONTINUE FESTERING OVER SOUTHEAST KS THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...WITH ACTIVITY POSSIBLY DEVELOPING FURTHER WEST/NORTHWEST AS THE OVERNIGHT PROGRESSES...POSSIBLY AFFECTING KICT-KHUT-KRSL-KSLN. COULD POTENTIALLY SEE IFR OR LOWER CIGS/VSBYS DEVELOP OVERNIGHT FOR MAINLY KRSL...AS HIGHER DEWPOINTS SLAM INTO A RADIATED OUT AIRMASS. ONLY WENT 2SM FOR NOW...BUT COULD SEE PATCHY LIFR. STORM CHANCES WILL GRADUALLY EXIT EASTWARD SATURDAY MORNING...ALONG WITH IMPROVING CIGS. ANTICIPATING A FEW ISOLATED HIGH-END SEVERE STORMS ACROSS THE REGION BY 21Z SATURDAY...ALONG AND AHEAD OF A DRYLINE APPROACHING FROM THE WEST. ADK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 76 57 71 44 / 40 70 10 10 HUTCHINSON 76 53 70 44 / 40 50 10 10 NEWTON 74 55 70 45 / 40 60 10 10 ELDORADO 75 59 71 46 / 30 70 10 10 WINFIELD-KWLD 78 59 72 46 / 30 70 10 10 RUSSELL 78 49 66 42 / 40 30 20 10 GREAT BEND 78 48 67 43 / 40 30 20 10 SALINA 78 54 71 43 / 40 50 10 10 MCPHERSON 76 53 70 44 / 40 50 10 10 COFFEYVILLE 78 65 74 48 / 60 60 60 10 CHANUTE 76 63 73 47 / 60 60 60 10 IOLA 75 63 72 47 / 60 60 60 10 PARSONS-KPPF 77 64 73 47 / 60 60 60 10 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR KSZ032-033- 047>053-067>070-082-083-091>094-098. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 733 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2012 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-151045- 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- 733 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES APPEARS LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA FOR THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. SOME OF THE TORNADOES COULD BE STRONG AND LONG LIVED WITH A GOOD CHANCE THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE WELL AFTER SUNSET THIS EVENING...WHEN THEY WILL BE DIFFICULT TO SEE. THERE IS ALSO A GOOD CHANCE THAT THE ISOLATED SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE BASEBALL SIZE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS TO 70 MPH. THE HIGHEST THREAT FOR STRONG TORNADOES EXISTS ALONG A LINE FROM SALINA...TO NEWTON...TO WICHITA...TO WELLINGTON. ADDITIONALLY...STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL PREVAIL TODAY...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS ALONG AND WEST OF THE FLINT HILLS...WHERE A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY IN CENTRAL KANSAS AND AGAIN ON THURSDAY FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DIME TO NICKEL SIZED HAIL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH 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
722 AM CDT SAT APR 14 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 NE LIBERTY 37.19N 95.55W
04/14/2012 M2.76 INCH MONTGOMERY KS CO-OP OBSERVER
24-HOUR RAINFALL ENDING AT 7 AM
&&
MWMThe Dodge City radar (KDDC), 159 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:18 UTC.
28 tornado, 19 hail, 12 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
At mile marker 188 on highway 70, a few road signs were blown over or snapped.
Measured by NWS equipment.
Minor damage to a barn.
An out building was damaged with debris strewn to the northeast.
Several electric lines were blown down and a few power poles were snapped.
Occurred over open country.
Occurred over open country.
The gust was reported by a trained spotter.
A few outbuildings were damaged or destroyed along with some downed power lines.
Some minor street flooding was noted in and around Russell, while some county roads were completely washed out. Unfortunately, damage estimates are not available.
Brief touchdown in an open field.
Brief touchdown in an open field.
Gutters stripped from house and shingle damage. Five power poles snapped and launched into a wheat field. Two truck axles laying in a wheat field from an unknown vehicle. Several large tree trunks snapped and twisted. EF2 tornado rating. Numerous large cottonwood tree trunks snapped. This tornado moved into Ellsworth county.
Tornado scoured and dug out a section gravel road about 4 to 5 inches deep. Home was swept off foundation and destroyed with small stair case remaining in center. Debris from home was tossed into adjacent tree line to the northeast. Numerous trees around the house were snapped and shredded. Some trees were also debarked from the intense wind speeds. Car was flipped and tossed upside down. This tornado moved into McPherson County.
Large tornado moved across open country and only damaged trees. This tornado moved into Saline County.
Major damage to large trees along the path and to a farm house near Smolan.
The tornado was observed in open country.
Very brief touchdown in open country.
All surrounding buildings destroyed with sheet metal debris lofted and tossed northeast into a wheat field. Hay baler rolled over on its side. The roof was lifted off the house with major structural cracks visible on interior walls and ceiling through out the house, siding was striped from home in a few areas along with several puncture holes from flying debris. A jagged piece of wood lodged into side of home. This tornado moved into Ottawa county which is Topeka's responsibility.
Brief touchdown in open country.
Brief touchdown in open country.
Brief touchdown in open country.
The tornado moved through a farmstead and damaged all farm outbuildings. Many of the buildings were completely destroyed. The tornado continued on and caused more damage to a homes roof and a barn.
A barn was destroyed, trees uprooted and snapped, bolted down garage blown away, windows blown in on 2 sides south of Pilsen.
Near Lost Springs, trees were uprooted, windows blown in, a concrete grain elevator was destroyed, and out buildings were destroyed.
This tornado moved into Morris County which is NWS Topeka's warning responsibility.
One small semi thrown approximately 140 feet over a fence and the cab was slightly flattened on the top. Minimal damage to the one story house with basement besides a carport torn off, windows blown out, and only tar paper left on roof. Ford F-150 thrown and displaced to the southeast into a tractor approximately 30 feet away with wheel of tractor intruding the driver side of the truck.
A farmstead with two homes on it and an airport hangar. The airport hangar and other metal sheds were broken apart. Wooden barn with concrete stalls had collapsed onto the stalls. One older home that was vacant and had just had the roof replaced last summer; however, roof was torn apart and removed on the north side. Second home had damage to the garage with one side being blown out. Large tree fell onto house and busted windows. Debris scattered in the field surrounding farm.
Abandoned farmstead had house torn apart with no roof and exposed walls but hard to tell. Trees in area uprooted with mainly the major branches remaining in some cases.
A two story house was completely removed from foundation and had landed on top of a three car garage. The basement is all that remained. Cars that were in the garage lost windows and one was dented on the one side. A fifth wheel camper was thrown 100 yards with only a split in the frame and wheels remaining. The top portion was only small pieces.
This tornado continued on to the NNE and a roof was completely torn off of the home. All of the windows were blown out. Outbuildings were demolished. Large trees were uprooted. Objects were embedded into the house and trees including a twig into a tree, a 2x4 blown into an interior wall on the main part of the house. The porch was gone.
The tornado moved to the northeast and hit two homestead. One home sustained considerable damage to two covered porches and a barn. The other farm completely lost its barn.
This tornado moved in from Stafford County. A large metal machine shed was destroyed with sheet metal debris wrapped around numerous trees and fence posts to the east and north of farm house. All windows blown out on farm home, roof lifted with chimney sheared off and numerous punctures in siding. Section of metal fence tossed into window of home.
The wind gust was measured at Jabara Airport.
The wind gust was estimated by a trained spotter.
Significant damage to homes, many of them had a number missing outer walls. Seven homes were missing two to four walls, one home was completely destroyed. The trees associated with house completely stripped to nothing, this was also the case at many other locations along the path.
A mobile home park to south had seventy five percent of the homes uninhabitable. Approximately twenty five percent were reduced to rubble.
Significant damage was also noted at McConnell AFB. Many of the hangars sustained damage. One hangar in particular that was owned by Spirit Aerosystems sustained a considerable amount of damage.
Several apartments and businesses also had damage like roofs being torn off and windows blown out.
Official wind measurement at Mid-Continent airport.
Official measurement at McConnell AFB.
Tornado moved over open country the whole time.
Large tornado moved over open country and did not cause any damage.
Brief touchdown of a rope tornado in an open field.
The tornado mainly moved over open country, however, one horse farm was impacted with minimal damage to several of their barns.
This report came from just west of highway 254.
This report came from the north end of El Dorado.
Large tornado moved over open country and caused no damage.
Tornado moved northeast causing damage to one trailer home. It basically cut the home into two pieces. Some trees were also damaged along the path.
The wind gust was reported by a trained spotter.
Water was reported over the road.
This report was on highway 400.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2012Warnings in Kansas, April 2012
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: 374651, 374652, 366366, 374653, 374654, 366369, 366370, 374655, 374656, 374660, 366364, 374661, 374665, 374666, 366365, 374667, 366377, 366383, 366401, 366402, 367575, 374669, 374671, 366403, 366405, 366406, 366407, 366408, 366409, 374673, 374675, 374676, 374678, 366414, 366413, 366415, 366417, 374679, 366419, 374681, and more.