Dry conditions, which started in the spring, intensified during the month of August. Drought D2 and D3 conditions at the beginning of the month, increased to D3 and D4 conditions by the end of the month.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 EAX wrote it up.
Dry conditions, which started in the spring, intensified during the month of August. Drought D2 and D3 conditions at the beginning of the month, increased to D3 and D4 conditions by the end of the month. Most locations by the end month, continued yearly rainfall deficits in the 10 to 15 inch range.
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 Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 11:32 PM CST, 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 1232 AM CDT WED AUG 1 2012 ...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION... .DISCUSSION... Scattered showers continue to develop across portions of southwest Missouri this afternoon, although most of this activity has now pushed south of the forecast area. Focused isentropic ascent is once again expected to develop across southeastern Kansas into west-central Missouri overnight. Therefore, expect somewhat of a repeat of last night's activity with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms across this area. Otherwise, expect another warm day across the area as H85 temperatures of 26-29C spread in from the west. Deep, albeit weak mixing should promote temperatures climbing into the upper 90s to lower 100s across most locations. Some uncertainty exists as to the amount of cloud cover that will persist across the area given the expectation of morning convection along with ample monsoonal moisture cresting the upper ridge and streaming into the area. Will therefore hold off on heat headlines for now and let later shifts evaluate how morning convection will affect the day's temperatures. Attention then turns to an upper short wave trough that will slide across the central plains Wednesday into Wednesday night. This is expected to ignite convection across portions of Nebraska and Iowa during the day, which may then spread southward into northwest Missouri overnight and into the early morning hours Thursday. Additional convection will then be possible as the wave traverses the forecast area during the day Thursday. Depending on mesoscale details and how any morning convection affects the day's instability profile, a few stronger storms may be possible Thursday given modest deep layer shear. Otherwise, knocked a few degrees off of daytime highs with the expectation of cloud cover and any scattered convection. Deroche Medium Range (Friday - Tuesday) Friday - Sunday: On Friday morning the upper level disturbance that brought showers and thunderstorms to the area will shift off to the east. A few remaining showers may still be ongoing across portions of central Missouri on Friday morning so have maintained slight chance POPs there. Otherwise temperatures Friday will continue to be hot with highs in the mid 90s to lower 100s. On Saturday a strong upper level trough will move across the Northern Plains and into the Upper Midwest. This will send a cold front into the area on the Saturday providing a good chance for showers and thunderstorms on Saturday and Saturday night. Although convergence will be weak there will be enough available instability for the potential for severe weather with damaging winds and hail being the possible threats. This system will exit the area on Sunday morning as a upper level ridge which was suppressed across the southern Plains early in the weekend will begin to build northward into the Central Plains. Temperatures behind the front on Sunday will be closer to average for this time of year with highs ranging from the upper 80s to mid 90s. Monday - Tuesday: The upper level ridge will strengthen over the Central Plains on Monday and then slide eastward over the local area by Tuesday. This will keep conditions dry as we head into next week as the heat builds back into the area. 850mb temperatures on Tuesday will range from 25C-27C which will translate to the upper 90s to lower 100s. 73 && .AVIATION... For the 06z TAF, VFR conditions with only scattered high clouds expected. Any convection during this period will remain south of the Kansas City sites. MJ && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. && WFO EAX
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 647 PM CDT TUE JUL 31 2012 KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040- 043>046-053-054-011115- ATCHISON KS-MIAMI-LINN KS-DONIPHAN-LEAVENWORTH-WYANDOTTE-JOHNSON KS- ATCHISON MO-NODAWAY-WORTH-GENTRY-HARRISON-MERCER-PUTNAM-SCHUYLER- HOLT-ANDREW-DE KALB-DAVIESS-GRUNDY-SULLIVAN-ADAIR-BUCHANAN-CLINTON- CALDWELL-LIVINGSTON-LINN MO-MACON-PLATTE-CLAY-RAY-CARROLL-CHARITON- RANDOLPH-JACKSON-LAFAYETTE-SALINE-HOWARD-CASS-JOHNSON MO-PETTIS- COOPER-BATES-HENRY- 647 PM CDT TUE JUL 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST...NORTH CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI...AS WELL AS EXTREME EASTERN KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT IN EAST-CENTRAL KANSAS AND WEST-CENTRAL MISSOURI. NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A FEW PERIODS OF ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. A FEW STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE DAY THURSDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS VERY LOW. HOT TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 90S TO 103 ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WITH AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES FROM THE UPPER 90S TO 105. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. BAILEY
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Below normal precipitation continued through August, with D4 exceptional drought conditions across the county. Atchison reported 3.47 inches of rain for the month.
Below normal precipitation continued through August, with D3 extreme drought conditions across the county. Troy reported 2.72 inches of rain for the month.
Below normal precipitation continued through August, with D4 exceptional drought conditions across the county. Overland Park reported 0.60 inches of rain for the month.
Below normal precipitation continued through August, with D4 exceptional drought conditions across the county. Leavenworth reported 2.44 inches of rain for the month.
Below normal precipitation continued through August, with D4 exceptional drought conditions across the county. Mound City reported 1.40 inches of rain for the month.
Below normal precipitation continued through August, with D4 exceptional drought conditions across the county. Hillsdale Lake reported 1.07 inches of rain for the month.
Below normal precipitation continued through August, with D4 extreme drought conditions across the county. Bonner Springs reported 0.78 inches of rain for the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, August 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: 409251, 409253, 409254, 409255, 409256, 409257, 409258.