On August 25, 2012 several rounds of moderate to heavy rain brought 3 to 5 inches of rain to portions of northeast Kansas. Due to the dry conditions throughout the summer widespread flooding and flash flooding did not occur; however, one location near Junction City along Old Highway 40 did have some running water flowing across two intersections due to a pond overflowing.
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 TOP wrote it up.
On August 25, 2012 several rounds of moderate to heavy rain brought 3 to 5 inches of rain to portions of northeast Kansas. Due to the dry conditions throughout the summer widespread flooding and flash flooding did not occur; however, one location near Junction City along Old Highway 40 did have some running water flowing across two intersections due to a pond overflowing.
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 Aug 25, 2:27 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 327 PM CDT SAT AUG 25 2012 .DISCUSSION... MORNING UPPER AIR DATA SHOWED THE STACKED UPPER SYSTEM OVER WESTERN KANSAS WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AROUND 2 INCHES FROM EAST TEXAS INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA. ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO ROTATE NORTHEAST OVER EASTERN KANSAS...WITH SLOWER MOVEMENTS NEAR DEFORMATION AREA IN NORTHERN KANSAS AND SOUTHERN NEBRASKA. MINOR HEATING IN THE VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE HAS RESULTED IN AROUND 1000 J/KG OF INSTABILITY TO DEVELOP IN SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF KANSAS. THE WET PERIOD WILL PERSIST FOR ALL LOCATIONS INTO AT LEAST THE EVENING HOURS. THE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE ITS SLOW MOVEMENT...REACHING FAR EASTERN KANSAS BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH A DRYING TREND WORKING THROUGH FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING...WILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON CONVECTION AS SURFACE WINDS REMAIN BACKED AND STRONG ENOUGH FOR GOOD LOW LEVEL SHEAR TO MATERIALIZE. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS NOT IMPRESSIVE...BUT CANT COMPLETELY RULE OUT A BRIEF SPIN-UP WITH LOW STORM BASES. SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS ALSO POSSIBLE IN SUSTAINED UPDRAFTS. TRAINING/SLOW-MOVING STORMS ALSO A CONCERN...PARTICULARLY WHERE HEAVY RAINS HAVE ALREADY FALLEN IN THIS EVENT. INQUIRIES TO COUNTY AGENCIES AND RIVER REPORTERS HAVE YIELDED NO PROBLEMS WITH THE WATER THUS FAR...AND A WIDESPREAD THREAT CONTINUES TO BE QUITE UNLIKELY DESPITE MORE ROUNDS OF PRECIP MOVING THROUGH. SUNDAY MIDDAY INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON COULD PRESENT ANOTHER STRONG CONVECTIVE CONCERN WITH A SIMILAR SETUP TO TODAY DEPENDING ON PERIODS OF CLEARING AND INSOLATION. 65 FOR SUNDAY NIGHT...THE MODELS HAVE TRENDED A LITTLE SLOWER IN SHIFTING THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS AND DEEPER MOISTURE TO THE SOUTHEAST. BECAUSE OF THE HAVE INSERTED SOME SMALL POPS ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. BY MONDAY THE DEEPER MOISTURE SHOULD BE SOUTHEAST OF ANDERSON CO. SO WILL CONTINUE WITH A DRY FORECAST IN SPITE OF SOME INSTABILITY DEVELOPING WITH A WEAK WAVE MOVING SOUTH ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE UPPER RIDGE. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A SFC FEATURE TO FOCUS THE INSTABILITY AND LARGE SCALE VERTICAL MOTION LOOKS WEAK. OTHERWISE FOR MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE FORECAST CONTINUES TO SHOW DRY WEATHER PERSISTING AS AN UPPER RIDGE REDEVELOPS OVERHEAD. FORTUNATELY THE GFS AND ECMWF SHOW WEAK SFC RIDGING FROM THE NORTHEAST WITH AN EASTERLY COMPONENT TO THE WINDS LASTING THROUGH THE WORK WEEK. ADDITIONALLY 850 TEMPS AND 1000-500MB THICKNESSES DO NOT SHOW MUCH WARM AIR ADVECTION. BECAUSE OF THIS HAVE TEMPS GRADUALLY WARMING WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S AND AROUND 90 GIVEN 850 TEMP PROGS OF UPPER TEENS TO AROUND 20C. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE MID 60S. WOLTERS && .AVIATION... FOR 18Z TAFS...MAIN AVIATION CONCERN IS PREVAILING BANDS OF SHOWERS WITH POSSIBLE THUNDER IN THE VCNTY THROUGH FORECAST PERIOD AS SFC LOW GRADUALLY TRACKS EASTWARD. UNDERNEATH THE LIGHTER SHOWERS VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL UNLESS A HEAVIER SHOWER CROSSES OVER TERMINAL WHERE CONDITIONS DETERIORATE TO MVFR TEMPORARILY. LATEST ATMOSPHERIC PROFILES SUGGEST CONDITIONS DOWNGRADING TO MVFR AND POSSIBLY IFR OVERNIGHT AS COVERAGE OF RAIN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDER INCREASES. LOW CONFIDENCE FOR TIME LENGTH OF IFR CONDITIONS SO HELD MVFR CIGS/VIS AFTER 08Z AT KMHK AND 09Z AT KTOP/KFOE UNTIL LATER TAF ISSUANCES. SOUTHWEST WINDS ABOVE 10KTS BACK TO THE EAST AND WEAKEN TO AROUND 5KTS AFTER 03Z AT KTOP/KFOE. BOWEN && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 532 AM CDT SAT AUG 25 2012 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-261045- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 532 AM CDT SAT AUG 25 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. SEVERE WEATHER IS UNLIKELY...HOWEVER THERE IS A CHANCE FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THAT COULD BRING STANDING WATER TO URBAN AREAS OR RISES ON SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY. SEVERE WEATHER IS UNLIKELY BUT THE POTENTIAL REMAINS FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1056 AM CDT SAT AUG 25 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1056 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 SSW JUNCTION CITY 38.98N 96.86W
08/25/2012 M4.64 INCH GEARY KS PUBLIC
2 DAY STORM TOTAL
&&
JBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
221 PM CDT SAT AUG 25 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0215 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 SE NILES 38.96N 97.46W
08/25/2012 M1.94 INCH OTTAWA KS TRAINED SPOTTER
AMOUNT SINCE MIDNIGHT
0215 PM HEAVY RAIN LONGFORD 39.17N 97.33W
08/25/2012 M4.61 INCH CLAY KS CO-OP OBSERVER
4.61 STORM TOTAL. 0.75 SINCE 8 AM.
&&
WOLTERSSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
421 PM CDT SAT AUG 25 2012
KSZ054-252200-
LYON-
421 PM CDT SAT AUG 25 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL LYON COUNTY...
THROUGH 500 PM CDT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL LYON COUNTY. NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
STRONG WINDS AROUND 50 MPH AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. SOME LOCATIONS THAT
COULD BE AFFECTED INCLUDE AMERICUS...EMPORIA
AIRPORT...EMPORIA...BUSHONG AND ALLEN. MOTORISTS ALONG THE KANSAS
TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 117 AND 144 COULD ALSO BE AFFECTED.
MOTORISTS ALONG INTERSTATE 35 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 128 AND 138 COULD
ALSO BE AFFECTED.
STAY ALERT TO THE WEATHER IN CASE A WARNING IS ISSUED.
&&
LAT...LON 3855 9635 3869 9622 3861 9605 3841 9603
3824 9635
TIME...MOT...LOC 2121Z 224DEG 29KT 3846 9636 3826 9632
$$ LEIGHTONThe Topeka radar (KTWX), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:39 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Two intersections along Old Highway 40 had running water flowing, as a result of heavy rain causing a nearby pond to overflow. The intersections of Old Highway 40 and Milford Lake Road and Crider Road were impassible due to the water.
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: 396457.