On the evening of Tuesday, February 28 2012, a very strong upper level storm system caused widespread thunderstorms to form across most of central and eastern Kansas. The storms initiated approximately 4:00 PM and increased in coverage and intensity throughout the night.
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 the evening of Tuesday, February 28 2012, a very strong upper level storm system caused widespread thunderstorms to form across most of central and eastern Kansas. The storms initiated approximately 4:00 PM and increased in coverage and intensity throughout the night. Since atmospheric instability was not extremely high there were few reports of severe hail; however, many structures across the area were damaged due to strong, straight-line thunderstorm winds.
The most significant event from the evening of February 28 was a strong tornado that impacted Harveyville, Kansas at approximately 9:03 pm CST. The town sustained significant damage to some structures, including an apartment complex and a church. On Wednesday, February 29 a National Weather Service survey crew traveled to Harveyville to assess the damage. The tornado caused at least 12 injuries and one fatality. The survey crew gave a preliminary assessment of EF-2 damage, indicating wind speeds of 111 - 135 mph.
Three other tornadoes occurred across the area that night, but no injuries and only marginal damage to outbuildings and structures occurred from these other tornadoes.
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 Feb 28, 3:43 PM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 343 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012 .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM - THROUGH WEDNESDAY... AN AREA OF ELEVATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAS PUSHED EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH A LULL IN THE PRECIPITATION DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO RAPIDLY STREAM NORTH WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 50S IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND CONTINUING THE NORTHWARD ADVECTION. AT 21Z...THE DRY LINE EXTENDED FROM NEAR NORTON KANSAS TO DODGE CITY KANSAS AND WAS PROGRESSING EAST. THE UPPER LEVEL VORT MAX OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO WAS MOVING EAST WITH EVIDENCE OF A PIECE OF ENERGY APPROACHING NORTHWEST KANSAS. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED ALONG THE DRY LINE IN NORTHWEST KANSAS AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF THE SURFACE LOW AND UPPER ENERGY. IT APPEARS THAT THE CURRENT LULL IN PRECIPITATION WILL LAST UNTIL THE STRONG FORCING ALONG THE DRY LINE CROSSES THE AREA THIS EVENING. EXPECT THE DRY LINE TO APPROACH CONCORDIA AROUND 7 PM...MANHATTAN BY 9 PM...AND TOPEKA BY 10 PM. ANTICIPATE ABOUT AN 80 MILE WIDE BAND OF SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY TO PERSIST ALONG AND IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF THE DRY LINE AS IT CROSSES THE AREA WITH SBCAPE UP TO 750 J/KG. 0-6 KM SHEAR OF 70+ KTS AND 0-1 SHEAR AROUND 35 KTS WILL SUPPORT EMBEDDED ROTATION WITHIN ANY UPDRAFTS THAT ARE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THEMSELVES IN SUCH A HIGH SHEAR ENVIRONMENT. THOSE STORMS WOULD THEN LIKELY HAVE A VERY FAST STORM MOTION ON THE ORDER OF 50 TO 60 KTS. CONVECTIVE COVERAGE AND INTENSITY ARE IN QUESTION WITH THE MOST LIKELY AREAS TO SEE STORMS CONSISTING OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS EARLY THIS EVENING AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS LATE IN THE EVENING. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT A BROKEN LINE OF STORMS WILL TRAVERSE THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA AS WELL IF FORCING IS SUFFICIENT. UNCERTAINTY REGARDING CONVECTIVE INTENSITY IS ROOTED IN THE CAPE/SHEAR RELATIONSHIP AS UPDRAFTS MAY BE OVERSHEARED. IF UPDRAFTS CAN SUSTAIN THEMSELVES THROUGH THE IMPRESSIVE SHEAR PROFILE...THEN MORE ROBUST UPDRAFTS WOULD BE EXPECTED. IT APPEARS THAT HAIL WILL BE COMMON WITH MOST SUSTAINED UPDRAFTS... BUT LARGE HAIL WILL BE HARDER TO COME BY WITH MARGINAL POTENTIAL FOR ANYTHING LARGER THAN QUARTER SIZE. DAMAGING WINDS IN THE 60 TO 65 MPH RANGE WILL BE POSSIBLE UNDER STRONGER DOWNDRAFTS...MAINLY DUE TO ALL OF THE AMBIENT WIND ENERGY JUST OFF THE SURFACE. THE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR...VERY LOW LCL VALUES...AND 0-3 KM CAPE SUGGEST A LOW END TORNADO THREAT AS WELL IF ROBUST UPDRAFTS ARE SUSTAINED. WEST WINDS WILL OVERTAKE THE AREA AS THE DRY LINE PASSES...BRINGING AN END TO PRECIPITATION. WEDNESDAY WILL BE DRY...WINDY...AND WARM GIVEN THAT THERE IS NOT MUCH COLD AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM. DEEP MIXING WILL ALSO PROMOTE WARM TEMPS...WIND GUSTS AND LOW DEWPOINTS AT THE SURFACE. WILL NEED TO MONITOR FIRE WEATHER FOR THE POTENTIAL OF EXTREME FIRE DANGER IN THE AREA. BARJENBRUCH MID RANGE AND EXTENDED FORECAST (THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)... WARMING TREND STILL ON TAP FOR THURSDAY AS SOUTHERLY FLOW USHERS SOME WARMER AIR INTO THE FORECAST AREA. DEEP MIXING TO AROUND 800 MB WILL ENHANCE THE WARMING ON THURSDAY. OBTAINED THE FORECAST HIGH FOR THURSDAY BY MIXING AIR PARCELS FROM APPROXIMATELY 800 MB TO THE SURFACE. THE RESULTING HIGHS FOR THURSDAY WILL BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 60 DEGREE RANGE WITH SOME AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 POSSIBLY REACHING ABOVE 70 DEGREES FOR THURSDAY. AS THE SURFACE TROUGH RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WARMING THURSDAY WARMING TREND MOVES OFF TO THE EAST A SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA ON THE LEADING EDGE OF A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE. EXPECT A GRADUAL COOL DOWN AS THE COOLER AIR MASS WORKS ITS WAY INTO THE AREA. MODELS STILL SUGGESTING THAT A BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL DIG ITS WAY SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS FOR FRIDAY. FRIDAY COULD BRING A PERIOD OF VERY LIGHT PRECIPITATION AS THE BEST UPPER FORCING COMES THROUGH. MOISTURE WILL BE FAIRLY MEAGER...ESPECIALLY IN THE LOWEST 150 MB...SO IT WILL BE TOUGH TO GET MUCH IN THE WAY OF ACCUMULATION FROM THIS SYSTEM. AREAS WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR ACCUMULATING PRECIP WILL BE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 24...BUT EVEN IN THESE AREAS LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH OF PRECIP IS THE LIKELY SCENARIO. THERMAL PROFILES INDICATE SOME UNCERTAINTY TO PRECIP MODE AS IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE DENDRITIC GROWTH LAYER COULD GET SATURATED...BUT SURFACE TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING. THESE FACTORS SHOULD LIMIT THE PRECIP TOTAL AND MITIGATE EVEN MORE THE LIKELIHOOD OF ACCUMULATING SNOW. WILL NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION FRIDAY MORNING...BUT IT SHOULD BE QUITE LIGHT. NORTHWEST FLOW EXPECTED TO SHAPE UP OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND BRINGING COOLER NEAR SEASONAL NORMAL TEMPERATURES. DRY FORECAST IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. SOUTHERLY FLOW AND UPPER RIDGING THEN MOVES INTO THE AREA FOR THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK...WHICH WOULD ALLOW FOR A WARMING TREND EARLY NEXT WEEK. CURRENTLY EXPECTING TEMPS TO GET INTO THE LOWER TO MID 60S...BUT THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS FOR EVEN WARMER TEMPS INTO NEXT WEEK. JL && .AVIATION... BAND OF SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OVER TAF SITES THROUGH AROUND 20Z WITH MVFR CIGS BEHIND THE PRECIP. WHILE PRECIP WILL BE SHORT LIVED...THE CIGS WILL PERSIST INTO THE AFTERNOON AND GRADUALLY DECREASE TO AROUND 1200 TO 1500 FT AGL. COULD SEE SOME PARTIAL BREAKING OF CIGS LATE AFTERNOON...BUT WILL ALSO SEE A CONTINUED DECREASE IN BASES WITH IFR POTENTIAL BTWN 00Z AND 05Z. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS...SOME STRONG...WILL COME BETWEEN 02Z AND 05Z. WINDS SHIFT OUT OF WEST AND REMAIN GUSTY WITH A FRONTAL PASSAGE BETWEEN 04Z AND 06Z. BARJENBRUCH && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 355 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-292200- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 355 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CROSS THE AREA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 65 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. THERE IS ALSO POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES TO DEVELOP IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...AND ACROSS THE REST OF EASTERN KANSAS DURING THE EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THROUGH 10 PM IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...AND FROM 8 PM THROUGH 1 AM IN NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1244 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012
KSZ056-059-281900-
ANDERSON-FRANKLIN-
1244 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHEASTERN ANDERSON AND
SOUTHEASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTIES...
THROUGH 100 PM CST...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 55
MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN ANDERSON AND SOUTHEASTERN
FRANKLIN COUNTIES. TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED THIS STORM WAS
PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL IN GARNETT. RADAR INDICATES THAT HAIL UP TO
THE SIZE OF PENNIES...WINDS UP TO 40 MPH AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. SOME LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE AFFECTED
INCLUDE GARNETT...GREELEY AND LANE.
&&
LAT...LON 3825 9507 3816 9528 3831 9533 3839 9519
3848 9507 3826 9506
TIME...MOT...LOC 1844Z 231DEG 46KT 3830 9519The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:35 UTC.
10 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
The first batch of storms formed across central Kansas and as they moved to the northeast gathered strength. One of the storms produced a brief and weak tornado in far western Cloud County. No significant damage or injuries occurred from this tornado.
Another brief tornado formed from the storm that caused the tornado near Jamestown, Kansas earlier that evening. This tornado did relatively little damage, but did end up causing some minor damage to a few residences near Belleville, Kansas; and produced some extensive tree damage to the Belleville Country Club. There, several 24+ diameter trees were uprooted and snapped near the ground. Aside from the residence and tree damage, several outbuildings near Belleville were also damaged in the weak and brief tornado.
This was a delayed report from a trained storm spotter that estimated a 60 mph wind gust.
Trained storm spotters across Washington County reported 60 mph winds.
A trained spotter reported an estimated 60 mph wind gust near Herington.
As the line of thunderstorms moved eastward across northeast Kansas on of the strongest storms spawned a brief, but very strong tornado, which impacted the town of Harveyville, Kansas. The tornado was short-lived, but was able to destroy a large portion of the town. Several houses were completely destroyed, as was a church in the center of town. A National Weather Service survey team determined that the tornado rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. At least a dozen injuries occurred with this storm, one of which became fatal after a day in the hospital. The tornado continued into Osage County and weakened.
This is the continued path of the tornado that crossed from Wabaunsee County into Osage County and weakened. The tornado path narrowed and damaged hedge row trees and two structures before dissipating.
Shawnee County Emergency Manager reported a 60 mph wind gust at the intersection of 29th Street and Oakley Street in Topeka.
A strong storm moved through Lawrence and did some tree damage. At the Lawrence Municipal Airport the ASOS station measured a 61 mph wind gust.
A trained spotter in Osage City reported a measured 67 mph wind gust. Another spotter near Lyndon reported an estimated 60 mph wind gust.
This was a delayed report from a resident near Le Roy, Kansas. A couple outbuildings were destroyed and a barn had its roof peeled off in the thunderstorm winds.
Franklin and Douglas County Emergency Managers surveyed damage from a tornado that crossed the border between the two counties. A very well defined and continuous swath of enhanced damage from a brief tornado was noted from both Emergency Managers. No specific town was impacted by the tornado, but many rural residences and farmsteads sustained quite a bit of damage in the form of damaged homes and destroyed outbuildings, trailers, and grain bins.
This is a continuation of the tornado track from Franklin County. Franklin and Douglas County Emergency Managers surveyed damage from a tornado that crossed the border between the two counties. A very well defined and continuous swath of enhanced damage from a brief tornado was noted from both Emergency Managers. No specific town was impacted by the tornado, but many rural residences and farmsteads sustained quite a bit of damage in the form of damaged homes and destroyed outbuildings, trailers, and grain bins.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado, Wabaunsee | 2012-02-28 | 53 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
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, February 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: 359095, 359100, 359183, 359184, 359160, 359191, 359161, 359162, 359163, 359164, 359087, 359165, 419180, 359166, 359170, 359187, 359173, 359181, 359189, 359176, 359182, 359083, 359237.