In early July a strong upper ridge became centered over the Central Plains, causing temperatures to rise well above normal for the last week of the month. Although the entire area experienced very warm weather the lack of moisture mitigated heat index values from rising much higher than 100 degrees across most of the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 TOP wrote it up.
In early July a strong upper ridge became centered over the Central Plains, causing temperatures to rise well above normal for the last week of the month. Although the entire area experienced very warm weather the lack of moisture mitigated heat index values from rising much higher than 100 degrees across most of the area. As a result only areas of far eastern and northeastern Kansas experienced excessive heat.
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 Jul 3, 5:21 AM CST, 6 hours 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 621 AM CDT TUE JUL 3 2012 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... A BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ALOFT WILL REMAIN STATIONARY OVER THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 90S TO NEAR 103 DEGREES TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. DEEPER MIXING SHOULD ALLOW DEWPOINTS TO DROP INTO THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS ACROSS THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF THE CWA. AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF US HWY 75 MAY KEEP MID TO UPPER 60 DEGREE DEWPOINTS WITH HIGHS AROUND 100 DEGREE TODAY AND ON INDEPENDENCE DAY. THE HIGHER DEWPOINTS WILL CAUSE HEAT INDICES TO REACH NEAR 105 DEGREES ACROSS THE EASTERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING...THEN ONCE AGAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...I HAVE ISSUED A HEAT ADVISORY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...NEMAHA...BROWN...JACKSON...JEFFERSON...SHAWNEE... DOUGLAS...OSAGE...FRANKLIN AND ANDERSON FROM 17Z TODAY THROUGH 1Z THURSDAY. EARLY NEXT WEEK WE MAY SEE A SLIGHT PATTERN CHANGE. THE H5 RIDGE AXIS OVER THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS MAY RETROGRADE WESTWARD INTO THE WEST CENTRAL CONUS. THIS WILL CAUSE THE FLOW ACROSS EASTERN KS TO BECOME NORTHWESTERLY ALOFT. AN H5 TROUGH MAY DIG SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE THE MID MS RIVER VALLEY AND CAUSE A COLD FRONT TO MOVE SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE CWA ON MONDAY. HIGH TEMPS MAY COOL DOWN INTO THE 90S WITH A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS. GARGAN && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH ENTIRE 24 HOUR TAF PERIOD. JL && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HEAT ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR KSZ011- 012-024-026-039-040-055-056-059. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 355 AM CDT TUE JUL 3 2012 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-040900- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 355 AM CDT TUE JUL 3 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. HEAT INDICES WILL REACH THE 103 TO 106 DEGREE RANGE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. THE RANGELAND FIRE DANGER WILL BE VERY HIGH THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. HEAT INDICES WILL REACH AROUND 105 DEGREES ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...INDEPENDENCE DAY. THE RANGELAND FIRE DANGER WILL BE VERY HIGH WEDNESDAY ACROSS MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA ON MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Between July 3rd and July 7th Shawnee County experienced heat index values that ranged between 103 and 105 degrees. These readings were based off of the ASOS station at Billard Airport in northeast Topeka and Forbes Field in south Topeka.
Between July 3rd and July 7th Jackson County experienced heat index values that ranged between 103 and 105 degrees. These readings were based off of the ASOS station at Billard Airport in northeast Topeka, Forbes Field in south Topeka, and the ASOS station in Falls City, Nebraska.
Between July 3rd and July 7th Jefferson County experienced heat index values that ranged between 103 and 105 degrees. These readings were based off of the ASOS station at Billard Airport in northeast Topeka, Forbes Field in south Topeka, and the ASOS station in Falls City, Nebraska.
Between July 3rd and July 7th Nemaha County experienced heat index values that ranged between 103 and 105 degrees. These readings were based off of the ASOS station at Billard Airport in northeast Topeka, Forbes Field in south Topeka, and the ASOS station in Falls City, Nebraska.
Between July 3rd and July 7th Jackson County experienced heat index values that ranged between 103 and 110 degrees. These readings were primarily based off of the ASOS station in Falls City, Nebraska.
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, July 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: 396021, 396023, 396024, 396028, 396029.