A flash drought began across northeast Kansas during the month of June as hot temperatures and dry weather contributed to a rapid development of drought conditions. Impacts of the drought conditions were limited during early onset in the month of June so as the early period of this drought could be classified mainly as a meteorological drought.
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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.
A flash drought began across northeast Kansas during the month of June as hot temperatures and dry weather contributed to a rapid development of drought conditions. Impacts of the drought conditions were limited during early onset in the month of June so as the early period of this drought could be classified mainly as a meteorological drought. The dry and hot conditions which brought forth the drought conditions continued after June ended, causing the drought to continue into July.
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 Jun 18, 11:09 PM CST, 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1209 AM CDT TUE JUN 19 2012 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... MAIN UPPER LEVEL ACTIVITY REMAINS OVER THE NORTHERN STATES WITH PEAK HEIGHT FALL CENTERS IN WESTERN OREGON AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA ALONG THE ZONAL FLOW. 12Z 700MB TEMPS HAD SURGED INTO THE MID-TEENS IN NEBRASKA OVER A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY...SUPPRESSING CONVECTION. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS THROUGH THE NIGHT KEPT TEMPS IN THE MIDDLE 70S TO AROUND 80 FOR MOST LOCATIONS LAST NIGHT. SUSTAINED WINDS IN THE 17-23KT HAVE BEEN COMMON TODAY WITH 19Z TEMPS IN THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 90S. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS FROM LAST NIGHT AND TODAY TO THE NEXT 24 HOURS ARE NOT EXPECTED. THE MAIN CHANGES WILL BE DUE TO THOSE OCCURING IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WAVE WILL DROP PRESSURES FARTHER WEST AND DEEPER THAN THOSE OF TODAY...AND LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL TAKE MORE OF A DUE SOUTH COMPONENT. THIS WILL BRING SLIGHTLY COOLER AND A BIT MORE MOISTURE IN AT 850MB. THE CUMULUS FIELD SEEN FROM EAST TEXAS INTO THE SOUTHEAST STATES MAY REFORM IN EASTERN KANSAS TUESDAY AFTERNOON...BUT THE WARM MID LEVEL TEMPS ABOVE THIS SHOULD PREVENT ANY CONVECTION FROM FIRING. WIND SPEEDS SHOULD BE A BIT HIGHER WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN HIGH PRESSURE IN THE SOUTHEAST STATES...AND SHOULD BE RATHER CLOSE TO ADVISORY LEVELS...BUT AT THIS POINT AM NOT EXPECTING A WIDESPREAD OR CONSISTENTLY STRONG WINDS FOR AN ADVISORY AT THIS POINT. ANOTHER STRONG LOW LEVEL JET WILL KEEP THE BOUNDARY LAYER SOMEWHAT MIXED TONIGHT AND TEMPS ONLY THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 70S WITH HIGHS A BIT COOLER. 65 THE COLD FRONT IS STILL EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE NAM APPEARS TO BE AN OUTLIER IN NOT PUSHING THE FRONT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. BECAUSE OF THIS HAVE NOT RELIED ON IT FOR THE FORECAST...USING A COMPROMISE OF THE GFS/ECMWF/CMC. IN SHORT...DYNAMIC FORCING CONTINUES TO LOOK LESS THAN IMPRESSIVE WITH THE FRONT AS THE BULK OF DYNAMICS PASS TO THE NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. AS MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST DISCUSSION...THERE SHOULD STILL BE PLENTY OF INSTABILITY FOR THE FRONT TO WORK WITH AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SCATTERED CONVECTION. HOWEVER WITHOUT STRONG FORCING...IT IS HARD TO GO WITH LIKELY POPS AT THIS TIME. BECAUSE THE MODEL CONSENSUS IS FOR THE FRONT TO PUSH THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA WITH A WEAK SFC RIDGE BUILDING INTO NORTHEAST KS FOR THURSDAY...HAVE TRENDED TEMPS SLIGHTLY COOLER. HAVE ALSO CONTINUED WITH SOME SMALL POPS DURING THE DAY THURSDAY IN CASE THE FRONT DOES GET HUNG UP IN CENTRAL KS. THE PREVIOUS FORECAST HAD SOME SMALL POPS IN FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. WITH THE ECMWF AND GFS INDICATING THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDING OVER CENTRAL KS BY THIS TIME...THINK CHANCES FOR PRECIP ARE PRETTY SMALL AND REMOVED THE MENTION FROM THE FORECAST EXPECTING THE FRONT TO WASH OUT TO OUR SOUTH AND LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE DEVELOPING FROM THE UPPER RIDGE. THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO INDICATE HOT WEATHER FOR FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH 850 TEMPS IN THE UPPER 20C RANGE. THERE MAY BE A BACK DOOR FRONT TRY TO MOVE INTO NORTHEAST KS LATE NIGHT. THIS MAY HAVE A SLIGHT COOLING AFFECT KNOCKING TEMPS DOWN INTO THE LOWER AND MID 90S FOR SUNDAY. BUT THE PROBABILITY THAT THIS MAY SPARK SOME PRECIP APPEARS TO BE LOW GIVEN THE UPPER RIDGE CENTERED OVER THE PLAINS. WOLTERS && .AVIATION... EXPECT GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS TO PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE 24 HOUR FORECAST PERIOD...WITH A PERIOD OF SLIGHTLY LIGHTER WINDS OVERNIGHT FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL INCREASE IN WINDS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. JL && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 337 PM CDT MON JUN 18 2012 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-192045- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 337 PM CDT MON JUN 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. WOLTERS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
Parts of northeast and east central Kansas were classified as severe drought (D2) during the month of June.
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, June 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: 391987, 391988, 391989, 391990, 391991, 391992, 391993, 391995, 391996, 391997, 391998, 391999, 392000, 392001, 392002, 396061.