Three tornadoes touched down in Russell county causing damage on the south side of town.
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 ICT wrote it up.
Three tornadoes touched down in Russell county causing damage on the south side of town.
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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 25, 5:44 PM CST, 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 644 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012 .AVIATION...00Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU THE MAIN AVIATION FORECAST CONCERN IS THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL IN THE NEAR TERM. AS OF 2330Z A THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING JUST TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF KRSL. THIS STORM AND OTHERS BEHIND IT WILL IMPACT THE KRSL TAF SITE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. HAVE PUT A VCTS WITH A TEMPO GROUP TO HANDLE THE STORMS OFF AND ON. OUTSIDE OF KRSL THUNDERSTORM CHANCES DROP AND HAVE LEFT THE OTHER TERMINALS DRY. OTHERWISE SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE STRONG THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD SATURDAY. BILLINGS && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 244 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012/ DISCUSSION... FORECAST CHALLENGE...CONVECTIVE CHANCES/TRENDS THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND WINDY/WARMTH ON SATURDAY. TONIGHT-SATURDAY THE NORTHWARD MIGRATION OF THE SURFACE WARM FRONT HAS BEEN DIURNALLY SLOWER AND CLOSER TO THE RECENT RUNS OF THE NAM. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO BE SITUATED CLOSE TO THE I-70 CORRIDOR NEAR PEAK HEATING WHERE THE LATEST RUC/SPC MESO PROGS SHOW MLCAPE VALUES IN EXCESS OF 4500 J/KG AND STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR/VEERING WIND PROFILE. HOWEVER INITIATION OF DEEP CONVECTION WILL HINGE ON DEGREE OF REMAINING CAP STRENGTH IN LIEU OF ENOUGH CONVERGENCE ALONG THE BOUNDARY TO EFFECTIVELY BREAK IT. SO WILL CONTINUE TO SHOW SLIGHT POPS ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS THIS EVENING AND HIGHLIGHT THE CONDITIONAL SEVERE POTENTIAL IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. OTHERWISE THE UPPER TROF WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS INTO SATURDAY WITH STOUT SOUTHERLY WINDS AND UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES EXPECTED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. A PLUME OF TROPICAL MOISTURE EMANATING FROM BUD WAS ALREADY MAKING NORTHWARD PROGRESS ACROSS SOUTHWEST TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. THE MODELS SHOW THIS PLUME ADVECTING NORTH IN THE FLOW ALOFT ACROSS KANSAS ON SATURDAY. WHILE THE ATMOSPHERE LOOKS CAPPED FOR THE MOST PART WITH FOCI SHUNTED NORTH OR WEST OF THE AREA...SUCH TROPICAL CONNECTIONS ARE ALWAYS CAUSE FOR A SECOND LOOK WITH REGARD TO CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL. THE PROGGED CAP IS WEAKEST ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS...SO WILL KEEP SLIGHT MENTION FOR MAINLY DIURNALLY DRIVEN STORMS IN THESE AREAS LATE SATURDAY. THE AFOREMENTIONED SOUTH WINDS MAY FLIRT WITH ADVISORY CRITERIA ACROSS BARTON/RUSSELL COUNTIES AS WELL...THOUGH FORECAST COLLABORATION SUPPORTED HOLDING OFF FOR NOW ON HEADLINES. SUNDAY-MONDAY THE UPPER TROF IS STILL PROGGED TO LIFT BODILY NORTHEAST ACROSS THE ROCKIES ON SUNDAY AND ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS DURING MONDAY. THIS WILL PUSH THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE DRY-LINE/COLD FRONT EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA BY SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY. LITTLE CHANGE TO THE GOING FORECAST WAS NEEDED IN THIS REGARD...WITH THE RELATIVELY BETTER PRECIP/CONVECTIVE CHANCES ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS ON SUNDAY NIGHT. TUESDAY-FRIDAY THE OUTER PERIODS REMAIN A BIT OF A CHALLENGE WITH REGARD TO PRECIP CHANCES. THE LATEST GFS AND EVEN TO SOME EXTENT ECMWF WOULD GENERALLY SUGGEST DRIER AIR MITIGATING PRECIP CHANCES BEHIND THE FRONTAL PASSAGE ON TUESDAY. THE GFS ALSO SHOWS A STRONGER UPPER TROF DROPPING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE PLAINS AND MIDWEST BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. WHILE THE POTENTIAL FOR A PRECARIOUS AND DISTURBED NORTHWEST UPPER FLOW REGIME REMAINS PLAUSIBLE...THE GFS SUGGESTS A MORE DEFINITIVE CHANCE FOR PRECIP ON WEDNESDAY FOLLOWED BY MUCH COOLER TEMPS AND MAINLY DRY WEATHER BY THURSDAY. SINCE CONSENSUS STILL SEEMS TO BE LACKING IN THE OPERATIONAL OR ENSEMBLES OF ANY PARTICULAR MODELS...WILL MAKE LITTLE CHANGE TO THE GOING FORECAST FOR THE MID-WEEK PERIODS AND SHOW A DRY FORECAST FOR THE NEW DAY 7/FRI. DARMOFAL AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY CONTINUES TO MAKE SLOW PROGRESS NORTHWARD INTO CEN KS AT THIS TIME...WITH SOUTHERLY GUSTY WINDS TO THE SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY IN THE WARM SECTOR. STILL SEEING SOME MVFR CEILINGS IN AND NEAR THE WARM FRONT ALONG INTERSTATE 70 FROM KSLN TO KRSL. EXPECT THIS AREA OF MVFR CEILINGS TO SLOWLY RISE TO VFR LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS WARM FRONT LIFTS A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH OF I-70 WITH A BETTER MIXED BOUNDARY LAYER IN THE WARM SECTOR. SOME CONCERN ABOUT AN ISOLATED CONVECTIVE CHANCE IN AND NEAR THE KRSL TAF SITE BETWEEN 22Z/FRI AND 02Z/SAT...AS POSITION OF THE TRIPLE POINT /DRY LINE/WARM FRONT INTERSECTION/ WILL BE JUST WEST OF THIS LOCATION. A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS LOCATED IN THE WARM SECTOR...BUT ALSO THIS AREA REMAINS CAPPED FROM THE WARMER AIR ALOFT MOVING INTO THE AREA. SO CHANCES OF CONVECTION SEEM LIMITED...AS CAPPING INVERSION DOESNT ERODE UNTIL NEAR 00Z. SO WILL NOT MENTION ANY VCTS IN THE KRSL TAF FOR NOW...AS CHANCES SEEMS VERY LIMITED. EXPECT SOME MID LEVEL CLOUD COVER TO OVERSPREAD MOST OF THE AREA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...BUT EXPECT CEILINGS TO REMAIN VFR. KETCHAM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 73 92 72 91 / 10 10 10 10 HUTCHINSON 72 94 71 91 / 10 10 10 10 NEWTON 73 93 72 90 / 10 10 10 10 ELDORADO 72 92 71 89 / 10 10 10 10 WINFIELD-KWLD 73 92 72 91 / 10 10 10 10 RUSSELL 70 95 71 91 / 20 20 20 20 GREAT BEND 70 95 71 91 / 20 20 20 20 SALINA 73 95 72 92 / 20 10 10 10 MCPHERSON 73 94 72 91 / 10 10 10 10 COFFEYVILLE 72 92 71 90 / 10 10 10 10 CHANUTE 72 91 70 89 / 10 10 10 10 IOLA 71 91 70 89 / 10 10 10 10 PARSONS-KPPF 72 92 71 90 / 10 10 10 10 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 357 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-262100- RUSSELL-LINCOLN-BARTON-ELLSWORTH-SALINE-RICE-MCPHERSON-MARION-CHASE- RENO-HARVEY-BUTLER-GREENWOOD-WOODSON-ALLEN-KINGMAN-SEDGWICK-HARPER- SUMNER-COWLEY-ELK-WILSON-NEOSHO-CHAUTAUQUA-MONTGOMERY-LABETTE- 357 PM CDT FRI MAY 25 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS. IF STORMS DEVELOP THEY WILL LIKELY BE SEVERE...CAPABLE OF VERY LARGE HAIL TO AROUND 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND DAMAGING WINDS TO 75 MPH. TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS. A FEW STRONG STORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE THEN EXPECTED TO INCREASE FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY...MAINLY FOR LOCATIONS WEST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE. A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE FLINT HILLS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS ON MONDAY...AND PERIODICALLY ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA FROM TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THIS ACTIVITY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP KED
The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:48 UTC.
4 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Brief tornado touchdown in open country.
Brief touchdown over open country.
The tornado moved over open country.
Tornado moved through a small housing area just to the south of Russell causing extensive damage to four homesteads.
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, May 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: 374110, 374115, 374116, 384519, 374117.