The drought continued across extreme eastern Kansas through the month of October. However, cooler temperatures did allow for some improvement to D2 and D3 conditions.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 EAX wrote it up.
The drought continued across extreme eastern Kansas through the month of October. However, cooler temperatures did allow for some improvement to D2 and D3 conditions. Rainfall deficits for the year were in the 10 to 15 inch range.
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 Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 30, 10:52 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 1152 PM CDT SUN SEP 30 2012 ..UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION... .DISCUSSION... /334 PM CDT Sun Sep 30 2012/ In split upper flow, broad trough continues to slowly drift northeastward out of the Arklatex region this afternoon. This feature will slightly deepen through Monday as a strengthening upper jet rounds its base, though any precip will be to the east of the upper trough axis, well to the east of the forecast area. Meanwhile a large area of upper diffluence to the northwest of the upper trough will continue to bring a surge of thick cirrus to the region overnight, so overnight lows were raised a degree or two. For Monday, northern stream shortwave will track across the Upper Midwest, with an associated tropospheric PV anomaly that will dive southeastward and gradually phase with the one over the Mid South. The result will be a weak cold front that will track through the area mid to late morning Monday. A lack of deep moisture and instability still looks to be the main prohibiting factor behind any kind of appreciable precip with this front, so continued to keep PoPs limited to slight chance for now. However, if BL moisture can increase enough, as suggested by the NAM, then modest frontal convergence within a seasonably deep boundary layer should allow for at least scattered showers and possibly a thunderstorm in the afternoon, so will need to see if PoPs should be increased in later forecasts. Aforementioned phasing of the upper tropospheric PV anomalies on Tuesday will lead to a deeper upper trough digging into the Midwest and Ohio Valley, and a slower eastward progression of this trough than models had indicated earlier. Therefore held on to cloud cover a bit longer Monday night and Tues and had to drop temps several degrees on Tues due to a later onset of return southerly flow into the area. A very brief period of ridging on Wednesday should still allow temps to climb into the upper 70s and lower 80s before a much deeper trough and associated cold front move into the Plains early Thursday. Medium range models, which were earlier in decent agreement with this feature, have taken diverging solutions now with the ECMWF trending quite a bit weaker and faster with this system while the GFS has been holding on to a deeper and more meridional trough. This introduces quite a bit of uncertainty into the forecast for the end of the week with the ECMWF holding on to quasi-zonal upper flow and an active precip pattern while the GFS points to deep high pressure across the Plains. Will therefore hold on to a blended solution for now bringing slight chance to low-chance Pops into the area Friday night and Saturday on account of the ECMWF. Either way temps next weekend look rather cool with highs on Saturday that may not make it out of the 50s. Hawblitzel && .AVIATION... For the 06Z TAFs...VFR conditions will continue. Extensive high level cloud cover associated with large upper trough over the Lower MS Valley will remain in place into Monday. A cold front will push through the terminals around noon time. Northerly winds will increase with gusts lagging a few hours after frontal passage. The gusty winds will linger into early Monday evening before subsiding. MJ && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE. && WFO EAX
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 651 PM CDT SUN SEP 30 2012 KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040- 043>046-053-054-011115- ATCHISON KS-MIAMI-LINN KS-DONIPHAN-LEAVENWORTH-WYANDOTTE-JOHNSON KS- ATCHISON MO-NODAWAY-WORTH-GENTRY-HARRISON-MERCER-PUTNAM-SCHUYLER- HOLT-ANDREW-DE KALB-DAVIESS-GRUNDY-SULLIVAN-ADAIR-BUCHANAN-CLINTON- CALDWELL-LIVINGSTON-LINN MO-MACON-PLATTE-CLAY-RAY-CARROLL-CHARITON- RANDOLPH-JACKSON-LAFAYETTE-SALINE-HOWARD-CASS-JOHNSON MO-PETTIS- COOPER-BATES-HENRY- 651 PM CDT SUN SEP 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST...NORTH CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI...AS WELL AS EXTREME EASTERN KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. MJ
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought D3 conditions were observed across the county. Atchison reported 0.97 inches of rain.
Drought D2 conditions prevailed across the county. Troy received 1.37 inches of rain.
Drought D2 conditions prevailed across the county. 1.23 inches of rain was reported in Overland Park.
Drought D2 to D3 conditions prevailed across the county. Leavenworth received 1.58 inches of rain.
Drought D2 conditions prevailed across the county. Mound City received 1.77 inches of rain.
Drought D2 conditions prevailed across the county. Osawatomie received 1.79 inches of rain.
Drought D2 to D3 conditions prevailed across the county. Bonner Springs received 1.31 inches of rain.
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, October 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: 416632, 416633, 416634, 416636, 416637, 416638, 416639.