Hail, Cloud
- When
- October 13, 4:15 PM CST to 4:18 PM CST
- Where
- Cloud County, 8.09 mi ESE of Glasco
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 39.310, -97.720
Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, October 13, 2012
On October 13, 2012 scattered thunderstorms produced strong winds that caused some minor damage to areas in Cloud, Ottawa, and Marshall Counties. The extent of the damage were some power lines down in Minneapolis, Kansas and a couple large diameter tree branches down in Frankfort, Kansas.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS TOP wrote it up.
On October 13, 2012 scattered thunderstorms produced strong winds that caused some minor damage to areas in Cloud, Ottawa, and Marshall Counties. The extent of the damage were some power lines down in Minneapolis, Kansas and a couple large diameter tree branches down in Frankfort, Kansas. A few 1 inch hail stones also fell in Cloud County.
What forecasters said that day
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 Oct 13, 1:34 PM CST, 2 hours 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 13, 1:34 PM CST, 2 hours 41 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 234 PM CDT SAT OCT 13 2012 .DISCUSSION... ...SEVERE STORM CHANCES CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS THE AREA... THIS AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY...ONGOING CONVECTION EARLY THIS AFTERNOON CONTINUES TO QUICKLY MOVE NORTHEAST OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN A GRADUAL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND SOME ORGANIZATION...SEVERE WEATHER IN NOT ANTICIPATED AS THE ACTIVITY CONTINUES TO PASS THROUGH A WORKED OVER ENVIRONMENT WITH MUCAPE LESS THAN 1000 J/KG. ACROSS THE WESTERN CWA INTO CENTRAL KANSAS...BETTER INSOLATION...THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION...AND CONTINUED MOISTURE TRANSPORT AND INCREASING DEEP LAYER SHEAR HAS YIELDED MODEST ATMOSPHERIC RECOVERY AND A FAVORABLE SEVERE WEATHER ENVIRONMENT EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH CAPE IN EXCESS OF 1500 J/KG AND EFFECTIVE SHEAR IN EXCESS OF 50 KTS. SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW THE DRYLINE/PACIFIC COLD FRONT MAKING EASTWARD PROGRESS...AND HIGH RESOLUTION CONVECTION RESOLVING MODELS SUGGEST CONVECTIVE INITIATION WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN 20-21Z ALONG THESE BOUNDARIES. RADAR AND SATELLITE ALSO SUGGEST ENHANCED CU AND WEAK ECHOES INCREASING TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF DDC WHICH MAY INDICATE THE BEGINNING OF CI. ANTICIPATE CONVECTION TO RAPIDLY DEVELOP AND MOVE NORTHEASTWARD TOWARDS THE WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA DURING THE MID/LATE AFTERNOON. ACTIVITY WILL EVOLVE INTO A LINE AND MOVE ACROSS MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. ATTM...THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE STRAIGHT LINE WIND GUSTS...ALTHOUGH HAIL UP TO HALF DOLLARS AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING THE MOST PERSISTENT AND ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIT THE CWA SHORTLY AFTER 06Z...WITH SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. SKIES WILL CLEAR BY MID MORNING SUNDAY...WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE 60S TO LOWER 70S. BLAIR MONDAY UPPER FLOW BECOMES MORE ZONAL WITH BRIEF RETURN TO LEE TROF OVER THE PLAINS AND WARMER TEMPERATURES THROUGH TUESDAY. HIGHS SHOULD BE UPPER 70S NEAR 80 WITH LOWS IN THE 50S. NEXT FRONT PASSES THROUGH ON WEDNESDAY AS LARGE UPPER TROF DROPS OUT OF CANADA QUICKLY INTO THE PLAINS STATES. AFTER HIGHS NEAR 70 ON WEDNESDAY AND A CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION...THURSDAY INTO SATURDAY FOLLOW WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 60S AS COOL HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. 67 && .AVIATION... MVFR CEILINGS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 06Z AT TAF SITES. OCCASIONAL IFR CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING PERIODS OF PRECIPITATION. SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TOP/FOE...WITH THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AND IMPACTING TAF SITES DURING THE 23Z-04Z WINDOW. A RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS WILL BECOME POSSIBLE AFTER 06Z...WITH CLEARING SKIES BY MID MORNING SUNDAY. BLAIR && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 13, 11:55 AM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1255 PM CDT SAT OCT 13 2012 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-141800- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 1255 PM CDT SAT OCT 13 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA...THEN MAINLY OVER NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL AREAS INTO THE EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES EASTWARD. THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WIND GUSTS...BUT HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS AND A ISOLATED TORNADOES CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN THE MOST PERSISTENT AND ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AFTER 3 PM THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. BLAIR
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Oct 13, 1:41 PM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 241 PM CDT SAT OCT 13 2012 KSZ039-040-055-132000- DOUGLAS-OSAGE-SHAWNEE- 241 PM CDT SAT OCT 13 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN SHAWNEE... NORTHEASTERN OSAGE AND NORTHWESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTIES... THROUGH 300 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN SHAWNEE...NORTHEASTERN OSAGE AND NORTHWESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTIES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA TO PENNY SIZED HAIL AND STRONG WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE AFFECTED INCLUDE CARBONDALE...BERRYTON AND RICHLAND. MOTORISTS ALONG THE KANSAS TURNPIKE BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 185 AND 198 COULD ALSO BE AFFECTED. && LAT...LON 3907 9554 3899 9532 3870 9569 3879 9581 TIME...MOT...LOC 1939Z 221DEG 44KT 3880 9569 $$ BLAIR
The radar
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 128 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:13 UTC.
Event by event
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa
- When
- October 13, 4:22 PM CST to 4:25 PM CST
- Where
- Ottawa County, 0.87 mi SE of Minneapolis
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 39.120, -97.710
The sheriff reported a power line down from strong winds in Minneapolis.
Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa
- When
- October 13, 4:23 PM CST to 4:26 PM CST
- Where
- Ottawa County, 1.28 mi ESE of Minneapolis
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 39.120, -97.700
A trained spotter near Minneapolis reported 65 mph winds.
Hail, Cloud
- When
- October 13, 4:27 PM CST to 4:30 PM CST
- Where
- Cloud County, 6.01 mi ENE of Glasco
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Storm Chaser
- Coordinates
- 39.410, -97.750
Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall
- When
- October 13, 6:35 PM CST to 6:38 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall County, 0.69 mi N of Frankfort
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 39.710, -96.420
Large diameter tree branches were down near Frankfort. The spotter in Frankfort reported 60 to 70 mph winds with the storm.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Oklahoma, October 13, 2012
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, October 13, 2012
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Oklahoma, October 13, 2012
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, October 13 to 14, 2012
- Damaging Winds in Texas, October 13, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, October 13, 2012
- High Wind in Montana, October 13 to 16, 2012
- Frost and Freeze in Virginia, October 13, 2012
- Frost and Freeze in West Virginia, October 13, 2012
- Frost and Freeze in Maryland, October 13, 2012
- Hail and Heavy Rain in Iowa, October 13 to 14, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, October 13, 2012
More
Every storm in Kansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, October 2012
Sources
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 413264, 413267, 413266, 413265, 413268.