An unusually dry winter and spring, pushed portions of Central and South Central Kansas, back into severe drought (D2) for April. The very dry conditions continued during the month of April, with some areas falling 2 to 3 inches below normal for the month.
Every event with a place to put it; 19 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 ICT wrote it up.
An unusually dry winter and spring, pushed portions of Central and South Central Kansas, back into severe drought (D2) for April. The very dry conditions continued during the month of April, with some areas falling 2 to 3 inches below normal for the month. Coupled with a dry March, some areas of South Central Kansas, actually climbed into the extreme drought (D3) category by the end of the month.
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 Mar 31, 11:09 PM CST, 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 1209 AM CDT TUE APR 1 2014 ...UPDATED FOR 06Z AVIATION DISCUSSION... .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 313 PM CDT MON MAR 31 2014 A HAZY SKY FROM DUST WILL CONTINUE TO DIM THE LATE DAY SUN BEFORE SETTING THIS EVENING. PLAN TO LET THE CURRENT WIND AND FIRE WEATHER HEADLINES EXPIRE AT 01Z. MAIN FOCUS WILL THEN SHIFT TO THE MID-WEEK PERIODS WITH CONVECTIVE CHANCES/TRENDS AND RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER. STRONG ELEVATED MOISTURE TRANSPORT WILL COMMENCE TUESDAY EVENING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND SHIFT NORTH AND EAST OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS INTO MISSOURI BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. WHILE THE NAM REMAINS PERHAPS TOO BULLISH ON THE RESULTANT INSTABILITY...EVEN THE MORE CONSERVATIVE GFS STILL SHOWS ELEVATED CAPE VALUES IN EXCESS OF 1000 J/KG ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS EARLY TUESDAY NIGHT...BEFORE SHIFTING INTO FAR EASTERN KANSAS BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE ISENTROPIC ASCENT AND LIFT FROM A WEAK TRANSIENT SHORTWAVE ALOFT SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR SCATTERED TO PERHAPS NUMEROUS ELEVATED CONVECTION TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. CLOUD BEARING SHEAR OF 45 KTS OR GREATER SHOULD ALSO SUPPORT SOME HAILERS WITH THE LARGE HAIL PARAMETER SUGGESTING PERHAPS UP TO GOLF BALL SIZE. THE NORTHWARD MOVING SURFACE WARM FRONT LOOKS TO BECOME QUASI-STATIONARY ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN INTO SOUTHEAST KANSAS BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH RENEWED STRONG TO SEVERE CONVECTION EXPECTED NEAR PEAK HEATING ESPECIALLY SOUTHEAST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE. THE STRONG BAROCLINIC FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN SOMEWHERE ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN KANSAS/OR ALONG THE OKLAHOMA BORDER INTO THURSDAY AS IT AWAITS THE MAIN UPPER SHORTWAVE TROF BY THURSDAY EVENING. THIS IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN A LARGE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE BETTER CONVECTIVE CHANCES AND SEVERE WEATHER RISK MAINLY OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS. DARMOFAL .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 313 PM CDT MON MAR 31 2014 THE UPPER TROF WILL LIFT NORTHEAST OF THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...WITH LINGERING PRECIP CHANCES DWINDLING/ENDING ACROSS THE AREA. SOME LIGHT SNOW MIX IS POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS THURSDAY NIGHT...THOUGH ANY ACCUMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE NORTH OF THE AREA. LITTLE CHANGES MADE TO THE OUTER PERIODS OF THE FORECAST...WITH TEMPERATURES GENERALLY AVERAGING NEAR EARLY APRIL CLIMO INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. WHILE THE MEDIUM RANGE SHOWS SOME VARIANCE LATE IN THE WEEKEND...THEY GENERALLY SUPPORT UPPER TROUGHING TRANSLATING EAST FROM THE ROCKIES ACROSS THE PLAINS FROM SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...SO WILL CONTINUE TO SHOW SLIGHT TO MODEST POPS FOR THOSE TIME PERIODS. DARMOFAL && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1206 AM CDT TUE APR 1 2014 WINDS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. OTHERWISE INFLUX OF MOISTURE WILL LEAD TO VFR CEILINGS AND VCSH DURING THE AFTERNOON AT KCNU/KICT...AND MVFR CEILINGS DURING THE EVENING. INCREASING MOISTURE AT KCNU DURING THE EVENING WILL LIKELY RESULT IN IFR CONDITIONS AT KCNU. ADDED VCTS AT KICT WITH DUE TO ELEVATED INSTABILITY LATE IN THE PERIOD. -HOWERTON && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 313 PM CDT MON MAR 31 2014 THE GENERAL THEME WILL BE LESS WIND WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR RAIN AND HIGHER DAYTIME HUMIDITY LEVELS AS WE GO INTO THE MIDDLE AND END OF THE WEEK. THIS IS EXPECTED TO LIMIT THE GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER BELOW CRITICAL VALUES OF VERY HIGH OR EXTREME AFTER TODAY. KED && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 48 69 49 63 / 40 30 30 30 HUTCHINSON 45 64 44 59 / 30 30 30 30 NEWTON 46 65 46 59 / 60 30 30 30 ELDORADO 48 68 50 64 / 60 30 30 40 WINFIELD-KWLD 53 76 53 69 / 40 30 40 30 RUSSELL 38 56 38 51 / 20 20 30 30 GREAT BEND 41 59 40 53 / 20 20 20 30 SALINA 40 58 41 55 / 50 30 30 40 MCPHERSON 43 62 43 57 / 50 30 30 30 COFFEYVILLE 54 75 57 74 / 50 50 60 50 CHANUTE 50 71 54 70 / 70 50 50 50 IOLA 49 69 52 69 / 70 40 50 50 PARSONS-KPPF 53 74 56 73 / 60 50 60 50 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 1005 PM CDT MON MAR 31 2014 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-020315- 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- 1005 PM CDT MON MAR 31 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY NIGHT. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE GREATEST RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS...WITH QUARTER TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL...WILL BE GENERALLY SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM MARION TO HUTCHINSON TO ANTHONY. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY ALONG A SLOW MOVING FRONT. THERE WILL BE A RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE. CHECK LATER FORECASTS AND UPDATES FOR DETAILS ON THE TIMING AND TYPE OF SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED. RAIN MAY MIX WITH SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS THURSDAY NIGHT. LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP KED/HOWERTON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
19 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category. Salina, Kansas airport was 1.72 inches below normal for April. This deficit occurred after being 2.09 inches below normal for March.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category during the middle of the month.
An unusually dry month of April, with precipitation amounts almost 2 inches below normal, led to most of the county moving into the severe drought (D2) category during the middle of the month.
An unusually dry month of April, led to most of the county moving from a severe drought (D2) into an extreme drought (D3) by the middle of the month.
An unusually dry month of April, led to most of the county moving from a severe drought (D2) into an extreme drought (D3) by the middle of the month.
An unusually dry month of April, led to most of the county moving from a severe drought (D2) into an extreme drought (D3) by the middle of the month. The Wichita Mid Continent Airport only recorded 0.53 inches for April, which was 2.06 inches below normal. This followed a precipitation deficit of 2.20 inches for March.
An unusually dry month of April, led to most of the county moving from a severe drought (D2) into an extreme drought (D3) by the middle of the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, April 2014
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: 508704, 508705, 508706, 508707, 508708, 508711, 508712, 508713, 508714, 508715, 508716, 508717, 508718, 508719, 508720, 508721, 508722, 508723, 508724.