On the afternoon of the 6th widespread thunderstorms formed across northeast Kansas. A few of the storms were strong enough to produce severe winds in isolated areas.
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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.
On the afternoon of the 6th widespread thunderstorms formed across northeast Kansas. A few of the storms were strong enough to produce severe winds in isolated areas.
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 Aug 6, 11:51 AM CST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1251 PM CDT Wed Aug 6 2014 ...Update to aviation forecast discussion... .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 319 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2014 08Z water vapor imagery showed the mid level ridge has deamplified over the central plains and a disorganized shortwave was moving across NEB. Another better defined shortwave was moving east across southern Canada. At the surface, an area of low pressure was analyzed over northwestern KS and southwestern NEB with a warm front extending from central NEB into extreme northeast KS. For today and tonight, models are in reasonable agreement that the disorganized energy aloft will drift over northeast KS. With an uncapped airmass and decent moisture (PWs increase to near 2") available for precip, think scattered to numerous showers and storms may develop within the heat of the day and persist into tonight as the weak vorticity slowly drifts east southeast. There doesn't appear to be a strong surface feature to focus convection, however models develop an inverted trough axis across northeast KS by this afternoon. This appears to be the best location for lift and forcing, albeit weak, and have the highest POPs across northeast KS by the late afternoon and evening. Models show some modest instability developing today for surface based storms. There may also be enough deep layer shear around 25KT for some pulse storms. With a strong inverted V signal in the forecast soundings, the main concern could be strong gusty winds with some hail possible too. Highs today could be a little tricky depending on cloud cover. But progs of 850 temps continue to support highs in the upper 90s across central KS where there could be more insolation. Have highs in the upper 80s for far northeast KS thinking thicker cloud cover and more moisture within the boundary layer may inhibit heating a little more. Think precip chances will gradually trend down after midnight tonight as the modest mid level trough and associated forcing propagates east southeast. Lows are expected to range from the upper 60s across north central KS to the lower 70s in east central KS. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 319 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2014 Western fringes of overnight MCS may still be affecting the far eastern portions of the county warning area (CWA) to start the day. However there may be a break in precip chances across the CWA through midday before more convection possibly develops along and ahead of the slow moving frontal system across the southeastern portions in the afternoon. Also expect more clouds to linger through much of the day which will limit highs to the middle 80s northern CWA to near 90 far south. Will focus precip chances overnight Thursday night over the far east and far western counties...although overall precip chances appear lower with most recent model runs. The unsettled pattern will continue with a better chance for showers and thunderstorms across much of the area into Friday night as the remnants of the weakening shortwave trough over the Great Basin area ejects out into the central plains. Another weaker shortwave will then move east and southeastward across the area on Sunday. Will therefore maintain chance pops through the weekend across the CWA before going mainly dry by later on Monday on into Tuesday in northwest flow. Highs from the middle 80s northern counties to upper 80s/near 90 south will be common through the weekend into early next week with heat indices in the 90s...which will be close to average for early August. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFs through 18Z Thursday Afternoon) Issued at 1240 PM CDT WED AUG 6 2014 Soundings still indicate thunderstorms to start popping up within the hour and will leave VCTS in TAFs at this time. Best piece of energy comes out late afternoon and evening and will keep tempo, although added vcsh afterwards as showers behind TS may be slow to clear in the overnight/morning hours. Will need to adjust TAFS as areas of convection and showers develop. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...Wolters LONG TERM...63 AVIATION...67
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 343 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2014 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-070845- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 343 AM CDT WED AUG 6 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING. THE STORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF STRONG WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH AND HAIL AROUND AN INCH IN DIAMETER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES CONTINUE THURSDAY ON THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES MOVE OUT OF THE ROCKIES AND INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The Topeka radar (KTWX), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:51 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tree limbs up to 12 inches in diameter down between Rd 70 and Rd 100. Old barn had 2 tin roof panels blown off, and sliding doors opposite of the open end of barn blown off.
Power was out.
Wind gusts measured.
Trees blown down.
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, August 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: 531522, 531523, 531524, 531525.