A line of severe thunderstorms moved across north central and northeast Kansas during the evening of June 1st. The storms produced at least 2 small weak tornadoes in Republic County doing minor damage to trees.
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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.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved across north central and northeast Kansas during the evening of June 1st. The storms produced at least 2 small weak tornadoes in Republic County doing minor damage to trees. The line of storms produced more widespread minor tree damage as it moved across the rest of northeast Kansas between 6pm and midnight CDT.
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 Jun 1, 1:32 PM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 232 PM CDT Sun Jun 1 2014 .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Monday) Issued at 229 PM CDT SUN JUN 1 2014 Cluster of thunderstorms has developed across north central Kansas into Southern Nebraska, in part enhanced by the next piece of energy approaching with the shortwave trof, as well as an increasing upper jet. Daytime heating in western portions of our forecast area have boosted CAPE values into the 2000+ J/kg range and model soundings indicate 1000J/kg of available downdraft cape as well. Lapse rates in this zone are also steep and supportive of large hail. Watch has been issued for western counties through the evening hours. As low level jet increases and veers to the east with time, expect what initially starts out as isolated severe storms to congeal into line segments and propagate eastward with time. Instability values diminish somewhat in the east with time, and with LLJ peaking at around 40 kts and then slowly diminishing and veering with time, think greater chance for severe storms will be mainly along and NW of the turnpike through late this evening. Expect developing convection on our western border near Cloud county would speed up with time, and be on the KS/MO border around or shortly after midnight. Watch may need to be extended eastward if line can maintain as the jet veers and moves into slightly less instability. PW values are favorable for heavy rainfall and localized flooding could be a concern. Main severe concerns are for damaging wind gusts and hail initially, with an isolated tornado threat as the storms remain discrete, transitioning to wind and rain threat as it moves eastward this evening. Carried chance diminishing to slight chance pops for after midnight into Monday morning. Showers and storms may linger near the front as it stalls across the southern counties Monday afternoon and keep a slight chance there. Cool outflow should hold highs in the lower 80s. .LONG TERM...(Monday Night through Sunday) Issued at 229 PM CDT SUN JUN 1 2014 While the overall weather pattern remains unsettled through next weekend, main focus of the forecast was the severe weather potential on Tuesday afternoon and evening. Existing frontal boundary meanders southward Monday evening. Weak convergence along the boundary with lack of a strong LLJ and upper lift warranted a slight chance near the boundary across main east central Kansas through the morning. Surface to mid level southerly flow quickly increases in response to a potent upper trough progged to track eastward across the northern plains. The attendant surface low across western KS lifts the warm front back northward towards the KS and NE border. Latest guidance has the boundary focused in this area by late afternoon where SFC based CAPE in excess of 3000 J/KG. The bulk of the convection centers along and north of the front. 0-6 KM bulk shear is quite strong between 65 and 70 kts supporting supercell structures capable of damaging winds and large hail. Tornado potential is of concern for convection that develops on the boundary as backed sfc winds up to 1 KM are near 25 to 30 kts. Have increased chances for storms to likely for the northern tier of counties near the Nebraska border. Maintained chances further south in the warm sector for possible convection in the afternoon. Sfc CAPE ranges from 2000 to 2500 J/KG with a weakening capping inversion through the day. In terms of afternoon temps, strength of the warm advection from the south pushes h85 temps between 23 and 26C. For this reason increased highs into the lower and middle 90s. The upper trough exits eastward Wednesday with clearing skies and precipitation from west to east during the afternoon. Westerly flow aloft brings another shortwave trof through on Thursday with best precip chances along and south of interstate 70 where the frontal boundary resides over southern Kansas. This trend continues through Friday evening with weak waves traversing through the region. While not a complete washout for the weekend, a slow moving, progressive trough tracks eastward across the plains, bringing rounds of thunderstorms to the area. Best chances appear to be on Saturday and Saturday evening. With the warm front shunted to our south Wednesday onward, highs settle down near 80 degrees with overnight lows in the low 60s. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFs through 18Z Monday Afternoon) Issued at 1205 PM CDT SUN JUN 1 2014 Only minor adjustments to previous TAF issuance. Best chances for squall line/thunder at MHK still near 02z and TOP/FOE near 05z. Keep prevailing thunder after line passes for trailing stratiform rain and embedded thunder. Expect gusty and erratic winds with the line as well as heavy downpours. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...67 LONG TERM...Bowen AVIATION...67
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 432 AM CDT SUN JUN 1 2014 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-020945- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 432 AM CDT SUN JUN 1 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS AND THEN SPREAD EASTWARD ACROSS MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE OUTLOOK AREA OVERNIGHT. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS. THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE NORTH AND WEST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER THROUGH MIDDAY ON MONDAY IN NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS BUT ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. THE CHANCES FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. THESE STORMS MAY BRING ALL MODES OF SEVERE WEATHER. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES. THERE WILL THEN BE PERIODIC THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 77 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:42 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A brief weak tornado was documented on video and through a survey. The tornado was weak and only did minor damage to trees. The tornado was likely on the ground for less than 2 minutes and was at most 50 yards wide.
Wind gusts estimated.
Numerous tree limbs down in and near Courtland.
Brief tornado touchdown approximately 1 mile north of Talmo. There was only minor tree damage. Low end EF0 winds of 65 to 75 mph estimated.
Wind gusts estimated.
Tree limbs 4 to 8 inches in diameter and up to 30 feet in length were down and closing Kansas highway 18 south of Bennington.
There were several 3 to 4 inch diameter tree branches down.
Wind gusts measured.
Wind gusts estimated.
A wooden ticket booth at the ballpark was blown over, and 3 inch diameter tree limbs down.
Wind gusts estimated.
Wind gusts was measured on a home weather station.
A tree down in Ottawa.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2014Warnings in Kansas, June 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: 509792, 513588, 513589, 509793, 513590, 513592, 513595, 513596, 513597, 513598, 513599, 513601, 513603.