A powerful cyclone that moved from the Southern Rockies across the Central Plains lashed South-Central and Southeast Kansas with sustained winds that ranged from 35 to 50 mph from that afternoon until around 2 AM CST on the 27th. Gusts reached 60 to 75 mph in parts of both South-Central and Southeast Kansas.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
A powerful cyclone that moved from the Southern Rockies across the Central Plains lashed South-Central and Southeast Kansas with sustained winds that ranged from 35 to 50 mph from that afternoon until around 2 AM CST on the 27th. Gusts reached 60 to 75 mph in parts of both South-Central and Southeast Kansas. The strongest gust, 75-mph, was enhanced by dissipating showers.
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 Nov 26, 12:08 PM CST, 2 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 1208 PM CST Tue Nov 26 2019 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Thursday) Issued at 300 AM CST Tue Nov 26 2019 ...Updated for the 18Z aviation discussion... Current satellite water vapor shows a strong weather system moving through the southern Rockies. This system will then eject out into the central plains during the day today. Mixed Precipitation in the form of light snow or light freezing drizzle could affect mainly Lincoln, Russell, and Barton counties in central Kansas late this afternoon or this evening. Think this wintry precipitation will only last for a few hours, with snow accumulations mainly below an inch. so will not issue any kind of winter weather advisory, as the heavier snow amounts stay just to the NW of the forecast area. Otherwise, an isolated high based rain shower will be possible this afternoon for areas east of the KS Turnpike or even a couple of weak thunderstorms ahead of strong upper forcing from the approaching upper low. Of greater concern is for this afternoon and this evening is across south central KS, as deeper mixing from this strong low pressure system looks to tap into the higher wind speeds aloft to the S-SE of the surface low center for late this afternoon into this evening. This could result in a few rogue wind gusts of 55 to 60 mph for portions of south central KS!! Latest RAP bufkit soundings suggest 50kt momentum transfer values at as high as 600mb could descend to the surface. So have decided to go with a high wind warning for Harper, Sumner, Kingman and Sedgwick counties for this high wind threat. Am a little concerned that another row of counties further east may see winds gusts to near 50 mph as well. A wind advisory has already been hoisted for the rest of the region into the evening hours, and this looks fine. The very intense surface low pressure area will shift east of the region tonight. This will tighten up the pressure gradient along with a well mixed 1000-850mb layer supporting very strong west-northwest winds persisting through much of tonight. Wed looks like a lull, between systems, as a weak surface ridge quickly moves across the area with cold advection for most of Wed. This will lead to colder air settling over the area for early Wed through Wed night. After a windy morning, expect diminishing winds for Wed afternoon and evening. The forecast gets very interesting for Wed night through Fri, as the next significant storm system looks to move into the plains going into the holiday weekend, with SW flow ahead of this system. For Wed night, the weak ridging will be short lived, as the SW flow will lead to warm advection increasing over the top of the shallow cold air expected to be over the forecast area for late Wed night into early Thu. Latest GFS and ECMWF are coming into better agreement, on the timing of the onset of the overrunning precipitation for late Wed night or early Thu morning. As this precip develops, temperature profiles and surface temps suggest that most areas NW of the KS Turnpike and north of highway 50, will see light snow, while areas south of highway 50 will see a wintry mix of freezing rain, and light snow mixed with light rain as surface temps hover near freezing. Latest bufkit soundings suggest the strong warm advection will lead to the wintry mix in southern KS, changing over to all rain during the morning hours, with this changeover line slowly progressing north into central KS by midday Thu. The longer residence time of the light snow over central KS, will lead to snow accumulations and travel concerns for areas north of highway 50 for Thu morning. Current thinking suggests 1 to 3 inches of slushy snow will be possible, before the snow changes over to all rain by midday Thu. Would not be surprised to see some sort of winter weather advisory issued for central KS with later forecast packages, given the high travel day. Persons with travel plans along Interstates 70 and 135, should pay close attention to later forecasts. Ketcham .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Monday) Issued at 300 AM CST Tue Nov 26 2019 Medium range solutions suggest, that the warm advection ahead of the SW US shortwave will lead to most of the precip changing over to all rain by Thu evening into Fri, as an area of low pressure begins to develop along the front range of the rockies for Fri. Lots of moisture transport will continue ahead of this system, for a widespread chance of soaking rains developing for most of the forecast area for Fri into Fri evening. Could even see some embedded strong thunderstorms for Fri afternoon/evening, especially for areas east of the KS Turnpike. Precipitable water values are running 150- 200 percent of normal, which could lead to some pockets of heavier rainfall. Another surge of colder air will spread southward for Saturday night into Sunday across Kansas with daytime highs likely below normal for Sunday and Monday. Ketcham && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Wednesday afternoon) Issued at 1149 AM CST Tue Nov 26 2019 Very strong west/southwest winds will develop after 20Z across south central Kansas and spread rapidly north and east across the forecast area through the afternoon and evening hours. This is in response to an area of subsidence as the synoptic scale dry slot rotates across the region. Steep low level (H10-H85) lapse rates across the Southern High Plains (TX panhandle) are resulting in 45-50+ knots during the late morning hours which provides some increased confidence in strong and/or damaging winds working into south central KS later this afternoon and evening. Some lingering MVFR cigs will scatter out across southeast KS while likely lingering across portions of central KS through much of the afternoon. There may be a brief window of low cigs/visibilities and a light wintry mix across portions of central KS this evening, but better chances for more widespread wintry precipitation may remain north of our forecast area. An advancing cold front will gradually usher in strong northwest winds as we move through the overnight hours. High pressure will quickly build over the region on Wed allowing wind speeds to diminish as we move through the day with VFR prevailing for much if not all of the day across the region. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 300 AM CST Tue Nov 26 2019 A red flag warning has been hoisted most of southern Kansas for this afternoon through this evening, as dry air and increasing wind speeds from western Oklahoma push into the region. Catastrophic Grassland Fire danger is possible especially for south central Kansas where very dry air will combine with high wind gusts 55 to 60 mph during the late afternoon and evening hours. Meanwhile winds will switch to the west/northwest for tonight, as the surface low pressure moves away from the region. The winds will remain strong as a well mixed layer persists through midnight. This would keep the fire weather risk in the extreme category until around midnight. Ketcham && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 63 29 45 31 / 0 0 0 60 Hutchinson 60 25 44 27 / 0 10 0 50 Newton 61 27 44 29 / 0 10 0 40 ElDorado 63 29 45 31 / 10 0 0 50 Winfield-KWLD 66 30 47 33 / 0 0 0 60 Russell 47 21 39 24 / 60 50 0 40 Great Bend 53 21 42 25 / 20 30 0 60 Salina 56 26 42 27 / 10 40 0 30 McPherson 58 24 42 27 / 10 30 0 40 Coffeyville 71 31 49 33 / 10 10 0 50 Chanute 66 31 46 32 / 10 10 0 40 Iola 65 31 46 31 / 10 10 0 30 Parsons-KPPF 68 32 47 33 / 10 10 0 50 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until midnight CST tonight for KSZ069>072-082- 083-091>096-098>100. Wind Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 3 AM CST Wednesday for KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-093>096-098>100. High Wind Warning until 9 PM CST this evening for KSZ082-083-091- 092. Wind Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 3 AM CST Wednesday for KSZ082-083-091-092. && SHORT TERM...Ketcham LONG TERM...Ketcham AVIATION...MWM FIRE WEATHER...Ketcham
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 530 AM CST Tue Nov 26 2019 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-271130- 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- 530 AM CST Tue Nov 26 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A mix of light freezing drizzle and snow is possible for primarily Lincoln, Russell and Barton counties this morning and again this evening. Little if any ice accumulations are expected, and snow accumulations should be less than in inch. Extreme to catastrophic grassland fire danger will affect south central and southeast Kansas this afternoon through tonight. A red flag warning is in effect please see latest red flag warning statement for more information. Strong gusty winds will affect much of the region this afternoon through tonight. A high wind warning and a wind advisory are in effect over the region, please see latest headline products for more details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday There's a better chance for snow or a rain snow mix late Wednesday night through Thursday morning. At this time, central Kansas has the best chance for some snow accumulations. Lots of uncertainty exists with this snow chance, so persons with travel plans early Thursday should pay attention for later updates and possible advisories. Friday, there will be a chance for a few strong thunderstorms and heavy rainfall across the region. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated today or tonight. && For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at: http://weather.gov/wichita/hwo/ Ketcham
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sustained speeds from 35-40kts/40-46mph were measured 1 mile WSW of Anthony Airport.
The 56-kt/64-mph gust was measured 1 mile NW of Derby. Sustained speeds from 35-50kts occurred in most areas throughout this period. In addition, a 44-kt/51-mph gust was measured at Eisenhower Airport at 1538CST while a 45-kt/52-mph gust was measured at McConnell Air Force Base at 1619CST.
Gusts occasionally reached around 50 knots during this 3-hour period.
Gusts from 50-54kts/58-62mph occurred several times from mid-afternoon until that evening. No damage was reported.
The estimated 52-kt/60-mph gust occurred 5 miles SSE of Leon. The time of the event is estimated.
Gusts that ranged from 52-65kts/60-75mph were measured at Coffeyville Airport. No damage was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, November 2019
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: 863906, 863916, 863918, 863919, 863920, 863921.