Strong winds across much of the area. A couple of locations gusted to speeds right around 50 mph.
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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 ICT wrote it up.
Strong winds across much of the area. A couple of locations gusted to speeds right around 50 mph. Many other locations in central and south-central KS experienced wind gusts between 40 to 45 mph.
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 Sep 27, 5:35 AM CST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 635 AM CDT Sun Sep 27 2020 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Monday night) Issued at 407 AM CDT Sun Sep 27 2020 A fairly substantial pattern change is underway across the CONUS at this time, with the transition providing at least some modest impacts here locally. Early this morning, water vapor imagery reveals a well-defined shortwave digging southeast across the northern/central Rockies, and is just one, of several, waves carving out an anomalous upper level trough across the central and eastern US. At the SFC, a cold front continues sagging south through western and central KS, with an attendant SFC low deepening over the TX/OK Panhandle region. The front is advancing much quicker across the High Plains of western KS compared to eastern KS. The slowing of the front will be highly dependent on the evolution of the SFC low. The RAP suggests a deeper SFC low and slower progression of the front across south-central/southeast KS (compared to the GFS/ECMWF). This seems to match fairly well compared to SFC obs in the area, and makes sense given the increasing height falls overspreading the area. Based on this, then, it still appears there will be at least some slowing of the front as it moves through southern KS later today. SFC obs and satellite imagery reveal low to mid level moistening is already underway along the frontal zone from OK into KS. In fact, based on 00z RAOBs from last night, this moistening may be occurring even a bit faster than what the RAP is forecasting. East of the SFC low, isentropic upglide will noticeably increase across eastern KS this morning as the column continues to moisten. There is quite a bit of dry air to overcome, so initially precipitation may tend to be very light, or even drizzly in nature. However, continued moistening within the column plus increasing large-scale forcing for ascent should lead to a transition to scattered to numerous showers and embedded thunderstorms. Continued moistening beneath steep to very steep lapse rates should yield MUCAPE of 500-1500 j/kg, even just behind the low-level front. Regardless of the timing of the front, forecast soundings reveal a well-defined, elevated convection signal. So, while the timing of the front matters, the pool of elevated instability may still reside some distance behind the SFC front. At the very least, this may keep some embedded thunder possible for several hours, post-front passage. Regarding the severe weather risk...deeper convection may attempt to develop right along the front, but may have a tendency to be undercut fairly quickly, limiting the SFC-based potential. However, even above the frontal inversion, the potential exists for MUCAPE as high as 2000 j/kg across SE KS. This combined with steep lapse rates and 35-45kt effective shear certainly could allow a conditional severe risk. Given the amount of forcing and the likelihood of thunderstorm clustering, it may be tougher to maintain any one updraft. However, given the shear present, any sustained updraft could pose a hail threat. The elevated nature of the storms should tend to limit the wind threat. However, any sustained, rotating updraft near the front could get some wind to the SFC. I still think the greatest hail risk (penny to perhaps half-dollar size) will be across far SE KS. Elsewhere, maybe some pea to half-inch size could occur. As the SFC low deepens through the day, the northeasterly low-level flow will increase. While the strongest winds near/just behind the front may be more transient in nature, there will likely be at least a short period of wind gusts of 40-45 mph. Given the shorter duration and some remaining uncertainty in the evolution of the low/front, we opted to hold off on a Wind Advisory. This may be needed if confidence increases in later shifts. Later this evening and tonight, a secondary surge of CAA and strong height rises will lead to another increase in winds, perhaps nearing Advisory criteria once again. On Monday, another s/w will drop south through the Midwest, clipping central and eastern KS with gusty north winds, and ushering in another push of cooler air. Martin .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Saturday) Issued at 407 AM CDT Sun Sep 27 2020 Overall, no real change to the forecast during the long-term period. North or northwest flow aloft will dominate the Plains during the upcoming week, with occasional Alberta Clippers dropping south out of Canada. Ahead of each wave, a downsloping W/NW flow will give a nice bump in highs (perhaps well into the 70s to near 80) before being followed by temperatures falling back into the 60s behind it. These waves look dry for now, but may have some gusty winds with them. Some frost potential may exist along the I-70 corridor late this week if winds can go light enough. Martin && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Monday morning) Issued at 630 AM CDT Sun Sep 27 2020 A cold front will move south across the area today shifting winds to the north. We may see a brief period immediately behind the front where winds gust above 35 knots but the strongest winds should be relatively transient in nature. MVFR and IFR cigs were becoming widespread along and ahead of the front this morning and are expected to remain in place through much of the morning hours. Scattered showers and storms are expected to develop along and behind the front this afternoon with improving flight categories expected late this afternoon and evening as drier air builds into the region in the wake of the front. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 70 50 69 44 / 40 10 0 0 Hutchinson 68 48 69 41 / 40 10 0 0 Newton 67 48 67 41 / 50 10 0 0 ElDorado 68 48 67 42 / 60 30 0 0 Winfield-KWLD 73 50 69 43 / 60 30 0 0 Russell 72 47 68 40 / 0 10 0 0 Great Bend 72 47 67 39 / 10 10 0 0 Salina 70 47 69 41 / 30 10 0 0 McPherson 68 47 68 40 / 40 10 0 0 Coffeyville 76 52 69 44 / 90 80 0 0 Chanute 71 52 68 43 / 90 70 0 0 Iola 70 50 68 43 / 90 60 0 0 Parsons-KPPF 74 52 68 44 / 90 70 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...RM LONG TERM...RM AVIATION...MWM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 456 AM CDT Sun Sep 27 2020 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-281000- 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- 456 AM CDT Sun Sep 27 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Scattered thunderstorms will be possible across parts of southern Kansas later today, the strongest of which could produce hail up to around quarter size, or slightly larger. The highest risk of seeing hail looks to be across southeast Kansas. A shorter period of strong wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph is likely across southern Kansas this afternoon as a strong cold front moves through. A second round of stronger wind gusts to near 40 mph may occur later this evening through tonight areawide. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Frost is possible along the Interstate 70 corridor Friday morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated today or tonight, but any reports of hail or wind would be appreciated. && For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at: https://weather.gov/crh/ghwo?sid=ict Martin
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Official measuring equipment recorded the gust.
Official measuring equipment recorded the gusts at multiple locations across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, September 2020
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: 922204, 922205.