A cold front moved into central Kansas during the afternoon hours of April 30th and storms erupted along it by around 5 pm. Extreme instability allowed storms to quickly become severe producing large hail and a landspout tornado.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 cold front moved into central Kansas during the afternoon hours of April 30th and storms erupted along it by around 5 pm. Extreme instability allowed storms to quickly become severe producing large hail and a landspout tornado. Storms continued to intensify as they tracked south and east with one of the storms producing up to baseball sized hail in Harper County! In addition, before moving into Oklahoma, one storm started to show impressive low level rotation and eventually produced a brief EF-1 tornado north of Sedan. One brief EF-U tornado occurred near Augusta.
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 Apr 30, 1:54 PM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 254 PM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Late afternoon evening storms possible along and especially east of I-135. Severe storms likely with any storm that develops along the front. - Evening storms may add to the ongoing flooding issues from the Flint Hills into southeast KS. - Additional storms likely on Wed with severe storms again possible, especially west of I-135. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 254 PM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024 Water vapor imagery currently shows some shortwave energy lifting across Eastern Nebraska with the main upper trough still back over the Northern Intermountain. At the surface, Pacific front/dryline extends from eastern Nebraska to near KSLN and just northwest of KHUT. Front/dryline will continue tracking east this afternoon and by 21z is expected to extend generally along or just west of I-135. Storms are expected to develop along the boundary generally in the 20-23z time frame. Confidence on the more widespread activity is still higher further north, closer to the better upper dynamics and further away from weak high rises. However, almost all of the CAMs are developing storms in our forecast area, which makes sense given the extreme instability and minimal capping. With an abundance of instability and modest deep layer shear, still looking for supercells with large hail and damaging winds possible. Can't rule out a brief tornado, given the presence of decent 0-3km CAPE and a sharp boundary, especially if a storm can remain anchored on it for a period of time. As the storms track off to the east this evening, they will be moving into an area that has already seen extreme rainfall the last several days, so flooding would become more likely. So the current flood watch looks on track. Low level jet will increase as the evening hours progress which will impinge on the front as it starts to lay out more east- west. This should lead to continued storm development and potential back-building which may lead to additional flooding, especially over the Flint Hills along and south of Highway 400. Starting to feel more confident that showers and storms will linger across at least south central and southeast KS throughout much of Wed morning as 850-700mb moisture transport persists. In addition, a tight 700mb baroclinic zone will move through during the morning hours which should help showers and storms continue. With CAPE above 850mb in the 1,000-2,000J/KG range, some large hail will remain possible with any of the storms Wed morning. The main question will be if and how many storms develop on the dryline/triple point Wed afternoon/early evening. The model trends have been to push the warm front/dryline further to the southwest with the triple point now expected to be between Pratt and Dodge City where yesterday at this time it looked like it would be west of Great Bend. With the better upper forcing still back to the west and northwest, current thinking is that we will not get numerous storms to develop along it with just a few storms likely. All severe hazards will be possible with any storm that develops along the dryline late Wed afternoon/early evening and will track off the east. So for surfaced based convection Wed, feel areas west of I-135 will have the best chance, generally after 22z as storms move-in from the west. Another round of elevated storms will be possible Wed evening/night as the better upper forcing moves out of the Rockies and into the High Plains. Locations along and north of I-70 will have the best chance to see this activity. Storm chances will remain over the area on Thursday as the front moves back through the forecast area with southeast KS having the only chance for storms on Thu night. By 12z Fri, the upper low will be lifting across the Upper Mississippi Valley with westerly mid and upper flow across the Plains. Meanwhile, the surface boundary is expected to stretch from southern MO into southeast OK, which is where the better storm chances will also be located. We should see a break in storm activity during the day Fri with additional development Fri night as a fast moving impulse slides across Nebraska, which will push another cold front through the forecast area. Storms are expected to be moving off to the east Sat morning with most of Sat dry. However, both ECMWF and GFS still agree on lifting a southern stream impulse out of the Desert Southwest and across the Southern Plains for late Sat night into Sun which may bring a round of showers and storms to mainly southern KS on Sun. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1249 PM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024 A number of aviation concerns are expected over the next 24 hours. SCT to BKN MVFR cigs are slowly moving eastward across south- central Kansas early this afternoon, but shouldn't affect TAF sites from here on out. VFR conditions should prevail at most TAF sites until about 22Z. A weak frontal boundary/dry line sliding across the area, and a pronounced wind shift from southerly to northwest/westerly. Sustained winds are generally around 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 30 to 35 knots on both sides of the boundary. By 22Z, thunderstorm development is anticipated along the boundary, and a line of broken strong to severe storms will gradually slide eastward through the late afternoon and evening hours along and east of the Kansas Turnpike. The main concerns will be very large hail, damaging wind gusts, and perhaps a tornado or two. These storms may impact KICT, but it's difficult to go with more than a PROB30 at this time given coverage may be isolated. Storms are expected to continue moving eastward tonight, and KCNU may also be impacted later tonight. Additional thunderstorm development is expected during the nighttime hours into Wednesday morning, but this activity is not expected to be severe. However, frequent lightning and heavy rainfall may accompany these storms Wednesday morning. && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch from 8 PM CDT this evening through Wednesday morning for KSZ069>072-093>096-098>100. && DISCUSSION...RBL AVIATION...JC
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 524 AM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-011030- 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- 524 AM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Pockets of areal flooding and river flooding are ongoing over southeast Kansas, especially along the Neosho and Verdigris Rivers. See latest flood warnings for additional details. Severe thunderstorms are expected late this afternoon into the overnight hours, mainly east of Interstate 135. The strongest storms will be capable of large hail up to baseball size, damaging winds up to 70 mph, and a tornado or 2. As the evening progresses the threats will shift to damaging winds up to 60 mph and heavy rainfall resulting in additional flooding. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday Storms will remain in the forecast for late Wednesday afternoon and evening for locations along and especially west of Interstate 135. Severe storms will be possible with this activity. Periodic thunderstorm chances will remain in the forecast for Thursday through the weekend. Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible, along with additional heavy rainfall and localized flooding. Stay tuned, as we continue to refine the forecast the next few days. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this afternoon and evening. && For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at: https://www.weather.gov/erh/ghwo?wfo=ict
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Wichita KS
202 PM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM Flood 1 NE Oswego 37.18N 95.11W
04/30/2024 Labette KS CO-OP Observer
Riverside Park Drive flooded from east of
Xavier Rd, south of the river gage bridge,
to 100 yards east toward the water plant.
&&
JASSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wichita KS
415 PM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024
KSZ082-302145-
Kingman KS-
415 PM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT EASTERN KINGMAN COUNTY THROUGH
445 PM CDT...
At 415 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9
miles south of Kingman, moving northeast at 40 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Murdock, Waterloo, Cleveland, Rago, Mt Vernon, Cheney State Park, and
Cheney Lake.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
&&
LAT...LON 3756 9818 3773 9796 3773 9781 3750 9781
3740 9809
TIME...MOT...LOC 2115Z 228DEG 33KT 3751 9808
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
MCGUIRESpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wichita KS
427 PM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024
KSZ051-068-302200-
McPherson KS-Harvey KS-
427 PM CDT Tue Apr 30 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN MCPHERSON AND
WESTERN HARVEY COUNTIES THROUGH 500 PM CDT...
At 427 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Burrton, moving northeast at 55 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Newton, Hesston, Halstead, North Newton, Moundridge, and Burrton.
This includes Interstate 135 between Mile Markers 34 and 50.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for south central
Kansas.
&&
LAT...LON 3808 9770 3831 9747 3808 9731 3791 9766
3791 9770
TIME...MOT...LOC 2127Z 235DEG 46KT 3805 9763
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
MCGUIREThe Wichita radar (KICT), 41 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:31 UTC.
20 hail, 12 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple pictures of a landspout west of Halstead were received from trained spotters and the public which was relayed via emergency management. There was no damage.
Quarter to golf ball sized hail was reported in south Newton and just to the west of the city with the larger hail in the southern side of town.
An irrigation pivot below onto the roadway at 60th and Emma Creek.
Power poles were down at 125th and Meridian.
Ping pong ball to golf ball sized hail was ongoing for at least five minutes.
Quarter sized hail and 50 mph winds reported.
Hail ranged from quarter to golf ball size in Norwich.
Brief tornado touchdown occurred near Augusta with no damage indicated.
Quarter to golf ball sized hail reported in Andover over the course of at least 10 minutes.
Several tree limbs were down across town in excess of 10 inches in diameter.
This was a delayed report, and the time was estimated by radar.
Multiple limbs and branches were down across town ranging from six inches up to 24 inches in diameter. A metal flag pole was bent over, and a portable metal sign from a business was lifted over a short fence.
Report received via social media.
Quarter to golf ball sized hail fell for a few minutes near Harper. A video was sent in via social media.
Report was received via mPing.
Lots of ping pong ball to golf ball sized hail fell in Anthony over the course of at least 15 minutes. Video sent in corroborated several phone calls with some of the hail stones up to baseball size.
Law enforcement estimated winds up to 70 mph. Tree damage was reported across town.
A social media report of a large tree down in town.
Brief tornado touchdown reported via Facebook with damage pictures to tree sent in. A couple of hardwood trees were snapped but had compromised trunks. Nearby cedar trees had broken branches, and trunks snapped.
The ASOS station at Strother Field Airport in Winfield recorded a 60 mph wind gust.
Public report of estimated wind gusts up to 70 mph.
Report from a trained spotter of winds up to 70 mph. Tree limbs and a couple trees were knocked down as well.
Report from a trained spotter of wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Report from a trained spotter of wind gusts up to 60 mph.
The ASOS station at Coffeyville Municipal Airport recorded a wind gust of 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2024Warnings in Kansas, April 2024
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: 1176689, 1176230, 1176231, 1176232, 1176233, 1176664, 1176662, 1176427, 1176428, 1176429, 1176430, 1176431, 1176432, 1176434, 1167393, 1176435, 1176436, 1176440, 1176666, 1176439, 1176441, 1176665, 1176442, 1176444, 1176445, 1176447, 1176450, 1176668, 1167395, 1176452, 1176451, 1176455, 1176454, 1176457, 1176459.