A morning line of storms produced a swath of damaging winds as it moved across the Interstate 70 corridor in central and east-central Kansas.
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 TOP wrote it up.
A morning line of storms produced a swath of damaging winds as it moved across the Interstate 70 corridor in central and east-central Kansas.
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 Jul 16, 2:09 AM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Topeka KS 309 AM CDT Tue Jul 16 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - As a cold front slows across northeast Kansas, a series of impulses trigger scattered storms this morning through the evening hours. A few of these storms may produce gusty winds to around 50 mph and locally heavy rainfall. - Heat indices from 100 to 103 are expected this afternoon along and south of I-35. - Below normal temperatures settle in Wednesday onward, followed by precip chances returning this weekend.&& .DISCUSSION... Issued at 308 AM CDT Tue Jul 16 2024 Series of embedded perturbations noted withing the quasi-westerly flow aloft across the central plains region this morning. The strongest impulse over western Kansas has developed a cluster of convection while more scattered activity is developing upstream into north central Kansas, in proximity to the 850 mb front where isentropic ascent along the 310-320K surfaces is gradually increasing through sunrise. Despite variances in short term guidance on the evolution of this activity, models and observations are consistent in ample MUCAPE and effective shear values up to 35 kts to sustain activity as the shortwave trough slides eastward into eastern Kansas later today. The depth of the wave is not particularly strong so there is some uncertainty on the coverage of precipitation during the morning period. Nevertheless, it seems prudent to maintain low chance pops as activity should become more isolated in the afternoon. Redevelopment of convection is possible along the h85 boundary by late afternoon as SFC cape surges above 4000 J/KG with little to no inhibition. Effective shear is fairly weak and lapse rates are not too impressive so would believe coverage to be isolated at best. Updrafts may be capable of strong wind gusts up to 50 mph. Additionally, another shortwave trough is progged to slide southeast this evening, developing a cluster of storms across southern NE. These storms may impact north central areas this evening, producing severe wind gusts and hail. Activity gradually weakens overnight while another round of showers and storms focuses across southern Kansas and northern Kansas. In collaboration with our southern neighbors, opted to keep slight pops this evening, however latest guidance would support better forcing near the front being south of the CWA with much of the area being dry overnight. The cooler airmass arrives Wednesday morning as gusty northeast winds in the afternoon bring high temperatures down to the lower and middle 80s. Dry, cool, and mostly sunny conditions reign through Friday. Abnormally cool sfc high pressure continues to spread southwestward this weekend as a southward moving upper low increases cloud cover, storm chances, and reinforcing cooler air with highs around 80 and lows in the low 60s through early next week. Timing of the upper trough is somewhat similar between GFS and EC ensembles of highest pops on Saturday evening however, precip chances may linger into next week as ridging over the southeast CONUS may slow the progression of the upper low away from the region. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1214 AM CDT Tue Jul 16 2024 VFR at terminals with focus being on the passing FROPA and increasing scattered TSRA developing over western KS, reaching terminals aft 10Z. Maintained the TEMPO mention, even though latest guidance is trending less in coverage of storms and may be slightly further north of sites as well. Winds veer to the northeast aft 15Z around 10 kts through the afternoon. Models hint at the possibility for isolated TSRA redeveloping aft 22Z near KTOP/KFOE. Will monitor trends and consider mentioning at next issuance. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && DISCUSSION...Prieto AVIATION...Prieto
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Topeka KS 314 AM CDT Tue Jul 16 2024 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-170815- Republic-Washington-Marshall-Nemaha-Brown-Cloud-Clay-Riley- Pottawatomie-Jackson-Jefferson-Ottawa-Dickinson-Geary-Morris- Wabaunsee-Shawnee-Douglas-Lyon-Osage-Franklin-Coffey-Anderson- 314 AM CDT Tue Jul 16 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Kansas, east central Kansas, north central Kansas and northeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Scattered storms are likely this morning with additional development possible through the afternoon. A few storms may be strong to severe with wind gusts up to 60 mph being the main hazard. Additional severe storms may move into north central Kansas this evening. These storms would be capable of large hail and damaging wind gusts. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER MESSAGE Weather spotters are encouraged to relay reports of hail, damaging wind, tornadoes and flooding. && More detailed information can be found at: www.weather.gov/media/top/DssPacket.pdf
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Topeka KS
359 AM CDT Tue Jul 16 2024
KSZ008-009-020-021-160945-
Republic-Clay-Cloud-Washington-
359 AM CDT Tue Jul 16 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN REPUBLIC...
SOUTHWESTERN WASHINGTON...NORTHERN CLAY AND CLOUD COUNTIES THROUGH
445 AM CDT...
At 359 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 5
miles north of Vining, moving east at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down twigs or small limbs and blow
around objects. Minor damage to vegetation is possible.
Locations impacted include...
Concordia, Clyde, Clifton, Linn, Greenleaf, Jamestown, Palmer,
Agenda, Aurora, and Vining.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 AM CDT for
north central Kansas.
&&
LAT...LON 3964 9793 3979 9699 3957 9692 3957 9696
3951 9696 3938 9793
TIME...MOT...LOC 0859Z 259DEG 20KT 3965 9730
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
101The Topeka radar (KTWX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:13 UTC.
33 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tree around one foot in diameter snapped in Minneapolis.
Six inch tree limb down in Longford.
Trained spotter estimated 60 to 70 mph wind gusts.
Tree down on Third Street in Clay Center.
Estimated 60 mph gust.
Spotter updated previous report with estimate of 65 to 70 mph winds.
Estimated gusts of 70 mph.
Estimated 60-70 mph wind gusts.
Estimated 60 to 70 mph wind gusts.
Estimated 70 mph winds, also power out across town.
Estimated 65 mph gust.
Home weather station measured 58 mph gust.
Estimated 60 to 70 mph winds and near zero visibility in heavy rain.
Mping base level report of wind damage.
Mping base level report of wind damage.
Mping base level report of wind damage.
Tree limbs down, estimated 65 mph gusts.
KDOT mesonet station.
KFOE asos recorded gust.
Mping base level report of wind damage.
Mping base level report of wind damage.
KTOP asos measurement.
Mping report of 3 inch tree limbs broken and/or power poles snapped.
Mping base level report of wind damage.
Large tree uprooted. Time estimated by radar.
A 6.5 inch diameter tree down and one foot diameter tree down.
Tree uprooted and laying on house.
Off-duty NWS meteorologist estimated 70 mph winds.
Personal weather station recorded gust.
Fire chief estimated 70 mph wind gusts near Valley Falls.
Five foot diameter tree blown down onto three buildings, small shed flipped.
Tree down on house.
Fire chief reported 60 mph gusts around town in McLouth.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, July 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: 1195626, 1195633, 1195635, 1195638, 1195640, 1195641, 1195663, 1195665, 1195667, 1195669, 1195674, 1195675, 1195676, 1195686, 1195687, 1195688, 1195691, 1195692, 1195693, 1195694, 1195695, 1195696, 1195697, 1195698, 1195699, 1195700, 1195701, 1195703, 1195704, 1195705, 1195706, 1195708, 1195709.