Widely scattered strong to marginally severe storms impacted much of the area during the evening and nighttime hours on March 13. Initially a few strong to severe storms impacted portions of north central Kansas, but additional storms developed across portions of south central and southeast Kansas later in the night.
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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.
Widely scattered strong to marginally severe storms impacted much of the area during the evening and nighttime hours on March 13. Initially a few strong to severe storms impacted portions of north central Kansas, but additional storms developed across portions of south central and southeast Kansas later in the night. Up to quarter sized hail and wind gusts up to 59 mph were reported.
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 Mar 13, 5:29 PM CST, 32 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 629 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... * Severe storms across central and northeast Kansas late this afternoon and early tonight. * Conditional risk for severe thunderstorms late this afternoon through early tonight across south central and southeast Kansas. * Brief cool down on Friday with another cool down Sun-Mon. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 135 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024 A warm front was mixing northward across the area early this morning and is expected to be in the vicinity of the I-70 corridor late this afternoon. This frontal zone will become a focus for showers and storms after 21Z. Low level mass convergence will allow dewpoint temperatures to pool in the warm frontal zone allowing the cap to weaken sufficiently for scattered storms to develop as the pv anomaly lifts out of the base of the H5 toward 00Z. As you move southward along the anticipated dryline, the airmass may remain capped to deep moist convection. Low level backed flow in the vicinity of the warm front along the I-70 corridor will be the most likely location for a tornado or two in addition to very large hail and damaging winds. As we move into the overnight hours, the dryline is progged to retreat westward. There remains a nonzero chance for a storm or two along the retreating dryline but point soundings show a considerable cap which may preclude more vigorous and widespread deep moist convection. Higher probabilities will remain across northeast Kansas where the nose of the LLJ should provide sufficient lift/moisture for more widespread development. A slow moving cold front will eventually merge and overtake the dryline late tonight and into the morning hours on Thursday. The low level frontal zone will continue moving southeast on Thursday and will likely be south and east of our forecast area on Thursday afternoon when the next round of deep moist convection is anticipated. Some low pops were maintained in far southeast KS to account for uncertainty in the movement. Cooler air will overspread central KS with highs struggling to climb out of the 50s while far southeast KS will see well above normal highs once again with values topping out in the upper 70s. Fri-Sat...Cooler air will overspread the area on Friday with seasonable temperatures in the 50s and low 60s anticipated. Another vigorous shortwave trough is progged to dig into the Great Lakes area on Saturday driving a reinforcing shot of cooler air into the Plains. This shot of cool air will be slow to arrive with seasonably mild temperatures expected on Sat. Northwest mid/upper flow will prevail into the middle of next week allowing dry weather conditions to persist across the area. A series of more subtle shortwave troughs will drive some frontal boundaries southward bringing little more than a wind shift with seasonably mild temperatures anticipated through the period. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 623 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024 A few storms will continue to develop this evening over central Kansas and move eastward. Some of them could become severe near SLN and RSL sites. Otherwise a cold front will push southward tonight across central Kansas with low clouds in the MVFR category developing and expanding southward into south central Kansas by Thursday morning. The low clouds in the MVFR category will linger across much of the area through the morning hours with north winds increasing. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 135 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024 A brief window will exist late this afternoon and early evening for a period of very high grassland fire danger across south central Kansas as a dryline mixes eastward into the area. Gusty south to southwest winds may allow for a brief window where relative humidity falls with wind gusts to around 30+ mph at times. && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && DISCUSSION...MWM AVIATION...CDJ FIRE WEATHER...MWM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 412 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-142115- 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- 412 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight There is a conditional risk for severe thunderstorms through early tonight, generally along a warm front near the I-70 corridor and east of I-135 in vicinity of and just east of a dry-line. Large hail to around 2 inches in diameter and damaging winds to 65 mph will be the primary threats, although a tornado is also possible. Very high grassland fire danger is possible into the early evening for portions of south central Kansas and the Flint Hills. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Depending on the speed of a cold front on Thursday, there could be a slight chance for strong to severe storms across far southeast Kansas in the late afternoon. The main risks will be dime to quarter size hail and 50 to 60 mph wind gusts. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated tonight. && For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at: https://weather.gov/crh/ghwo?sid=ict
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Wichita KS
644 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024
KSZ049-140015-
Saline KS-
644 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN SALINE COUNTY
THROUGH 715 PM CDT...
At 644 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Gypsum, or 11 miles northeast of Lindsborg, moving north at 20 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...
Salina, Assaria, Gypsum, Bridgeport, and Kipp.
This includes Interstate 135 between Mile Markers 89 and 90.
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 Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for
central Kansas.
&&
LAT...LON 3884 9737 3861 9737 3861 9761 3884 9762
TIME...MOT...LOC 2344Z 187DEG 17KT 3866 9749
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
CUELLARThe Topeka radar (KTWX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:05 UTC.
3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Pea to quarter sized hail was reported near Gypsum. Small hail was coating the ground.
While hail was mostly small, a few hailstones were up to quarter size near New Cambria.
Nickel sized hail was reported in Arkansas City.
A 59 mph wind gust was measured at the Eureka Municipal Airport.
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, March 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: 1166978, 1166980, 1166982, 1166984.