Severe Weather Information: April 14th, 2011

Strong Storms Roll Through Northeast Kansas April 14, 2011 

On the afternoon of April 14, 2011 strong thunderstorms formed along a dryline associated with a strong storm system which moved through the plains. Although the storms were low-topped in nature and did not produce much hail, they did produce some damaging winds and a few funnel clouds.

The Science of "Why":  A Few Degrees Makes All The Difference

This was a strong storm system, with plenty of wind shear, and many of the ingredients required for tornadoes.  Thunderstorms were able to develop as there wasn't much of a cap on the atmosphere.  So how did the area manage to avoid the development of several tornadoes?

With this storm system, it appears that it was a matter of a few degrees.  When looking at data from the evening weather balloons, it appears that if dewpoint temperatures would have been a few degrees higher, the tornado potential would have increased sharply.  An increase in dewpoints (a measure of moisture content in the air), would have markedly increased instability available to the storms, and caused cloud bases to be closer to the ground.  Both of these would be factors in increased tornado potential.  For example, while dewpoint temperatures at Emporia got as high as the middle 50s, the dewpoint in far southern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma (where several tornadoes did develop) was into the 60s.

Of course, numerous ingredients are required in tornado development.  Similarly to baking a cake, if you mix all of the ingredients together, but forget the baking powder (or even add too little baking powder), the cake will not turn out as planned.  And while many ingredients for tornado development may be present, it may only take one missing ingredient (or too little of one) to cause storms to not turn out as expected.  And THAT...is the science of "Why" for April 14, 2011.
 

Click the image below for the latest Storm Reports From Thursday

LSR Map from April 14, 2011

 

Preliminary Local Storm Reports (link above will have the most recent reports)

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0154 PM     HAIL             5 SSW CONCORDIA         39.50N 97.70W
04/14/2011  E0.88 INCH       CLOUD              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0215 PM     HAIL             NORWAY                  39.70N 97.77W
04/14/2011  E0.75 INCH       REPUBLIC           KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            BRIEF PERIOD OF DIME TO PENNY SIZE HAIL

0500 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S TESCOTT             38.98N 97.88W
04/14/2011                   OTTAWA             KS   PUBLIC

            NEAR THE OTTAWA/SALINE COUNTY LINE ON BROOKVILLE ROAD.
            ROOF BLOWN OFF OF HOUSE. SHED NOT TIED DOWN TO FOUNDATION
            COMPLETELY BLOWN DOWN AND MOTORCYLE THROWN APPROX 30
            YARDS AWAY FROM HOUSE.

0522 PM     HAIL             9 S ABILENE             38.78N 97.20W
04/14/2011  E1.00 INCH       DICKINSON          KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0527 PM     HAIL             9 S ABILENE             38.78N 97.20W
04/14/2011  E1.00 INCH       DICKINSON          KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PEA TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL.

0533 PM     HAIL             ABILENE                 38.92N 97.21W
04/14/2011  E1.00 INCH       DICKINSON          KS   STORM CHASER

            QUARTER SIZED HAIL IN ABILENE

0540 PM     HAIL             3 WSW ABILENE           38.90N 97.26W
04/14/2011  E1.00 INCH       DICKINSON          KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0544 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     5 N ABILENE             38.99N 97.21W
04/14/2011                   DICKINSON          KS   STORM CHASER

            SPOTTER REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD NORTH OF ABILENE

0558 PM     TSTM WND GST     10 S JUNCTION CITY      38.88N 96.83W
04/14/2011  E70.00 MPH       GEARY              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER ESTIMATED WINDS OF 60-70 MPH WITH PEA SIZED HAIL

0615 PM     HAIL             2 S COUNCIL GROVE       38.63N 96.49W
04/14/2011  E1.00 INCH       MORRIS             KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            COVERING THE GROUND ALONG HIGHWAY 177.

0616 PM     HAIL             1 E COUNCIL GROVE       38.66N 96.48W
04/14/2011  E0.88 INCH       MORRIS             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0619 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 S ALTA VISTA          38.85N 96.49W
04/14/2011  M65.00 MPH       WABAUNSEE          KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ALSO PEA SIZE HAIL

0623 PM     HAIL             5 S PALMER              39.57N 97.14W
04/14/2011  E0.75 INCH       WASHINGTON         KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL SIZE RANGED FROM DIME TO PENNY SIZE AND COVERED THE
            GROUND

0624 PM     HAIL             7 NE COUNCIL GROVE      38.74N 96.41W
04/14/2011  E0.75 INCH       MORRIS             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0648 PM     HAIL             SSE BARNES              39.71N 96.87W
04/14/2011  E0.88 INCH       WASHINGTON         KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0720 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 S ROSSVILLE           39.09N 95.94W
04/14/2011  E50.00 MPH       WABAUNSEE          KS   TRAINED SPOTTER


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