Critical Fire Weather Persists in the Southern Plains; Severe Weather and Heavy Rain Expected Over the Weekend

High winds and very dry conditions will continue to produce elevated to critical fire weather conditions over portions of New Mexico and far western Texas through Saturday. Heavy snow will continue in the Central Rockies Heavy rain, flooding, and severe thunderstorm risks increase from the Southern Plains into the Lower Missouri Valley this weekend. Read More >

Overview

Severe thunderstorms developed across central Kansas during the early evening hours and moved northeast into the area. Five EF-0 or EF-1 tornadoes were confirmed, with many other reports of large hail and damaging winds:

For more information on the tornadoes in south-central Kansas, including the EF-3 tornado that moved through Andover, see this page from NWS Wichita:

Tornado
Photos & Video
Radar
Environment

Tornadoes:

Tornado - 7 Miles NW of Hope
DICKINSON COUNTY

Date	04/29/2022
Time (CDT)	6:31pm - 6:35pm
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	75 mph
Path Length	1.12 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A brief tornado developed under a supercell. Short path verified by video of a debris or dust swirl underneath a funnel cloud.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - 5 Miles SE of Carlton
DICKINSON COUNTY

Date	04/29/2022
Time (CDT)	7:52pm - 7:57pm
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	75 mph
Path Length	3.11 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A tornado quickly formed just west of highway K-15 within a developing line of thunderstorms. The tornado then traveled southeast over open country before moving into Marion County. Storm chasers documented this tornado with photos shortly before 8 PM.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Wamego/Belvue
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY

Date	04/29/2022
Time (CDT)	8:03pm - 8:18pm
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	93 mph
Path Length	11.49 miles
Max Width	100 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A fast-moving tornado moved along the Kansas River. This tornado developed just east of St. George and remained just south of Wamego before dissipating on the north side of Belvue.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - Herington/Parkerville
DICKINSON/MORRIS COUNTIES

Date	04/29/2022
Time (CDT)	8:06pm - 8:28-pm
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	97 mph
Path Length	17.73 miles
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A line of severe thunderstorms rapidly developed shortly before 8 PM near Hope, KS. Shortly thereafter, this storm developed a tornado just northwest of Herington, KS. This tornado remained on the ground for nearly 18 miles to the northeast before dissipating near Parkerville. Sporadic EF-0 to EF-1 damage was surveyed in the area.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

Tornado - 6 Miles W of Mayetta
JACKSON COUNTY

Date	04/29/2022
Time (Local)	8:37pm - 8:44pm
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	90 mph
Path Length	3.65 miles
Max Width	40 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: A small tornado developed over the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Reservation between 8:35 and 8:40 PM. A narrow sporadic damage path was followed for approximately 3.5 miles.

Track Map

Downloadable KMZ File

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Photos

Header


Beginning of the Herington tornado. (Jim Ladue)	EF-1 Damage Northwest of Herington. (NWS Damage Survey)	EF-1 Damage Northeast of Herington. (NWS Damage Survey)


EF-0 southeast of Wamego. Carport tossed into field. (NWS Damage Survey)	Outbuilding destroyed in Jackson County. EF-1 damage. (NWS Damage Survey)	Large outbuilding destroyed east of Eskridge, with winds estimated up to 110 mph. Damage in the area was spread in a divergent pattern, indicating straight-line winds. (NWS Damage Survey)

Radar

Header


Radar at 6:32pm, at the time of tornado #1 northeast of Carlton.	Radar at 7:53pm, near the beginning of tornado #2 southeast of Carlton.	Radar at 8:09pm, as tornado #3 passed just south of Wamego.


Radar at 8:09pm, near the beginning of tornado #4 north of Herington.	Radar at 8:25pm, near the end of tornado #4 just southwest of Parkerville.	Radar at 8:43pm, near the end of tornado #5 west of Mayetta.

Environment

Soundings


21z (4pm CDT) Topeka sounding	0z (7pm CDT) Topeka sounding

Storm Prediction Center Outlooks


SPC Outlook - Overall Categories	SPC Outlook - Tornado	SPC Outlook - Hail	SPC Outlook - Wind

Additional environmental data.


250 mb pattern valid at 7pm.	500 mb pattern valid at 7pm.	850 mb pattern valid at 7pm.


Hand-drawn surface analysis valid at 3pm.	Figure 8: Sea level pressure and surface winds valid at 5pm.	Surface based CAPE and CIN valid at 5pm.


Effective Storm Relative Helicity valid at 5pm.	Effective Bulk Shear valid at 5pm.	Significant Tornado Parameter valid at 5pm.

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Critical Fire Weather Persists in the Southern Plains; Severe Weather and Heavy Rain Expected Over the Weekend

April 29, 2022 - Tornadoes in Northeast and East-Central Kansas