Target: Wichita, KS                                     < April 22 | May 19 > 

May 10, 2010

Target: Wichita, KS

This chase started late in the day, as we could not leave Topeka until the mid afternoon; after convection in southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma had already initiated. As we cruised southward on the Kansas turnpike we saw on radar that a storm was strengthening on the southwest side of Wichita, KS. This storm soon morphed into a supercell and became tornado-warned. Since it was not likely that we would make it to the southwest side of Wichita before the storm moved into town we decided to sit on the east side of town, just south of El Dorado, and wait for it to emerge from Wichita. While we waited for the storm we listened to radio reports that the ATC tower at Wichita Mid-Continental Airport observed a funnel cloud and subsequent tornado. Since this storm moved into Wichita during the evening commute, there were a lot of people still on the roads. We warned a resident-friend of Wichita of the impending storm and told her to delay her trip home until the storm had passed. Luckily the tornado dissipated before it entered Wichita and the city was spared. As the storm emerged from the city it became outflow dominant and soon the entire storm was gone. With most of the storms moving into SE Missouri and western Arkansas we decided to discontinue the chase and return back to Lawrence. 

post event

• Local Storm Report Map

• SPC Archive Page
  

• NWS Wichita Write-up