National Weather Service Wichita, Kansas Explained

Agency Name:	Wichita, Kansas Weather Forecast Office
Picture Width:	250px
Picture Caption:	The Wichita, Kansas National Weather Service office.
Jurisdiction:	Federal Government of the United States
Headquarters:	2142 S. Tyler Road, Wichita, KS
Coordinates:	37.6549°N -97.4434°W
Employees:	23
Chief1 Name:	Suzanne Fortin
Chief1 Position:	Meteorologist in Charge
Chief2 Name:	Chance Hayes
Chief2 Position:	Warning Coordination Meteorologist
Parent Agency:	National Weather Service
Map:	Map of National Weather Service Wichita CWA.svg
Map Width:	350px

The National Weather Service Wichita, Kansas (NWS Wichita) is a local weather forecast office of the National Weather Service responsible for monitoring weather conditions for 26 counties in central, south-central, and southeastern Kansas, including the Wichita Metropolitan Area and Salina, Kansas.

History

The Army Signal Service established a federal weather office in the region on June 13, 1888. On April 1, 1930, the Wichita Municipal Airport (currently McConnell Air Force Base) weather office opened. Pilot Balloons were sent at 5:30 am and pm each day, and from April 1, 1930, to November 29, 1940, there were two Weather Bureau Offices in Wichita.

Present day

The current National Weather Service Wichita is located at 2142 S. Tyler Road in the southwestern part of Wichita, near Eisenhower Airport, and is in charge of issuing local forecasts and weather warnings for central, south central, and southeastern Kansas. It is one of four National Weather Service offices located in Kansas and one of seven that serve the state. In the event that the office becomes temporarily unable to perform its duties, NWS Wichita's primary backup office (the office that would take over until NWS Wichita was able to resume service) is the National Weather Service office in Topeka, Kansas, with the secondary backup office being the National Weather Service office in Dodge City, Kansas.^[1]

NOAA Weather Radio

NWS Wichita operates six NOAA Weather Radio transmitters to serve Central, South-Central and Southeast Kansas:

KEC59, which broadcasts from Wichita on the frequency of 162.550 MHz, serves the following counties, either wholly or in part: Butler, Cowley, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, McPherson, Reno, Sedgwick, and Sumner.
WXK95, which broadcasts from Erie on the frequency of 162.400 MHz, serves the following counties: Allen, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, Woodson, Bourbon§, Cherokee§, and Crawford§.
WXK92, which broadcasts from Ellsworth on the frequency of 162.400 MHz, serves the following counties: Barton, Ellsworth, Lincoln, McPherson, Rice, Russell, and Saline.
WWH22, which broadcasts from Beaumont on the frequency of 162.500 MHz, serves the following counties, either wholly or in part: Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, and Woodson.
WZ2511, which broadcasts from Sharon on the frequency of 162.400 MHz, serves the following counties:
- In Kansas, Harper, Kingman, Reno, Barber§, Pratt§, and Stafford§.
- In Oklahoma, Alfalfa§, Grant§, and Woods§.
KPS511, which broadcasts from Great Bend on the frequency of 162.500 MHz, serves the following counties: Barton, Ellsworth, Reno, Rice, Russell, Pawnee§, Rush§, and Stafford§.

N.B. Counties marked with a § are outside the Wichita WFO's County Warning Area.

External links

Notes and References

Web site: Backup Plan for Central Region Offices. 2008-12-30. 2011-08-25. National Weather Service.