Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 16, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 7, 1986Finney County, Gray County, Haskell County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 7, 1986, 6:24 PM CDT for Finney County, Gray County, Haskell County, Kansas. It was in force for 66 min. 5 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 7, 1986, 6:24 PM CDT (23:24 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1986, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Finney County, KS, Gray County, KS, Haskell County, KS

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 7, 7:08 PM CDTHail 1.75Finney, KS
May 7, 7:10 PM CDTHail 1.5Finney, KS
May 7, 7:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Haskell, KS
May 7, 7:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Gray, KS
May 7, 7:30 PM CDTHail 1.25Finney, KS

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 69 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1986-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 13 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1986-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 56 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
13 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-451 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2551 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KDDC 072324
SVRDDC
KSC069-081-055-080030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
624 PM CDT WED MAY 7 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES OF


SOUTHWEST KANSAS...WESTERN GRAY...EASTERN HASKELL AND CENTRAL FINNEY

AT 610 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER WEST CENTRAL
GRAY AND EAST CENTRAL HASKELL COUNTIES.  THE STORM WAS 25 MILES
SOUTH OF GARDEN CITY AND MOVING NORTH AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THIS WARNING IS FOR DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  FIND ADEQUATE
SHELTER NOW.  A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT SO BE PREPARED IN CASE
A TORNADO DEVELOPES.

 IF YOU ARE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM BE PREPARED TO SEEK
 IMMEDIATE SHELTER.  THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE GARDEN CITY AREA.

JOHNSON2322Z

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 7, 3:01 PM CDT, 3 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
302 PM CDT WED MAY 7 1986

....SHOWERS IN WEST CENTRAL KANSAS....

AT 300 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON RADAR SHOWED SOME MODERATE SHOWERS OVER
PORTIONS OF STAFFORD AND PRATT COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL KANSAS.  NO
MOVEMENT HAS BEEN DETERMINED YET SINCE THE SHOWERS HAVE JUST FORMED.

STRONGLY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS FROM THE DODGE CITY AREA EAST SUGGEST THAT
THESE STORMS WILL DEVELOP VERY% RAPIDLY ND COULD BECOME QUITE INTENSE.
JOHNSON2002Z
Special weather statement, May 7, 5:49 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
550 PM CDT WED MAY 7 1986

....TORNADO WATCH TIL 1100 PM CDT FOR FINNEY..GRAY..MEADE COUNTIES
.............AND ALL COUNTIES TO THE EAST..............

AT 545 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM
20 MILES NORTHEAST OF SCOTT CITY SOUTH THROUGH PIERCEVILLE...COPELAND..
AND ON SOUTH INTO THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE.  THE STRONGEST STORM IN THE
LINE WAS OVER COPELAND IN SOUTHWEST GRAY COUNTY.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THE WARNING FOR GRAY COUNTY HAS EXPIRED AS THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO
BECOME WEAKER.  SMALL HAIL..GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS ARE STILL
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
JOHNSON2249Z

The office that day

Everything else NWS Dodge City, KS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 3:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPratt61 min
May 7, 3:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCStafford55 min
May 7, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGray61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.