Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Goodland, KS

April 17, 1986Thomas County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 1986, 2:11 PM CST for Thomas County, Kansas. It was in force for 64 min. 1 report 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
Apr 17, 1986, 2:11 PM CST (20:11 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 1986, 3:15 PM CST
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Thomas 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
Apr 17, 2:33 PM CSTHail 0.75Thomas, 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

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 195 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1986-04-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1986-04-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 5 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1209 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 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 KGLD 172011 RRA
TORGLD
KSC193-172115-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
211 PM CST THU APR 17 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 315 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

NORTHWEST KANSAS...EXTREME THOMAS

AT 200 PM CST A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES WEST OF

WINONA  IN LOGAN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST KANSAS.  AT 206 PM CST A FUNNEL
CLOUD WAS REPORTED JUST WEST OF WINONA.  THIS STORM IS MOVING TOWARD
THE NORTH AT 30 TO 35 MPH.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.  DON/T HESITATE.
A FEW SECONDS MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE.

JENNER

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Apr 17, 2:05 PM CST, 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
205 PM CST THU APR 17 1986

AT 200 PM CST RADAR INDICATED A VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORM LOCATED ABOUT
10 MILES WEST OF WINONA IN LOGAN COUNTY OF NORTHWEST KANSAS MOVING TO
THE NORTH AT 30 TO 35 MPH.  THIS THUNDERSTORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
VERY HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL AND DEADLY LIGHTING.

IF THREATING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER AND NOTIFY YOUR NEAREST
LAW ENFORCMENT AGENCY.

JENNER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 17, 2:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRawlins62 min
Apr 17, 5:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDNorton62 min
Apr 17, 5:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDNorton69 min
Apr 17, 5:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham60 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes 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.