Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Dodge City, KS

July 4, 1987Gray County, Haskell County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 4, 1987, 5:23 AM CDT for Gray County, Haskell County, Kansas. It was in force for 57 min. 2 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
Jul 4, 1987, 5:23 AM CDT (10:23 UTC)
Expired
Jul 4, 1987, 6:20 AM CDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties 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
Jul 4, 5:30 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Gray, KS
Jul 4, 5:43 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61Haskell, 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 00:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 68 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 00:00Z on 1987-07-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1317 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 00:00Z on 1987-07-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 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
1317 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1699 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
3.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDDC 041022
SVRDDC
KSC069-081-041120-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
523 AM CDT SAT JUL 4 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 620 AM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF
 
SOUTHWEST KANSAS... GRAY... HASKELL
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS GRAY COUNTY AND A
DOWNDRAFT WIND FROM THIS STORM HAD COVERED MUCH "OF GRAY AND HASKELL
COUNTIES.
 
THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING
WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.  SEEK SHELTER FROM THIS STORM.
 
JOHNSON

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, Jul 4, 4:01 AM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
400 AM CDT SAT JUL 4 1987

....VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS INVADE SOUTHWEST KANSAS....

AT 400 AM CDT THIS SATURDAY MORNING VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS HAD FORMED
RAPIDLY ALONG A LINE FROM NORTHERN FINNEY COUNTY SOUTHEAST TO NEAR DODGE
CITY.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

THE NATURE OF THESE STORMS IS SUCH THAT THEY COULD PRODUCE BRIEF VERY
HEAVY RAINS...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

AT PRESENT RATE OF MOVEMENT THESE STORMS WILL BE IN THE DODGE CITY AND
GARDEN CITY AREA IN THE NEXT HALF AN HOUR.
JOHNSON0901Z
Special weather statement, Jul 4, 4:31 AM CDT, 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
430 AM CDT SAT JUL 4 1987

....SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 900 AM CDT............

AT 430 AM CDT THIS SATURDAY MORNING VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS HAD FORMED
RAPIDLY ALONG A LINE FROM SCOTT COUNTY SOUTHEAST THROUGH NORTHERN FINNEY
COUNTY THROUGH NORTHERN GRAY COUNTY...ACROSS THE DODGE CITY AREA TO NEAR
GREENSBURG IN CENTRAL KIOWA COUNTY.  THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE OVER NORTHERN
FINNEY AND NORTHERN GRAY COUNTY.  THESE STORMS IN PARTICULAR ARE LIKELY
PRODUCING A LOT OF VERY HEAVY RAINS AND SOME SMALL HAIL.

AT PRESENT THE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE SOUTHWEST KANSAS AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY
OF SEVERE WEATHER AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES.
JOHNSON0931Z

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 4, 5:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFord63 min
Jul 4, 6:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Stafford65 min
Jul 4, 6:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark, Kiowa65 min
Jul 4, 6:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCMeade65 min
Jul 4, 6:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGray, Haskell50 min
Jul 4, 6:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFord50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

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.