Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 22, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 21, 1989Hamilton County, Stanton County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 21, 1989, 7:35 PM MDT for Hamilton County, Stanton County, Kansas. It was in force for 40 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
May 21, 1989, 7:35 PM MDT (01:35 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 1989, 8:15 PM MDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Hamilton County, KS, Stanton 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 21, 7:45 PM MDTTornado F0Stanton, 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, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 166 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 1989-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2824 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 1989-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 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
2824 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1775 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDDC 220136
SVRDDC
KSC075-187-220215-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
835 PM CDT (735 PM MDT) SUN MAY 21 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM CDT (815 PM MDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS
          ...SOUTHERN HAMILTON...STANTON
 
AT 830PM CDT/730PM MDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHERN
HAMILTON COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS 65 MILES WEST OF GARDEN CITY OR ABOUT
8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SYRACUSE. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30
MILES AN HOUR. THE STORM WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTHERN STANTON COUNTY
IN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES.
 
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.

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 21, 6:16 PM MDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
TTAAKS KDDC 220016
KSZ003-006-009-200800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY, KS.
715 PM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989

...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST KANSAS UNTIL 1 AM CDT....

AT 715 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 100 MILES WEST
NORTHWEST OF GARDEN CITY KANSAS NEAR EADS COLORADO MOVING SOUTHEAST
AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.  THIS STORM HAD PRODUCED A TORNADO NEAR KIT
CARSON COLORADO.

AT PRESENT RATE AND DIRECTION OF MOVMENT THE STORM WILL ENTER
EXTREME WESTERN KANSAS JUST SOUTH OF SYRACUSE IN ABOUT 2 HOURS.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE PREPARED TO
SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER.  THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS STORM.
JOHNSON
Special weather statement, May 21, 7:22 PM MDT, 13 minutes before
TTAAKS KDDC 220122
KSZ003-006-009-200800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY, KS.
822 PM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989

...TORNADO WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST KANSAS UNTIL 1 AM CDT....

AT 822 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 75 MILES WEST OF
GARDEN CITY OR 15 MILES WEST OF SYRACUSE KANSAS OVER PROWERS COUNTY
IN EASTERN COLORADO.  THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTH SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES
AN HOUR.  THIS STORM HAD PRODUCED TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL.

AT PRESENT RATE AND DIRECTION OF MOVMENT THE STORM WILL ENTER
EXTREME WESTERN KANSAS ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SYRACUSE DURING
THE NEXT HOUR.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE PREPARED TO
SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER.  THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS STORM.
JOHNSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 8:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCStanton51 min
May 21, 8:16 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCStanton29 min
May 21, 8:29 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCMorton, Stevens61 min
May 21, 8:47 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFord, Gray, Haskell43 min
May 21, 8:47 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards43 min
May 21, 9:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPawnee63 min
May 21, 9:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCKiowa, Pratt66 min
May 21, 9:39 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark, Meade66 min
May 21, 9:47 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCSeward, Stevens43 min
May 21, 9:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCStafford49 min
May 21, 9:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCComanche49 min
May 21, 10:17 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCBarber58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989

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.