Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Dodge City, KS
NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1989, 9:16 PM CDT for Stanton County, Kansas. It was in force for 29 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, 9:16 PM CDT (02:16 UTC)
- Expired
- May 21, 1989, 9:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 29 min
- Issued by
- NWS Dodge City, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 9:30 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 85 | Stanton, 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, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 167 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.
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KDDC 220217
TORDDC
KSC187-220245-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
916 PM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS
...STANTON
AT 916 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS 2 MILES NORTH OF JOHNSON MOVING SOUTH.
TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS STORM. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE.
OTHERWISE... GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A
STURDIER BMUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.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, May 21, 7:16 PM CDT, 2 hours 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, 8:22 PM CDT, 54 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 8:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Hamilton, Stanton | 40 min |
| May 21, 9:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Stanton | 51 min |
| May 21, 9:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DDC | Morton, Stevens | 61 min |
| May 21, 9:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Ford, Gray, Haskell | 43 min |
| May 21, 9:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Edwards | 43 min |
| May 21, 10:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Pawnee | 63 min |
| May 21, 10:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Kiowa, Pratt | 66 min |
| May 21, 10:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Clark, Meade | 66 min |
| May 21, 10:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Seward, Stevens | 43 min |
| May 21, 10:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Stafford | 49 min |
| May 21, 10:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Comanche | 49 min |
| May 21, 11:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Barber | 58 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes 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.