Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 21, 1989Morton County, Stevens County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1989, 9:29 PM CDT for Morton County, Stevens County, Kansas. It was in force for 61 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, 9:29 PM CDT (02:29 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 1989, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Morton County, KS, Stevens 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, 10:10 PM CDTHail 1.75Stevens, 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, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 160 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°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 220231
TORDDC
KSC129-189-220330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
929 PM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS
          ...NORTHEASTERN MORTON...STEVENS
 
AT 930 PM CDT / 830 PM MDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WHICH WAS PRODUCING
TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL WAS 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GARDEN CITY KANSAS
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
THE STORM WILL BE IN NORTHWEST STEVENS COUNTY IN 10 MINUTES.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENTm.  GET UNDER A STAIRWELL OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 8:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCHamilton, Stanton40 min
May 21, 9:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCStanton51 min
May 21, 9:16 PM CDTTornado WarningDDCStanton29 min
May 21, 9:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFord, Gray, Haskell43 min
May 21, 9:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards43 min
May 21, 10:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPawnee63 min
May 21, 10:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCKiowa, Pratt66 min
May 21, 10:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark, Meade66 min
May 21, 10:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCSeward, Stevens43 min
May 21, 10:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCStafford49 min
May 21, 10:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCComanche49 min
May 21, 11:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCBarber58 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.