Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Goodland, KS

May 18, 1990Decatur County, Rawlins County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1990, 6:36 PM CDT for Decatur County, Rawlins County, Kansas. It was in force for 44 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
May 18, 1990, 6:36 PM CDT (23:36 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 1990, 7:20 PM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Decatur County, KS, Rawlins 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 18, 6:50 PM CDTTornado F1Decatur, KS
May 18, 7:30 PM CDTHail 2.75Rawlins, 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

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 150 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 1990-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 43 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 1990-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 145 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
43 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-469 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1604 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
227 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 182336
TORGLD
KSC039-153-190045-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
636 PM CDT FRI MAY 18 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 745 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF KANSAS
      NORTHERN DECATUR...NORTHEAST RAWLINS

AT 633 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND 60 MILES
NORTHEAST OF GOODLAND OR JUST TO THE SOUTH OF HERNDON
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THIS TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND AND CAUSING DAMAGE. ALL PERSONS NEAR
THIS DANGEROUS STORM SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IN A REINFORCED
SHELTER.

FIND SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. BASE@MENTS OFFER BEST PROTECTION. SMALL
ROOMS NEAR THE CENTER OF HOMES AND BUILDING ARE ALSO FAIRLY SAFE.
MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES OFFER NO SHELTER..SO LEAVE THEN. EVEN A
DITCH OR LOW PLACE IS SAFER THEN A MOBILE HOME OR CAR.

FREIBURGER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 6:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSherman26 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes in 1990

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.