Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 11, NWS Dodge City, KS
NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 12, 1991, 5:03 PM CDT for Pratt County, Kansas. It was in force for 27 min. 4 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
- Apr 12, 1991, 5:03 PM CDT (22:03 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 12, 1991, 5:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS Dodge City, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Pratt County, KS
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 5:05 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Pratt, KS | |
| Apr 12, 5:23 PM CDT | Hail 2.5 | Pratt, KS | |
| Apr 12, 5:23 PM CDT | Hail 2.5 | Pratt, KS | |
| Apr 12, 5:40 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Pratt, 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 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 103 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
- 1583 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -47 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 695 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 133 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 163 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 4.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDDC 122203 RRA TORDDC KSC151-122230- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 503 PM CDT FRI APR 12 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS ...NORTH CENTRAL PRATT COUNTY AT 500 PM CST RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO FORMING IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NOW NEAR ON TOP OF PRATT. THIS STORM IS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT NEARLY 40 MILES AN HOUR. TAKE SHELTER 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 SMALLG INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A STURDIER BUILDING 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, Apr 12, 1:20 PM CDT, 3 hours 43 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-122100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 120 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... THE WATCH IS VALID UNTIL 8 PM CDT...AND INCLUDES PAWNEE...EDWARDS... KIOWA...COMANCHE...BARBER...PRATT...AND STAFFORD COUNTIES IN SOUTH WEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THE COLD FRONT WHICH PUSHED THROUGH MUCH OF THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE DURING THE MORNING NOW LIES FROM JUST WEST OF MEDICINE LODGE NORTHWARD TO WEST OF GREAT BEND. THIS FRONT WON/T MOVE MUCH DURING THE AFTERNOON...AND IS EXPECTED TO BE THE FOCUS FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IN THE AREA FROM DODGE CITY WEST...COOLER AND QUIETER WEATHER IS EXPECTED. HIGHS SHOULD STAY IN THE 60S TO LOW 70S IN MOST OF THAT AREA WITH WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 3:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-122300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 320 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991 ...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... THE WATCH IS VALID UNTIL 8 PM CDT...AND INCLUDES PAWNEE...EDWARDS... KIOWA...COMANCHE...BARBER...PRATT...AND STAFFORD COUNTIES IN SOUTH WEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. AS OF MID AFTERNOON...NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED IN SOUTH CENTRAL OR SOUTHWEST KANSAS. CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS THOUGH...AND EVERYONE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD LISTEN TO LOCAL RADIO...TV...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. THE COMBINATION OF A WEAK FRONT STRETCHING FROM WEST OF GREAT BEND SOUTHWARD INTO OKLAHOMA AND A DISTURBANCE IN THE UPPER AIR MOVING OUT OF NEW MEXICO IS EXPECTED TO TRIGGER THE SEVERE WEATHER BEGINNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE EVENING. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES IN THE WATCH AREA. WHEN SEVERE STORMS DEVELOP...WARNINGS FOR SPECIFIC AREAS WILL BE ISSUED. LETRO
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 4:36 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
KSZ006-009-130100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 435 PM CDT THU APR 11 1991 ...THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS... AT 435 PM...A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTH OF PRATT...BETWEEN SUN CITY AND MEDICINE LODGE. IT WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL PASS NEAR OR WEST OF MEDICINE LODGE BY 500 PM. IT WILL CONTAIN HEAVY DOWNPOURS...GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL. AS OF 430 PM...NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS REPORTED IN SOUTH CENTRAL OR SOUTHWEST KANSAS. CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING MORE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP...ALONG WITH POSSIBLE TORNADOES. A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT FOR BARBER... COMANCHE...KIOWA...PRATT...EDWARDS...STAFFORD...AND PAWNEE COUNTIES. A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES IN THE WATCH AREA. STAY TUNED TO LOCAL TV...RADIO...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS THIS EVENING. LETRO
The office that day
Everything else NWS Dodge City, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 4:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Pratt | 50 min |
| Apr 12, 5:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Edwards, Stafford | 47 min |
| Apr 12, 5:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Pratt | 50 min |
| Apr 12, 6:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Stafford | 65 min |
| Apr 12, 6:25 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DDC | Kiowa, Pratt | 65 min |
| Apr 12, 6:25 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DDC | Kiowa, Pratt | 65 min |
| Apr 12, 6:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Pratt | 58 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991
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.