Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 2, 1991Stanton County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 2, 1991, 4:41 PM CDT for Stanton County, Kansas. It was in force for 34 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 2, 1991, 4:41 PM CDT (21:41 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 1991, 5:15 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Stanton County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 2, 5:10 PM CDTTornado 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 12:00Z, 9.7 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 1991-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1991-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 174 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1447 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
174 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
342 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDDC 022143
TORDDC
KSC187-022215-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
441 PM CDT THU MAY 2 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  515 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS
 
   ...STANTON COUNTY
 
AT 440 PM RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
JOHNSON IN MORTON COUNTY...60 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF GARDEN CITY. THE
STORM WAS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.
 
TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!!   THE STORM IS MOVING TOWARD MANTER ABOUT
30 MILES WEST OF ULYSSES.
 
 
 
 
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 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, May 2, 2:37 PM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-021930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
236 PM CDT THU MAY 28 1991

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN THE PANHANDLE DISTRICTS AND NORTHWEST
   OKLAHOMA MOVING NORTH TOWARD SOUTHWEST KANSAS...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN THE WEST AND CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLE AND IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA THREATEN TO MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST
KANSAS BY 245 PM CDT. THE SPECIFIC AREAS UNDER THREAT ARE MORTON AND
STEVENS COUNTIES...50 TO 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GARDEN CITY...AND
COMMANCHE AND BARBER COUNTIES...30 TO 50 MILES SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF
PRATT.

THESE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTH AT 25 TO 30 MPH AND MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND PERHAPS SMALL HAIL.

GHOLSON
Special weather statement, May 2, 3:12 PM CDT, 1 hour 29 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-022115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
312 PM CDT THU MAY 28 1991

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR FAR WESTERN KANSAS UNTIL 9 PM CDT...

A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR FAR WESTERN KANSAS UNTIL 9 PM CDT.
THE COUNTIES AFFECTED BY THIS WATCH ARE FINNEY...GRANT...GRAY...
HAMILTON...HASKELL...KEARNY...MEAD...MORTON...SEWARD...STANTON AND
STEVENS.  SOME CITIES INCLUDED ARE GARDEN CITY AND LIBERAL.

AT 305 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
SOUTHERN KANSAS.  THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF THE STORMS WERE
FROM 25 MILES SOUTH OF DODGE CITY...NEAR MINNEOLA...TO 25 MILES
SOUTH OF PRATT...NEAR MEDICINE LODGE.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING NORTH AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND INTENSE LIGHTNING
ARE OCCURING WITH THE STORMS.
.
THE STORMS WILL PASS THROUGH MINNEOLA...COLDWATER AND MEDICINE
LODGE BY 4 PM CDT.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD TAKE BE PREPARED
TO SEEK SHELTER.  COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY THE TORNADO WATCH SHOULD
CONSIDER ACTIVATING THEIR LOCAL SPOTTER NETWORKS AT THIS TIME.

EKB
Special weather statement, May 2, 3:56 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-022130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
350 PM CDT THU MAY 28 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS ARE INCREASING IN INTENSITY IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS...

AT 350 PM...SEWARD COUNTY REPORTED PEA SIZE HAIL SOUTH OF KISMET...ABOUT
20 MILES NORTHEAST OF LIBERAL. ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH POSSIBLE
SMALL HAIL WAS 30 MILES SOUTH OF GARDEN CITY...BETWEEN MEADE AND
COPELAND. THE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EXTREME SOUTHWEST
KANSAS UNTIL 900 PM CDT...800 PM MDT.

PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR DANGEROUS WEATHER
CONDITIONS DEVELOPING THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.

FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED AS THE SITUATION DEVELOPS.
.
LETRO
Special weather statement, May 2, 4:33 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-022200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
430 PM CDT THU MAY 28 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR
   MORTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS...

AT 430 PM...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST KANSAS
FROM THE ARKANSAS RIVER SOUTHWARD. THE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST
AT AROUND 35 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...AND POSSIBLY
TORNADOES IN MORTON COUNTY.

OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF LIBERAL...AND
SOUTH OF CIMARRON...BETWEEN GARDEN CITY AND DODGE CITY. THOSE STORMS
WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CIMARRON AREA BY 500 PM CDT.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT WEST OF A LINE FROM SCOTT CITY TO
MEADE UNTIL 900 PM CDT...800 PM MDT.
LETRO
Special weather statement, May 2, 4:34 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-022200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
430 PM CDT THU MAY 28 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CDT FOR
   MORTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS...

AT 430 PM...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST KANSAS
FROM THE ARKANSAS RIVER SOUTHWARD. THE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST
AT AROUND 35 MPH. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...AND POSSIBLY
TORNADOES IN MORTON COUNTY.

OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF LIBERAL...AND
SOUTH OF CIMARRON...BETWEEN GARDEN CITY AND DODGE CITY. THOSE STORMS
WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CIMARRON AREA BY 500 PM CDT.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT WEST OF A LINE FROM SCOTT CITY TO
MEADE UNTIL 900 PM CDT...800 PM MDT.
.
LETRO

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPratt29 min
May 2, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCMorton45 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.