Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 18, NWS Dodge City, KS
NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 15, 1991, 6:38 PM CDT for Gray County, Kansas. It was in force for 52 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 15, 1991, 6:38 PM CDT (23:38 UTC)
- Expired
- May 15, 1991, 7:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 52 min
- Issued by
- NWS Dodge City, KS
- Area
- Whole counties
County Gray County, KS
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 7:30 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Gray, 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, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 47 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
- 336 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -324 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 837 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 10 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 141 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 171 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KDDC 152341 TORDDC KSC069-160030- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 638 PM CDT WED MAY 15 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS ...GRAY COUNTY AT 627 CDT A TORNADO WAS SPOTTED 2 TO 3 MILES EAST OF COPELAND ...4 MILES SOUTH ON HIGHWAY 56...OR 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DODGED CITY. THIS STORM IS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL EFFECT THE TOWNS OF MONTEZUMA AND ENSIGN BY 730 PM CDT.
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 15, 1:04 PM CDT, 5 hours 34 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-152000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 101 PM CDT WED MAY 15 1991 ...SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS LATER TODAY... THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR SOME OF THESE STORMS TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS. NO THUNDERSTORMS HAD FORMED AT EARLY AFTERNOON...BUT AS THE DAY PROGRESSES THEY ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP RAPIDLY AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES. IT IS LIKELY THAT SPOTTER ASSISTANCE WILL BE NEEDED DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS...AND EVERYONE SHOULD REMAIN IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. NOW IS ALSO A GOOD TIME FOR PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS TO BE REVIEWING WHAT ACTIONS YOU WOULD TAKE TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY IN CASE THE SEVERE WEATHER DOES DEVELOP. LETRO
Special weather statement, May 15, 3:06 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
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
Special weather statement, May 15, 5:14 PM CDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-152315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 515 PM CDT WED MAY 15 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR MOST OF SOUTHWEST KANSAS UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 5 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN 15-MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED FROM 10 MILES WEST OF SCOTT CITY TO JUST WEST OF GARDEN CITY TO 25 MILES EAST OF LIBERAL. THE INDIVIDUAL CELLS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. THE AREA HAD SHOWED LITTLE MOVEMENT DURING THE LAST HOUR. BY 615 PM CDT THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN THE SAME GENERAL LOCATION THAT IT HAS BEEN DURING THE LAST HOUR. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED FROM THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON. A TORNADO WATCH DOES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHWEST KANSAS... GENERALLY NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM SYRACUSE TO LIBERAL...UNTIL 10 PM CDT. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD MONITOR THIS WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY AND BEn PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPIATE ACTION SHOULD A SEVERE WEATHER WARNING BE ISSUED. EKB
The office that day
Everything else NWS Dodge City, KS issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 3:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DDC | Finney | 34 min |
| May 15, 6:02 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DDC | Finney | 43 min |
| May 15, 6:27 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DDC | Meade, Seward | 48 min |
| May 15, 6:48 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DDC | Finney | 42 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.