Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 32, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 23, 1991Finney County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 23, 1991, 7:42 PM CDT for Finney County, Kansas. It was in force for 63 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 23, 1991, 7:42 PM CDT (00:42 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 1991, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Finney County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 23, 7:45 PM CDTHail 1Finney, 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, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 80 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 1991-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 770 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 1991-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -6 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
770 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1235 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDDC 240044
TORDDC
KSC055-240145-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
742 PM CDT THU MAY 23 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  845 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS
 
   ...FINNEY COUNTY
 
AT 740 PM CDT REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS BY SEVERAL CITIZENS NEAR GARDEN
CITY HAD BEEN RECEIVED. WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS OVER AND JUST WEST OF GARDEN CITY AT THAT TIME.  THE
STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL PASS THROUGH ALL OF FINNEY
COUNTY BY 845 PM CDT.
 
 
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.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO
TO A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A
TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
EKB
X

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 23, 2:44 PM CDT, 4 hours 58 minutes before
KSZ006-009-232045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
237 PM CDT THU MAY 23 1991

....THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN SOUTHEAST OF DODGE CITY IN SOUTHEASTERN CLARK
COUNTY....

AT 235 PM...AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO LINGER IN SOUTHEAST
CLARK AND COMANCHE COUNTIES.  THE STRONGEST STORMS IN THIS AREA WERE
LOCATED 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DODGE CITY AND SHOWED LITTLE OR NO
MOVEMENT.   ANOTHER STRONG STORM HAS DEVELOPED JUST NORTHEAST OF ASHLAND
OR 30 MILES SOUTH OF DODGE CITY...AND ALSO HAS SHOWN LITTLE OR NO
MOVEMENT.

THESE STORMS CONTINUED TO DUMP LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN IN SOUTHEAST CLARK
COUNTY.  RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN
HAS FALLEN IN THE PAST FEW HOURS SOUTH OF ASHLAND AND PROTECTION.

THE THUNDERSTORMS CAUSING ALL THE RAIN ARE REMAINING ESSENTIALLY
STATIONARY AND WITH FURTHER RAINFALL...SOME ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS
MAY BE FLOODED IN SPOTS.

PERSONS OUTDOORS...OR MOTORISTS TRAVELING IN CLARK AND COMANCHE COUNTIES
SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND STAY TUNE TO THEIR LOCAL
TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS...OR LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR
FURTHER STATEMENTS AND UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.

MVT
Special weather statement, May 23, 2:48 PM CDT, 4 hours 54 minutes before
KSZ006-009-232045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT....CORRECTION TO 4TH LINE....
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
248 PM CDT THU MAY 23 1991

....THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN SOUTHEAST OF DODGE CITY IN SOUTHEASTERN CLARK
COUNTY....

AT 235 PM...AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO LINGER IN SOUTHEAST
CLARK AND WESTERN COMANCHE COUNTIES.  THE STRONGEST STORMS IN THIS AREA
WERE LOCATED 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DODGE CITY AND SHOWED LITTLE OR NO
MOVEMENT.   ANOTHER STRONG STORM HAS DEVELOPED JUST NORTHWEST OF ASHLAND
OR 30 MILES SOUTH OF DODGE CITY...AND ALSO HAS SHOWN LITTLE OR NO
MOVEMENT.

THESE STORMS CONTINUED TO DUMP LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAIN IN SOUTHEAST CLARK
COUNTY.  RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT 3 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN
HAS FALLEN IN THE PAST FEW HOURS SOUTH OF ASHLAND AND PROTECTION.

THE THUNDERSTORMS CAUSING ALL THE RAIN ARE REMAINING ESSENTIALLY
STATIONARY AND WITH FURTHER RAINFALL...SOME ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS
MAY BE FLOODED IN SPOTS.

PERSONS OUTDOORS...OR MOTORISTS TRAVELING IN CLARK AND COMANCHE COUNTIES
SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND STAY TUNE TO THEIR LOCAL
TELEVISION OR RADIO STATIONS...OR LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR
FURTHER STATEMENTS AND UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.

MVT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 7:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGrant42 min
May 23, 7:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFinney63 min
May 23, 7:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGray48 min
May 23, 8:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCHodgeman48 min
May 24, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCMorton31 min
May 24, 4:58 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCMorton, Stanton, Stevens62 min
May 24, 4:58 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCGrant62 min
May 24, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGrant, Stanton, Stevens62 min
May 24, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCMorton62 min
May 24, 6:06 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCGrant64 min
May 24, 6:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGrant64 min
May 24, 6:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark57 min
May 24, 6:40 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCMorton65 min
May 24, 6:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCMorton65 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.