Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Dodge City, KS

April 2, 1991Comanche County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at Apr 2, 1991, 5:21 PM CST for Comanche County, Kansas. It was in force for 39 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
Apr 2, 1991, 5:21 PM CST (23:21 UTC)
Expired
Apr 2, 1991, 6:00 PM CST
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Comanche County, KS

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 2, 5:28 PM CSTTornado F1Comanche, KS
Apr 2, 5:45 PM CSTHail 1Comanche, 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, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 85 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 1991-04-02Temperature 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 1991-04-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 153 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1774 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
153 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
172 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 022322 RRA
TORDDC
KSC033-030000-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
521 PM CST TUE APR 2 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...SOUTHEASTERN COMANCHE COUNTY
 
AT 520 PM CST A TORNADO WAS 22 MILES SOUTH OF COLDWATER OVER NORTHWEST
WOODS COUNTY IN OKLAHOMA AND WAS MOVING NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHEAST
COMANCHE COUNTY IN KANSAS.
 
 
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 LOWEST9 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 2, 11:53 AM CST, 5 hours 28 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-022100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
1150 AM CST TUE APR 02 1991

...SEVERE WEATHER IS A POSSIBILITY ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF
SOUTHWEST KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING...

A STRONG UPPER ATMOSPHERE DISTURBANCE OVER NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO WAS
EXPECTED TO COUPLE WITH WARM SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND INCREASING
HUMIDITIES IN THE AREAS FROM DODGE CITY EAST INTO CENTRAL KANSAS.
THE END RESULT COULD BE SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AFTER
AROUND 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

THE STRONGEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER HOWEVER WAS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA AND NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

STORMS THAT FORM IN THIS ENVIRONMENT SHOULD BE WELL OUT OF THE
SOUTHWEST KANSAS AREA BY MIDNIGHT.
JOHNSON
Special weather statement, Apr 2, 2:01 PM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-022200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
200 PM CST TUE APR 02 1991

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST
FOR MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING LARGE HAIL...
DAMAGING WIND...AND HEAVY RAINS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE AREA.

AT 200 PM...SHOWERS AND A COUPLE OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN SOUTHWEST
KANSAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER...TO THE WEST OF GARDEN
CITY. THE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MPH...AND WILL SPREAD
INTO THE GARDEN CITY AREA DURING MID AFTERNOON.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA
COVERED BY THE WATCH...YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR
LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION...IN CASE WARNINGS ARE NEEDED.

LETRO
Special weather statement, Apr 2, 3:07 PM CST, 2 hours 14 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-022300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
300 PM CST TUE APR 02 1991

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST...

SHOWERS...AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS...WERE SCATTERED ACROSS SOUTHWEST
KANSAS AT MID AFTERNOON...MOSTLY WEST OF DODGE CITY.

THE STORMS WITH THE HEAVIEST RAIN WERE JUST WEST OF DODGE CITY AND
SOUTH OF GARDEN CITY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT AROUND 25 MPH.

WHILE NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED UP TIL 300 PM...THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AND WILL BRING THE POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...
AND HEAVY RAINS.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSsTORM WATCH MEANS THAT DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS
MAY DEVELOP. IF SEVERE WEATHER ACTUALLY OCCURS...WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED.
.
PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS SHOULD STAY IN TOUCH WITH LATER STATEMENTS
OR WARNINGS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

LETRO
Special weather statement, Apr 2, 4:04 PM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-030000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
400 PM CST TUE APR 02 1991

...THUNDERSTORMS ARE INTENSIFYING IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST FOR
MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS.

AT 400 PM...THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN A LINE FROM NEAR SCOTT
CITY TO DODGE CITY...SOUTHEAST INTO OKLAHOMA. THE STORM WITH THE HEAVIEST
RAIN WAS ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH OF GARDEN CITY.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH...AND PRODUCED PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT CIMARRON...
15 MILES WEST OF DODGE CITY...AT AROUND 340 PM CST.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS
...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...AND HEAVY
DOWNPOURS...MAY DEVELOP IN THE AREA. IF SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPS...
WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED.
.
PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS SHOULD STAY IN TOUCH WITH LATER STATEMENTS
OR WARNIN6GS DURING THE EVENING HOURS ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER
SITUATION.

LETRO
Special weather statement, Apr 2, 5:04 PM CST, 17 minutes before
KSZ003-006-009-030100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
500 PM CST TUE APR 02 1991

...HEAVY RAINS...AND SOME SMALL HAIL ARE PELTING PARTS OF SOUTHWEST
   KANSAS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST FOR
MUCH OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS.

AT 400 PM...A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM SCOTT CITY...TO JUST
EAST OF DODGE CITY...SOUTHEAST TO THE OKLAHOMA BORDER. MORE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE IN THE ARKANSAS RIVER AREA BETWEEN DODGE CITY AND GARDEN CITY.
PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN THE LAST HOUR FROM THE FORD AND
WINDHORST AREA...ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHEAST AND EAST OF DODGE CITY...AND
THE VICINITY OF COLDWATER...WHICH IS 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PRATT.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH...AND WILL BE MOVING
THROUGH CIMARRON AND ENSIGN...ABOUT 15 MILES WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF
DODGE CITY...THE COLDWATER AREA...AND NEAR KINSLEY...WHICH IS 35 MILES
EAST NORTHEAST OF DODGE CITY...BEFORE 600 PM.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE
FOR DAMAGING THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE
HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS.

PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS SHOULD STAY IN TOUCH WITH LATER STATEMENTS
OR WARNINGS DURING THE EVENING HOURS ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER
SITUATION.

LETRO

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.