Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Goodland, KS

May 3, 1994Greeley County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at May 3, 1994, 7:35 PM MDT for Greeley County, Kansas. It was in force for 55 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 1994, 7:35 PM MDT (01:35 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 1994, 8:30 PM MDT
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Greeley County, KS

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 185 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 1994-05-04Temperature 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 00:00Z on 1994-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1201 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
104 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 KGLD 040136
TORGLD
KSC071-040230-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
735 PM MDT TUE MAY 3 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL KANSAS
 
   ...GREELEY COUNTY
 
AT 730 PM MDT...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 19 MILES
NORTHWEST OF HORACE WHICH IS ABOUT 43 MILES SOUTH OF GOODLAND. THIS
STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL PASS 8 MILES NORTH OF
HORACE AROUND 8 PM.
 
A TORNADO HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM IN WALLACE COUNTY.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDE>R A STAIRWELL OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
 
 
&

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 3, 2:25 PM MDT, 5 hours 10 minutes before
COZ090-091-NEZ079-KSZ001-032125-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
224 PM MDT (324 PM CDT) TUE MAY 3 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING ACROSS THE TRISTATE
REGION...

AT 220 PM MDT (320 PM CDT)...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
THUNDERSTORMS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING ACROSS EASTERN YUMA COUNTY
COLORADO...WESTERN CHEYENNE COUNTY KANSAS...AND WESTERN DUNDY COUNTY
NEBRASKA.  THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 20 MILES WEST OF SAINT
FRANCIS. THIS ACTIVITY WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL APPROACH THE
SAINT FRANCIS AREA BY 410 PM CDT.

RESIDENTS OF CHEYENNE COUNTY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING...BRIEF PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...STRONG GUSTY
WINDS...AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL.

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE REMAINDER
OF THE AFTERNOON.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS THIS EVENING...CHECK THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION AND KEEP A WEATHER EYE ON THE SlKY.

BARKER
Special weather statement, May 3, 3:20 PM MDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
COZ090-091-NEZ079-080-KSZ001-002-013-014-032220-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
318 PM MDT (418 PM CDT) TUE MAY 3 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA
AND EXTREME NORTHWEST KANSAS...

AT 315 PM MDT (415 PM CDT)...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
BROKEN LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM 15 MILES SOUTHWEST IMPERIAL
NEBRASKA TO 20 MILES NORTH OF BURLINGTON COLORADO.  THE STRONGEST
STORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES NORTH OF SAINT FRANCIS...AND 15 MILES
NORTHWEST OF BENKELMAN.  THIS LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH AND
SHOULD MOVE INTO THE BIRD CITY AND BENKELMAN AREAS BY 340 PM MDT
(440 PM CDT)...AND INTO THE VICINITY OF MACDONALD BY 510 PM CDT.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND
POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL...CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

OTHER SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED WESTWARD ACROSS MUCH
OF KIT CARSON COUNTY.

.REMEMBER...LIGHTNING MAY STRIKE SOME MILES AWAY FROM THE PARENT
CLOUD.  PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN EVEN THOUGH THE THUNDERSTORM IS
NOT DIRECTLY OVERHEAD.

BARKER
Special weather statement, May 3, 4:23 PM MDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before
KSZ001>005-013>017-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-032325-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
422 PM MDT (522 PM CDT) TUE MAY 3 1994

...A BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED MOVING ACROSS EXTREME
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND EXTREME NORTHWEST KANSAS...

AT 420 PM MDT (520 PM CDT)...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A BROKEN
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM 10 MILES EAST OF HAYS CENTER TO 15 MILES
EAST OF BENKELMAN TO 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF GOODLAND.  MOVEMENT OF THIS
LINE WAS EAST AT 25 MPH...WHILE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 30 MPH.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 15 MILES EAST OF
BENKELMAN AND 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF GOODLAND. THIS LINE SHOULD MOVE INTO
ATWOOD AND TRENTON BY 600 PM CDT.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND
SMALL HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY THE STRONGER STORMS.

BARKER
Special weather statement, May 3, 5:00 PM MDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
KSZ001>005-013>017-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-040000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
459 PM MDT (559 PM CDT) TUE MAY 3 1994

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING ACROSS SHERMAN COUNTY...

AT 455 PM MDT (555 PM CDT)...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF GOODLAND MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15
MPH. THIS STORM WAS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND SOME SMALL HAIL.
PEA SIZE HAIL FELL AT THE GOODLAND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AT
450 PM MDT.  THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL REACH THE VICINITY OF EDSON BY 520
PM MDT.

THIS STORM WAS PART OF A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WHICH STRETCHED FROM
NORTH PLATTE TO TRENTON TO GOODLAND TO KANORADO.  ELSEWHERE...AN
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WAS 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BURLINGTON. MOVEMENT OF
THIS ACTIVITY WAS EAST AT 25 MPH.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND
SMALL HAIL.

BARKER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 6:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDLogan56 min
May 3, 6:28 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDLogan62 min
May 3, 6:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWallace55 min
May 3, 7:14 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDWallace61 min
May 3, 8:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWallace27 min
May 3, 8:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGreeley33 min
May 3, 8:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWichita63 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.