Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 26, NWS Goodland, KS

July 15, 1996Norton County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at Jul 15, 1996, 10:42 PM CDT for Norton County, Kansas. It was in force for 48 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 15, 1996, 10:42 PM CDT (03:42 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 1996, 11:30 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Norton County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 138 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:43 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 161 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 1996-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 855 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 1996-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 108 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
855 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-83 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1936 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
108 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
241 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 160343
TORGLD
KSC137-160430-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
942 PM MDT (1042 PM CDT) MON JUL 15 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND KS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM CDT (1030 PM MDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHWEST KANSAS

   ...SOUTHWESTERN NORTON COUNTY
 
AT 1041 PM CDT...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY A SPOTTER 16 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF OBERLIN OR 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CLAYTON MOVING EAST AT
23 MPH.

AT PRESENT MOVEMENT THE TORNADO WILL BE AROUND....
  CLAYTON                     BY 1101 PM CDT
  NEW ALMELO                  BY 1110 PM CDT
  LENORA                      BY 1125 PM CDT

A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND! GO TO THE BASEMENT! IF A BASEMENT IS NOT
AVAILABLE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR!

SKIPPER
 

&

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.

NWS Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jul 15, 3:12 PM CDT, 7 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 3:12 PM CDT, 7 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
212 PM MDT (312 PM CDT) MON JUL 15 1996

SHRT TERM DISCUSSION:  LOOKS LIKE POSSIBLE MCS FORMATION ACROSS NRN
PTN OF THE CWA IS THE MN CHALLENGE TNGT.  PREFER TDAS ETA THRU 24
HRS...BUT NO GRIDDED DATA WAS AVAILABLE FM THIS MODEL ATTM.
HWVR...ETA AFOS GRAPHICS THRU TNGT INDC ETA TO BE THE ONLY MODEL
FAIRLY CNSTNT WITH HANDLING OF SHRT WV CURRENTLY INDCD NEAR WHERE
WY...UTAH AND CO MEET. ETA CONTS TREND OF PAST COUPLE OF RUNS OF
TAKING THIS SHRT WV ACROSS THE NRN PTN OF THE CWA.  WITH INCRNG
DWPNTS THIS EVE ACROSS THE CWA AS SFC WNDS BECOME SE AHEAD OF DVLPG
LEE-SIDE SFC TROF...FEEL TSTM DVLPMT IS A GD BET...SPCLY N UNDER
UPR DYNAMICS.  HV WEIGHTED HIER POPS N ACCORDINGLY.

CAPES OF 3000 TO 3500 AND SFC-3KM HELICITIES OF ABT 200 FM LBF
MODIFIED MORNING SOUNDING...STRONGLY HINT AT SVR TSTMS TNGT.
ALTHOUGH...INITIAL DVLPMT MAY BE SUPERCELL...DEVELOPING LLJT
AND STRONG DRCTNL SHEAR IN THE LOWEST 3KM SUGGEST MCS...WITH
POSSIBLE BOW ECHO EVOLUTION...SPCLY FOR NE COUNTIES.  H7 +10 TO
+12 THERMAL RIBBON INDCS A NW-SE MOTION OF SVR STMS AND COMPLEX.

OTRW...TRIED TO TM CLDS AND WNDS TNGT WITH ESTIMATED MOVEMENT OF
TSTMS AND LEE-SIDE TROF.  OTRW...ACCEPTED FWC LOWS.  ATTM...FEEL FOG
IS NOT LKLY AS SFC WNDS SHOULD GAIN A WRLY COMPONENT BEHIND THE
COMPLEX.  SEE CCF PTN FOR DETAILS.

LONG TERM DISCUSSION:  NO ETA DATA BEYOND 24 HRS AND ONLY HAD NGM
GRIDDED DATA TO LOOK AT.  SEEMS MAIN PROBLEM IS FOLLOWING AND
TIMING OF EACH S/WV IN FLOW ALF. THE MORE ZONAL FCST PATTERN LEAVES
THE HI PLAINS OPEN FOR CONVECTION.  NGM/AVN SIMILAR WITH LEE-SIDE
TROF OVR FA BUT DIFFER ON UPPER LVL FEATURES THRU TUESDAY NGT.  NGM
STILL TRYING TO BRING MORE ENERGY IN FROM THE SW LATER TUE WITH
500MB DIFFLUENT FLOW OVR HI PLAINS.  VVELS NOT VRY IMPRESSIVE BUT
RISING MOTION OVR LEE TROF...STRONG SFC HEATING AND WEAK
PERTUBATIONS ALF SHOULD GENERATE WIDELY SCT TO SCT TSTMS.
COULD BE MORE OF A NOCTURNAL EVENT JUST E OF CWA DEPENDING ON
TIMING.  THCKNSS VALUES AND 850 TEMPS POINT TO VRY WARM DAYS AHEAD.

GLD  063/093/063/094 412    HLC 068/094/068/096 4-2
CBK  065/094/064/094 412    MCK 066/093/066/095 5-2
TRB " 064/095/064/095 312    ITR 063/091/061/093 412

VJN/KPL

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 15, 5:43 PM CDT, 4 hours 59 minutes before
COZ090>092-152345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
442 PM MDT MON JUL 15 1996

...A TORNADO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM
JULESBURG TO LIMON....AND ARE MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 25 TO 30
MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL INTENSIFY AS THEY MOVE EAST INTO
YUMA...KIT CARSON AND NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF CHEYENNE COUNTIES
IN THE NEXT HOUR.

STRONG WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE LIKELY AS
THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN
AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.  LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS MAY ALSO
OCCUR.  BE READY TO MOVtE TO A BASEMENT OR STORM CELLAR IF A WARNING
IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

VOJTESAK
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 5:45 PM CDT, 4 hours 57 minutes before
COZ090>092-152345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORR TO HEADING STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
442 PM MDT MON JUL 15 1996

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM
JULESBURG TO LIMON....AND ARE MOVING EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 25 TO 30
MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL INTENSIFY AS THEY MOVE EAST INTO
YUMA...KIT CARSON AND NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF CHEYENNE COUNTIES
IN THE NEXT HOUR.

STRONG WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE LIKELY AS
THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN
OCCUR.  BE READY TO MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR STORM CELLAR IF A WARNING
IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

VOJTESAK
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 6:50 PM CDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-160550-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
550 PM MDT (650 PM CDT) MON JUL 15 1996

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM CDT (MIDNIGHT MDT)...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO EXTREME SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS THIS EVENING.  STRONG WINDS...LARGE
HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED AS THE STORMS MOVE EAST
ACROSS THE AREA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. BE
READY TO MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR STORM CELLAR IF THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 7:58 PM CDT, 2 hours 44 minutes before
KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-160550-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
645 PM MDT (750 PM CDT) MON JUL 15 1996

...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM CDT (MIDNIGHT MDT)
FOR NORTHWEST KANSAS AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO EXTREME SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS THIS EVENING.  STRONG WINDS...LARGE
HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAINS MAY BE EXPECTED WITH
THESE STORMS.  DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINS OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS THERE IS
ALSO A CHANCE FOR SOME LOCALIZE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND LOW
LYING AREAS.

REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEAN TORNADOS AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBL<E.  IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES BE READY TO MOVE TO A BASEMENT
OR STORM CELLER.

JENNER
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 10:07 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
COZ092-091-090-NEZ079-080-081-160400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
904 PM MDT (1004 PM CDT) MON JUL 15 1996

...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR EASTERN COLORADO HAS EXPIRED...
...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA INCLUDING DUNDY...
HITCHCOCK AND RED WILLOW COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

THUNDERSTORMS HAVE WEAKENED AND MOVED OUT OF THESE AREAS AND NO LONGER
POSE A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER.

SKIPPERj

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne, Rawlins65 min
Jul 15, 9:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRawlins64 min
Jul 15, 9:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur64 min
Jul 15, 10:07 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDRawlins63 min
Jul 15, 10:13 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDDecatur62 min
Jul 15, 11:05 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDGraham, Sheridan65 min
Jul 15, 11:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSheridan64 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.