Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 27, NWS Goodland, KS

July 15, 1996Graham County, Sheridan County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at Jul 15, 1996, 11:05 PM CDT for Graham County, Sheridan County, Kansas. It was in force for 65 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
Jul 15, 1996, 11:05 PM CDT (04:05 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1996, 12:10 AM CDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Graham County, KS, Sheridan County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 132 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:04 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 15, 11:15 PM CDTTornado F0Morland, 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 4.1 hours before the alert went out and 177 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 1996-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 798 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 1996-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -9 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
798 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-102 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1945 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 160406
TORGLD
KSC065-179-160510-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1005 PM MDT (1105 PM CDT) MON JUL 15 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND KS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1210 AM CDT (1110 PM MDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHWEST KANSAS

   ...NORTHWESTERN GRAHAM COUNTY
   ...NORTHEASTERN SHERIDAN COUNTY
 
AT 1103 PM CDT...A DEVELOPING TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY GOODLAND
DOPPLER RADAR 9 MILES NORTHEAST OF HOXIE OR 4 MILES NORTH OF TASCO
MOVING EAST AT 26 MPH.

AT PRESENT MOVEMENT THE TORNADO WILL BE AROUND....
  STUDLEY                     BY 1121 PM CDT
  MORLAND                     BY 1130 PM CDT
  PENOKEE                     BY 1142 PM CDT
  HILL CITY                   BY 1157 PM CDT

GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR!

VOJTESAK

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 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 3:12 PM CDT, 7 hours 53 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, 5 hours 22 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, 5 hours 20 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, 4 hours 15 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, 3 hours 7 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, 58 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, 10:42 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDNorton48 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.