Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Goodland, KS

May 22, 1996Rawlins County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at May 22, 1996, 7:57 PM CDT for Rawlins County, Kansas. It was in force for 63 min. 4 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
May 22, 1996, 7:57 PM CDT (00:57 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 1996, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Rawlins County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:59 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
May 22, 8:04 PM CDTTornado F0Mc Donald, KS
May 22, 8:45 PM CDTHail 1.25Atwood, KS
May 22, 8:55 PM CDTTornado F0Herndon, KS
May 22, 8:55 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Atwood, 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

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 155 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 1996-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1020 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 1996-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 205 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1020 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-61 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
870 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
306 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.6
Supercell composite
7.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 230057
TORGLD
KSC153-230200-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
657 PM MDT (757 PM CDT) WED MAY 22 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND KS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM CDT (800 PM MDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHWEST KANSAS

   ...RAWLINS COUNTY
 
AT 656 PM MDT (756 PM CDT) WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO 4
MILES SOUTHEAST OF BENKELMAN.

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!

ENTWISTLE
 

&

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 May 22, 2:46 PM CDT, 5 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 2:46 PM CDT, 5 hours 11 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
142 PM MDT (242 PM CDT) WED MAY 22 1996

...FORECAST CHALLENGES WILL BE TEMPS/LOCATION OF PCPN...

...SENT THIS OUT EARLY...EXPECTING BUSY PERIOD SOMEWHERE/TIME SOON...
HAVE NO TROUBLES WITH MODELS INTERPRETATION OF WX PATRN AT SYNOPTIC
SCALE THRU 4TH. AGAIN...HI PLAINS WIL HAVE A COMPLEX PCPN PATRN OF
NOCTURNAL SHRWS/TRWS AS S/W ENERGY WHIPS ARD BASE OF UPR LO THRU
4TH PD. A SERIES OF SFC LOWS SHUD DRAG ACRS A FRONTAL BNDRY THAT
SLOLY SAGS COOLER AIR FROM WYO OVER THE CWA AS TIME PROGRESSES.
PROBLEM HERE WIL BE TO IDENTIFY WHICH S/W PASSAGE ALOFT WIL FINALLY
DRAG COOLER SFC AIR INTO AREA. IT APPRS OUTSIDE THIS FCST FOR
NOW...BASED ON H85 TEMP FCSTS OF THE ETA. BUT AS TRW COMPLEX
TRIES TO KICK DVLP AND KICK OUT LATER TDY...ENUF NWLY FLO CUD
SEEP INTO EXTREME NWRN ZNS BY MRNG. UNTIL WE CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE
THAT UPR TROF WILL FINALLY KICK OUT OF THE ROCKIES...AGAIN OUTSIDE
THE WINDOW OF THIS FCST PD.
SEE A VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE OVER CWA AS LARGE...AND BROAD SFC
TROF PATRN OVER FRONT RANGE...AS PEGGED BY THE MODELS...CONTINUES TO
WRAP MOIST FLOW NWWD. EACH DAYLIGHT PD...PERIODICALLY OVER THE
FORECAST PD... THE SFC TROF TILTS MORE COUNTERCLOCKWISE IN A NNW/SSE
TO WNW/ESE WITH COOL AIR...CLDS AND PCPN PILING UP OVER SE WYO AND
MOVG ALG THE TRF FOR SURE ON FRIDAY OVER NWRN CWA. PROBLEM IS THAT
THRUOUT THIS FCST PD...LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WIL BE DCRG AS WINDS
BECOME MORE SWLY SO PCPN WIL BE MORE STRATIFORM IN NATURE. WIL GO BLO
TEMP GUID ON FRIDAY FOR HIGHS FOR THICK CLOUD. EMBEDDED TRWS IN S/W
ENERGY RIDING OVR THE TOP. SIGNIFICANT TO HEAVY RAINFALL PATTERN
POSSIBLE...BUT AM STILL NOT SURE WHERE BEST CHCS ARE...ATTM CONSIDER
YUMA CTY COLO AS A SUSPECT.

GLD  55/79/52/73 3-3- HLC 60/87/57/77  3-22
CBK  57/82/53/75 3-3- MCK 55/80/53/72  3432
TRB  57/86/52/78 3-3- ITR 52/78/49/70  2-46

VOJTESAK

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 22, 3:57 PM CDT, 4 hours before
COZ090-NEZ079-080-230255-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
256 PM MDT (356 PM CDT) WED MAY 22 1996

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST COLORADO AND SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT
UNTIL 9 PM MDT (10 PM CDT) FOR NORTHEAST COLORADO AND SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA.

IN NORTHEAST COLORADO...THE WATCH INCLUDES NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY...
MAINLY NORTH OF HIGHWAY 34. SOME CITIES IN THIS AREA INCLUDED IN THE
WATCH ARE YUMA AND WRAY.

IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...THE WATCH INCLUDES DUNDY AND HITCHCOCK
COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF BENKELMAN...STRATTON...AND
TRENTON.

WARM MOIST AIR IS SURGING NORTHWARD AHEAD OF AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE
LOCATED OVER EASTERN COLORADO. THIS...IN COMBINATION WITH FAVORABLE
WIND SHEAR...HAS CREATED UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS OVER THE
REGION. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A THUNDERSTORM THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...SEEK SHELTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL
RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LASTEST ZINFORMATION ON DEVELOPING STORMS.

STAVISH
Special weather statement, May 22, 4:27 PM CDT, 3 hours 30 minutes before
COZ090-NEZ079-080-230255-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
256 PM MDT (356 PM CDT) WED MAY 22 1996

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST COLORADO AND SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT
UNTIL 9 PM MDT (10 PM CDT) FOR NORTHEAST COLORADO AND SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA.

IN NORTHEAST COLORADO...THE WATCH INCLUDES NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY...
MAINLY NORTH OF HIGHWAY 34. SOME CITIES IN THIS AREA INCLUDED IN THE
WATCH ARE YUMA AND WRAY.

IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...THE WATCH INCLUDES DUNDY AND HITCHCOCK
COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF BENKELMAN...STRATTON...AND
TRENTON.
WARM MOIST AIR IS SURGING NORTHWARD AHEAD OF AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE
LOCATED OVER EASTERN COLORADO. THIS...IN COMBINATION WITH FAVORABLE
WIND SHEAR...HAS CREATED UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS OVER THE
REGION. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A THUNDERSTORM THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...SEEK SHELTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL
RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE
LASTEST INF"ORMATION ON DEVELOPING STORMS.

STAVISH
Special weather statement, May 22, 5:10 PM CDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before
COZ090-NEZ079-080-222315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
410 PM MDT (510 PM CDT) WED MAY 22 1996

...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR DUNDY...HITCHCOCK...AND NORTHERN YUMA
COUNTY CONTINUES UNTIL 9 PM MDT (10 PM CDT)...

AT 405 PM MDT (505 PM CDT) THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER
NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY IN COLORADO.  THREE STORMS WERE DETECTED BY
GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR OVER.  THE STRONGEST WAS 12 MILES
NORTH OF WRAY WHILE THE OTHER TWO WERE ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF
YUMA AND 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF YUMA.  ALL THE STORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 17 MPH.

THE KEY TO SURVIVAL IS ADVANCED PLANNING.  YOU SHOULD KNOW WHERE
THE SAFEST AREAS OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS ARE...SUCH AS INTERIOR
ROOMS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.

ENTWISTLE
Special weather statement, May 22, 6:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
COZ090-NEZ079-080-230010-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
505 PM MDT (605 PM CDT) WED MAY 22 1996

...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR NORTHERN YUMA AND ALL OF DUNDY AND
HITCHCOCK COUNTIES CONTINUES UNTIL 9 PM MDT (10 PM CDT)...

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD OF YUMA COUNTY INTO
EXTREME NORTHWEST DUNDY COUNTY... MOVING JUST NORTH OF EAST AT 20
MPH.  THESE STORMS SHOULD REMAIN IN THIS AREA THROUGH 6 PM MDT (7 PM
CDT).

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

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 MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR STORM CELLAR IF A WARNING
IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

ENTWISTLE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 22, 7:33 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDCheyenne47 min
May 22, 7:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRawlins64 min
May 22, 8:58 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDRawlins47 min
May 22, 9:11 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDDecatur64 min
May 22, 9:44 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDRawlins61 min
May 22, 10:06 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDDecatur49 min
May 22, 10:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDNorton64 min
May 22, 10:41 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDRawlins64 min
May 22, 10:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur63 min
May 22, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSheridan65 min
May 22, 11:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDNorton48 min
May 22, 11:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDNorton60 min
May 22, 11:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur51 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.