Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 37, NWS Goodland, KS

July 25, 1996Sherman County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at Jul 25, 1996, 3:11 PM MDT for Sherman County, Kansas. It was in force for 49 min. 5 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
Jul 25, 1996, 3:11 PM MDT (21:11 UTC)
Expired
Jul 25, 1996, 4:00 PM MDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Sherman County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 2 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:13 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 25, 3:24 PM MDTTornado F0Goodland, KS
Jul 25, 3:26 PM MDTHail 0.75Ruleton, KS
Jul 25, 3:26 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 52Ruleton, KS
Jul 25, 4:00 PM MDTTornado F1Goodland, KS
Jul 25, 4:05 PM MDTHail 0.88Goodland, 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

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 142 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1996-07-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 845 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1996-07-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 72 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
845 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-213 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1414 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 252112
TORGLD
KSC181-252200-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
311 PM MDT THU JUL 25 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND KS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 400 PM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTHWEST KANSAS

   ...NORTHERN AND  CENTRAL SHERMAN COUNTY
 
AT 309 PM MDT...A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY GOODLAND DOPPLER
RADAR 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF GOODLAND OR 8 MILES NORTH OF THE NSI
PLANT MOVING SOUTH AT 25 MPH. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING
LARGE HAIL.

AT PRESENT MOVEMENT THE TORNADO WILL BE AROUND....
  THE NSI PLANT               BY 325 PM MDT
  GOODLAND                    BY 330 PM MDT

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

MENTZER

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 25, 2:35 PM MDT, 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 25, 2:35 PM MDT, 36 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
235 PM MDT (335 PM CDT) THU JUL 25 1996

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SPREADING OVER THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS
THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF SHORT WAVE OVER WY/CO. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD
PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AS LLJ EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE
CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO SPREAD FURTHER
EAST TONIGHT AS SFC RIDGE HAS SHIFTED OUT OF THE AREA. SHARP
MODIFIED SOUNDINGS FROM DDC AND LBF SUGGEST CAPES IN THE 2500 TO
3000 RANGE OVER FA THUS POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS.

SATELLITE DATA SHOWS ANOTHER WEAK WAVE FOLLOWING THIS FIRST WAVE
WHICH WILL BRING CHANCES FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO REGION
THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. MODELS IMPLY MOST ACTIVITY WILL
SHIFT SLIGHTLY NORTHEAST OF THE REGION AS RIDGE SHIFTS A LITTLE
CLOSER. DO NOT DISCOUNT CHANCES FOR WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BUT WILL LEAVE OUT OF FOURTH
PERIOD FOR NOW.

FWC/FAN NUMBERS HAVE BEEN TOO HIGH ON OVERNIGHT LOWS...AND CLOSE
OR TOO LOW ON HIGHS AS OF LATE...AND APPEARS THIS TREND TO CONTINUE
UNTIL SATURDAY.

GLD 057/084/060/086 733  HLC 059/085/062/087 733
CBK 058/085/061/086 733  MCK 057/082/060/084 733
TRB 058/086/060/088 733  ITR 056/082/059/085 733

TURNER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 25, 10:28 AM MDT, 4 hours 43 minutes before
COZ090>092-NEZ079>081-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-260600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1028 AM MDT (1128 AM CDT) THU JUL 25 1996

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

CHEYENNE CO   CHEYENNE KS   DECATUR KS     DUNDY NE        GOVE KS
GRAHAM KS     GREELEY KS    HITCHCOCK NE   KIT CARSON CO   LOGAN KS
NORTON KS     RAWLINS KS    RED WILLOW NE  SHERIDAN KS     SHERMAN KS
THOMAS KS     WALLACE KS    WICHITA KS     YUMA CO

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

SYNOPSIS: SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE TO BRING WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR INTO THE
REGION THROUGH THE EVENING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER THE
NORTHERN ROCKIES WILL MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...TRIGGERING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER
THE REGION. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY OVER ALL OF NORTHWEST KANSAS...
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND EXTREME EAST CENTRAL COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

TURNER
Special weather statement, Jul 25, 1:55 PM MDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
COZ090>092-252300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
154 PM MDT THU JUL 25 1996

...A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR EXTREME EASTERN COLORADO
UNTIL 9 PM MDT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF EASTERN COLORADO UNTIL 9 PM MDT.
YUMA...KIT CARSON...AND CHEYENNE COUNTIES ARE ALL INCLUDED IN THIS
WATCH.

A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES TO
DEVELOP IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA. LARGE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS ARE
ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THUNDERSTORMS. IF STORMS APPROACH YOUR AREA...
SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A REINFORCED STRUCTURE.

MENTZER
Special weather statement, Jul 25, 2:47 PM MDT, 24 minutes before
COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-260250-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
246 PM MDT (346 PM CDT) THU JUL 25 1996

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...EASTERN
COLORADO...NORTHWEST KANSAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM MDT...1000 PM
CDT...

RESIDENTS IN THE WATCH AREA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

IN NORTHWEST KANSAS THE WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...CHEYENNE...RAWLINS...DECATUR...SHERMAN...
THOMAS...SHERIDAN...WALLACE...LOGAN...GOVE...GREELEY...AND
WICHITA.

IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...THE WATCH INCLUDES NORTON AND GRAHAM
COUNTIES.

IN EASTERN COLORADO THE WATCH INCLUDES YUMA...KIT CARSON...AND
CHEYENNE COUNTIES.

IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA THE WATCH INCLUDES DUNDY...HITCHCOCK...AND RED
WILLOW COUNTIES.

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

HULL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 25, 2:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne, Sherman64 min
Jul 25, 3:32 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDSherman33 min
Jul 25, 3:52 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWallace63 min
Jul 25, 4:03 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDSherman32 min
Jul 25, 4:36 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDLogan49 min
Jul 25, 5:28 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDLogan47 min
Jul 25, 5:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWichita62 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.