Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 52, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 18, 1997Finney County, Gray County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1997, 8:34 PM CDT for Finney County, Gray County, Kansas. It was in force for 46 min. 6 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 18, 1997, 8:34 PM CDT (01:34 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 1997, 9:20 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Finney County, KS, Gray County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:39 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 18, 8:37 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Garden City, KS
May 18, 8:58 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 62Garden City Arpt, KS
May 18, 9:12 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Pierceville, KS
May 18, 9:15 PM CDTHail 0.88Cimarron, KS
May 18, 9:25 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Cimarron, KS
May 18, 9:27 PM CDTHail 0.88Cimarron, 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, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 62 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 1997-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 419 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 1997-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -2 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
419 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-81 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2816 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

445 
WUUS1 KDDC 190135 RRA
SVRDDC
KSC055-069-190220-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
834 PM CDT SUN MAY 18 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  FINNEY COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS
  NORTHERN GRAY COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS

* UNTIL 920 PM CDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  PIERCEVILLE                BY 845 PM CDT
  CHARLESTON                 BY 855 PM CDT

* AT 830 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES WEST OF PIERCEVILLE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25
  MPH.

NICKEL SIZE HAIL IN GARDEN CITY AT 831 PM.

THIS STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL IN EXCESS OF TWO INCHES IN
DIAMETER.  TAKE ACTION NOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR PROPERTY.
MOVE INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.  WINDS GREATER THAN 55
MILES AN HOUR ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

STOUT/MCAVOY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 7:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCHamilton32 min
May 18, 7:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCKearny65 min
May 18, 7:27 PM CDTTornado WarningDDCPratt48 min
May 18, 7:37 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCPratt4 hr
May 18, 7:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPratt59 min
May 18, 8:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCHamilton, Stanton48 min
May 18, 8:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFinney50 min
May 18, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCKiowa, Pratt49 min
May 18, 8:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGrant62 min
May 18, 9:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGray31 min
May 18, 9:25 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCPratt4 hr
May 18, 9:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFord64 min
May 18, 9:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCHaskell, Seward50 min
May 18, 9:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCKiowa48 min
May 18, 10:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCMeade60 min
May 18, 10:10 PM CDTTornado WarningDDCFord50 min
May 18, 10:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCKiowa62 min
May 18, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark45 min
May 18, 11:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFord59 min
May 19, 12:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCPratt5 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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.