Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 243, NWS Goodland, KS

October 8, 1997Cheyenne County, Kansas; Dundy County, Nebraska

NWS Goodland, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 8, 1997, 1:11 PM CDT for Cheyenne County, Kansas; Dundy County, Nebraska. It was in force for 64 min. 3 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
Oct 8, 1997, 1:11 PM CDT (18:11 UTC)
Expired
Oct 8, 1997, 2:15 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cheyenne County, KS, Dundy County, NE

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:15 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
Oct 8, 1:20 PM CDTHail 0.75St Francis, KS
Oct 8, 1:58 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 55Bird City, KS
Oct 8, 2:05 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Benkelman, NEEstimated gust to 60 mph. Trees and branches down.

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, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 130 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 1997-10-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 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 1997-10-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -102 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-82 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1246 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
85 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-42 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 081813 RRA
SVRGLD
KSC023-NEC057-081915-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1211 PM MDT (111 PM CDT) WED OCT 8 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  WESTERN CHEYENNE COUNTY KANSAS IN NORTHWESTERN KANSAS
  WESTERN DUNDY COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 215 PM CDT (115 PM MDT)
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  HAIGLER                                 AROUND 1220 PM MDT
  9 MILES NORTH OF SAINT FRANCIS          AROUND 135 PM CDT
  PARKS                                   AROUND 1245 PM MDT
  BENKELMAN                               AROUND 110 PM MDT

* AT 109 PM CDT (1209 PM MDT)...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WRAY OR 3 MILES WEST OF
  HAIGLER MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

TORNADOES HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO OCCUR WITHOUT WARNING DURING SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS.  BE READY TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A SMALL ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSvINESS SHOULD A TORNADO BE HEARD OR
SIGHTED.

MARTELLO

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Oct 8, 11:57 AM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 8, 11:57 AM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1057 AM MDT (1157 AM CDT) WED OCT 8 1997

PRE-FRONTAL TROF INITIALLY SCOURING LOW LVLS OUT FROM EAST TO WEST
WITH BOUNDARY MOVING INTO INTO ERN COUNTIES OF CWA. GOOD
CYCLONICALLY CURVED JET ENTERING INTO AREA WITH AREAS NW OF A ITR/
GLD/MCK LINE BEING IN LEFT QUAD. ALSO...NEG TILTED MID LVL S/W
HANGING BACK OVER N CNTRL COLORADO TO SHEAR NEWD TODAY. WITH LOW
LVLS SCOURED OUT...EXPECT HIGH-BASED CONVECTION IN COLORADO TO
INCREASE AS THE DAY WEARS. FEEL WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN WITH
ANY STRONGER T-STORMS WITH INVERTED-V ENVIROMENT BECOMING EVIDENT
OVER THE AREA. FCST UPDATED ACCORDINGLY FOR PCPN.

AS FOR WINDS...COLD FRONT SWINGING INTO NRN COLORADO AS THE MOMENT.
ALL AREAS TO BE SWLY IN THE 20 TO 30 KT RANGE WITH SOME GUSTS TO 40
MPH POSSIBLE AS GOOD MIXING BEHIND PRE-FRONTAL TROF OCCURS. GRADUAL
WWD SHIFT WILL OCCUR AS PAC FRONT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH.

MARTELLO

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 8, 11:00 AM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before
COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-090600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1000 AM MDT (1100 AM CDT) WED OCT 8 1997

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED SOUTH AND EAST OF A MCCOOK
NEBRASKA TO CHEYENNE WELLS LINE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY TONIGHT.

SYNOPSIS...

A SPRINGLIKE WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING A SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST
ORIENTED LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AREA THIS
AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT.

DRY AIR AT MID LEVELS COMBINED WITH A STRONG JET STREAM CURVING OVER
NORTHWEST KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON...PLUS A DRY LINE AT THE SURFACE
WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH LIFT TO SUPPORT A LINE OF HIGH-BASED
THUNDERSTORMS.  THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE
DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  HAIL OF DIME SIZE
TO QUARTER SIZE IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

THE LINE OF STORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST AT AROUND 20 MPH
INITIALLY...AND THEN PICK UP SPEED AFTER 2 PM CDT (1 PM MDT).
INDIVIDUAL STORMS ALONG THE LINE ARE LIKELY TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT 40
MPH...AND POSSIBLY FASTER THAN THAT BY LATE AFTERNOON.

AFTER THE STORMS MOVE THROUGH CONDITIONS WILL STABILIZE QUICKLY AND
END THE THREAT FOR FURTHER SEVERE WEATHER.

&&

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

ENTWISTLE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 8, 1:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSherman62 min
Oct 8, 1:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne62 min
Oct 8, 1:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDThomas66 min
Oct 8, 1:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRawlins66 min
Oct 8, 2:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne, Sherman46 min
Oct 8, 2:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDLogan65 min
Oct 8, 2:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur, Sheridan62 min
Oct 8, 2:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGove62 min
Oct 8, 3:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham, Norton64 min
Oct 8, 2:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDHitchcock65 min
Oct 8, 2:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRed Willow63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1997Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 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.