Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 40, NWS Goodland, KS

May 26, 1997Cheyenne County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 26, 1997, 1:04 PM CDT for Cheyenne County, Kansas. It was in force for 66 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
May 26, 1997, 1:04 PM CDT (18:04 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 1997, 2:10 PM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Cheyenne County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 47 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:07 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 26, 1:50 PM CDTHail 0.75Bird City, 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, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 128 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 1997-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 58 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 1997-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -19 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
58 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-51 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1444 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
15 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 261804 RRA
SVRGLD
KSC023-261910-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1204 PM MDT MON MAY 26 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  CHEYENNE COUNTY KANSAS IN NORTHWESTERN KANSAS

* UNTIL 210 PM CDT (110 PM MDT)
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  SAINT FRANCIS                           AROUND 121 PM CDT
  WHEELER                                 AROUND 134 PM CDT
  BIRD CITY                               AROUND 158 PM CDT
  7 MILES SOUTH OF BIRD CITY              AROUND 203 PM CDT

* AT 103 PM CDT...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES WEST OF SAINT FRANCIS MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. GO INSIDE A STURDY
BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS!

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 May 26, 11:04 AM CDT, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 11:04 AM CDT, 2 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1003 AM MDT (1103 AM CDT) MON MAY 26 1997

UPDATED FOR VARIOUS ELEMENTS. FIRST PRIORITY WILL BE POP CHCS. WITH
COOL STABLE LAYER SLOWLY WARMING IN A NNELY FLOW ALONG THE KANSAS
BORDER...EXPECTING SUNSHINE TO PERIODICALLY DEVELOP SHALLOW SC OUT
AHEAD OF H7/H5 LOW AND COLD POOL CURRENTLY OVER NRN COLORADO. RUC
12Z SHOWS H5 TEMPS TO BE M18-M21C ACROSS AREA BY 00Z. CURRENT
SATELLITE AND RADAR SHOW ECHOES DRIFTING ENEWD WITH TCU SLOWLY
BUILDING TO THE SW OF THE MAIN ENERGY. I MENTIONED SEVERE TSRA
MAINLY FOR A GRADUAL LOWERING OF THE WET BULB ZEROS. 12Z UA DATA
SHOWS H7 TEMPS 0 TO -5C OVER NERN UTAH/NWRN COLORADO AND 12Z RUC
SHOWS THIS COOLER AIR AT H7 ALONG CO/KS BORDER BY 21Z. THOUGHT
HAIL COULD OCCUR IN CO ZNS 91/92 BY THEN...AND WITH TEMPS WARMING
EAST OF A MCK/CBK/TRB LINE THIS AFTERNOON...INCREASING INSTABILITY
LIKELY. WIND PROFILES LOOK LAME...BUT STILL...CONVECTION SHOULD
BREAK OUT IN STEEPENING LAPSE RATES AND STRONGER WEST WINDS ALOFT.

TEMPS... LEFT TEMPS AS THEY ARE WEST OF A MCK/TRB LINE BUT RAISED
THEN TO NEAR 70 AT HLC. A NWLY SFC FLO HAS SET UP TEMPORARILY AND
SEEMS TO BE ALLOWING A WARMER DOWNSLOPE FLOW TO DEVELOP. A SLIVER OF
LOW CLOUDS CONTINUE TO STREAM OVER HLC AREA BUT TEMPS CONTINUE TO
WARM BELOW THIS SC DECK. IF IT DOESNT RAIN...TEMPS MAY REACH 70 TO
75 RANGE BEFORE SURFACE WAVE EXITS FORECAST AREA AND WINDS RECOVER
TO A LGT NLY FLOW. HOPEFULLY...THIS WONT HAPPEN...16Z SFC OB MAY
INDICATE THAT THINGS HAVE STABILIZED TEMPWISE. OTHERWISE SURFACE
LAYER WILL BE PRIMED FOR CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY AS UPPER SYSTEM EJECTS
A PRETTY STRONG WAVE THIS EVENING ACROSS THAT AREA.

VOJTESAK

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 26, 11:18 AM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-270600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1018 AM MDT MON MAY 26 1997

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 THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA.

SYNOPSIS: ANOTHER FAST-MOVING WAVE OF UPPER-LEVEL ENERGY WILL PASS
OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. UNUSUALLY COLD AIR
ALOFT FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WILL ALLOW CONVECTION TO DEVELOP
ABOVE WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE A MARGINALLY UNSTABLE SURFACE LAYER
LATER TODAY.

WITH SURFACE DEW POINT TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S FOR THE MOST PART...
POCKETS OF STRONG SUNSHINE WILL ONLY ENHANCE THE INSTABILITY NEAR
THE SURFACE. THE ONLY SNAG IN THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SCENARIO WILL
BE THE INCREASING NORTH SURFACE FLOW ENTERING THE REGION FROM
CENTRAL NEBRASKA. TEMPERATURES MAY BREAK OUT INTO THE UPPER 60S IN
SOME LOCATIONS...PARTICULARLY EAST OF A MCCOOK NEBRASKA RUSSELL
SPRINGS KANSAS LINE.

NEVERTHELESS...VERY COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL ALLOW FOR SOME
DEEP CONVECTION. THE MAIN CONCERN THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING
WILL BE LARGE HAIL.

VOJTESAK
Special weather statement, May 26, 11:19 AM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-270600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1018 AM MDT MON MAY 26 1997

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 THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA.

SYNOPSIS: ANOTHER FAST-MOVING WAVE OF UPPER-LEVEL ENERGY WILL PASS
OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. UNUSUALLY COLD AIR
ALOFT FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WILL ALLOW CONVECTION TO DEVELOP
ABOVE WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE A MARGINALLY UNSTABLE SURFACE LAYER
LATER TODAY.

WITH SURFACE DEW POINT TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S FOR THE MOST PART...
POCKETS OF STRONG SUNSHINE WILL ONLY ENHANCE THE INSTABILITY NEAR
THE SURFACE. THE ONLY SNAG IN THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SCENARIO WILL
BE THE INCREASING NORTH SURFACE FLOW ENTERING THE REGION FROM
CENTRAL NEBRASKA. TEMPERATURES MAY BREAK OUT INTO THE UPPER 60S IN
SOME LOCATIONS...PARTICULARLY EAST OF A MCCOOK NEBRASKA RUSSELL
SPRINGS KANSAS LINE.

NEVERTHELESS...VERY COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL ALLOW FOR SOME
DEEP CONVECTION. THE MAIN CONCERN THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING
WILL BE LARGE HAIL.

VOJTESAK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 26, 2:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRawlins63 min
May 26, 2:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDThomas64 min
May 26, 3:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDLogan62 min

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.