Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Goodland, KS

June 29, 1997Sherman County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 29, 1997, 5:29 PM MDT for Sherman County, Kansas. It was in force for 61 min. 2 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
Jun 29, 1997, 5:29 PM MDT (23:29 UTC)
Expired
Jun 29, 1997, 6:30 PM MDT
In force
61 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 23:30 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
Jun 29, 6:03 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 52Ruleton, KS
Jun 29, 6:14 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 69Goodland, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 29, 5:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 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 1997-06-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 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 1997-06-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-373 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2650 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
10 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.

543 
WFUS1 KGLD 292330 RRA
TORGLD
KSC181-300030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
529 PM MDT SUN JUN 29 1997

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  WESTERN SHERMAN COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN KANSAS

* UNTIL 630 PM MDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  THE NORTHERN SUN-ADM PLANT              AROUND 540 PM MDT
  5 MILES SOUTH OF GOODLAND               AROUND 550 PM MDT

* AT 528 PM MDT...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING
  TORNADO 13 MILES WEST OF GOODLAND OR 8 MILES WEST OF THE NORTHERN
  SUN-ADM PLANT MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

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

TURNER

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 Jun 29, 2:23 PM MDT, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 29, 2:23 PM MDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
223 PM MDT (323 PM CDT) SUN JUN 29 1997

...THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...THEN TEMPERATURES MAIN CONCERNS THIS
   PACKAGE...

THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING TO FIRE THIS AFTERNOON FROM THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE TO NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING ALONG TROF. THESE STORMS WILL
DRIFT EAST TOWARD THE FA...AND THEN TURN SOUTHEAST ONCE THEY ENTER
WESTERN KANSAS AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA PER LATEST PROFILER DATA.

ALTHOUGH ALL MODELS FAIRLY SIMILAR...FWC MOS TOO DRY...AS IT HAS BEEN
THE LAST TWO RUNS...WHILE FAN POPS FAIRLY CONSISTENT. CONSIDERING
INSTABILITY OVER THE REGION...WITH CAPES IN THE 2500 TO 3100 J/KG...
LIS OF -10...300MB DIVERGENT FLOW PROGGED OVER THE REGION TONIGHT
AND WITH TROF FORECAST TO PUSH EAST...WILL FOLLOW FAN POPS FOR THE
FA. HOWEVER...MAY UP POPS OVER EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE REGION.

SFC TROF TO EXTEND FROM MCK AREA SOUTH BY 12Z. CONTINUING SOUTHERLY
FLOW AHEAD OF TROF MAY HELP KEEP SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY
LINGERING OVER THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE AREA EARLY IN THE SECOND
PERIOD...BUT FOR NOW HAVE LEFT POPS OUT. MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW AND
SOME CLOUD COVER TO HOLD OVERNIGHT LOWS UP EAST. DRYING AND
CLEARING OVER THE WEST WILL RESULT IN TEMPS DROPPING INTO THE MID TO
LOWER 60S.

EXPECTED PRECIPITATION TONIGHT...ALONG WITH LAST NIGHTS RAINFALL...
WILL HAVE AN EFFECT ON FORECAST HIGHS OVER THE AREA...ESPECIALLY THE
NORTH. DESPITE A VERY GOOD WARMING AT 850 MB...FLOW GOING TO THE
SOUTHWEST OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA...RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND
OUTFLOW FROM FORECAST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO HOLD TEMPS DOWN...FOR
A SHORT TIME. THIS COOLER AIR WILL DEFINITELY MIX OUT LATER IN THE
DAY...BUT TEMPS WONT RECOVER ENOUGH OVER NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF FA TO
REACH FWC FORECAST HIGHS. DRIER CONDITIONS AND DOWNSLOPE FLOW OVER
THE SOUTHWEST TO ALLOW TEMPS TO BREAK 100...WITH AROUND 100
NORTHWEST. THERE. SOME MORNING CLOUDS AND CONTINUING MOIST SOUTHERLY
FLOW TO HOLD TEMPS A LITTLE LOWER OVER THE EAST.

TROF FINALLY MOVES EAST OF FA WITH DRIER AIR MOVING IN. STRONG
WARMING AT 7H TO PREVENT ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER THE REGION
THROUGH 4TH PERIOD DESPITE WEAK FRONT MOVING INTO WESTERN SECTIONS
OF THE AREA TUESDAY. STILL...WILL REMAIN WARM OVER THE FA ON TUESDAY
ESPECIALLY OVER THE EAST.

GLD  064/099/063/095  300   HLC  066/098/068/100  3-0
CBK  065/100/064/096  300   MCK  065/098/066/097  3-0
TRB  065/102/063/095  300   ITR  063/098/062/095  300

TURNER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 29, 4:55 PM MDT, 34 minutes before
KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-300500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
454 PM MDT (554 PM CDT) SUN JUN 29 1997

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR NORTHWEST KANSAS
UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT (11 PM MDT)...

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN
THE GOODLAND OFFICE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY...

    CHEYENNE       RAWLINS        DECATUR       NORTON
    SHERMAN        THOMAS         SHERIDAN      GRAHAM
    WALLACE        LOGAN          GOVE
    GREELEY        WICHITA

A CLUSTER OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL KIT CARSON COUNTY WILL
MOVE EAST INTO A MORE UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE IN NORTHWEST KANSAS.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF
HOURS.  HAIL UP TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS OF 70 MPH OR
MORE ARE EXPECTED UNDER THE STRONGER STORMS THIS EVENING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE
IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM HAS HAIL THE SIZE
OF DIMES OR LARGER AND WIND GUSTS OF 60 MPH OR MORE. PERSONS SHOULD
WATCH FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...
COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED...CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.

ENTWISTLE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 29, 1:12 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSherman48 min
Jun 29, 1:26 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWallace34 min
Jun 29, 2:54 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGove61 min
Jun 29, 3:25 AM MDTTornado WarningGLDGove35 min
Jun 29, 5:36 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGreeley, Wallace64 min
Jun 29, 5:52 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWallace48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes 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.