Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Goodland, KS

June 11, 1997Graham County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at Jun 11, 1997, 10:12 PM CDT for Graham County, Kansas. It was in force for 48 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 11, 1997, 10:12 PM CDT (03:12 UTC)
Expired
Jun 11, 1997, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Graham County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 156 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:12 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 176 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 1997-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3005 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 1997-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 100 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
3005 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
991 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
100 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
135 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.9
Supercell composite
8.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 120311 RRA
TORGLD
KSC065-120400-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
912 PM MDT (1012 PM CDT) WED JUN 11 1997

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  EASTERN GRAHAM COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN KANSAS

* UNTIL 1100 PM CDT (1000 PM MDT)
 
* TAKE COVER IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO.

* AT 1010 PM CDT...A SPOTTER REPORTED A TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHEAST
  OF HILL CITY OR 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BOGUE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25
  MPH.J

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

MARTELLO
 

&

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 11, 9:35 PM CDT, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 11, 9:35 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
835 PM MDT (935 PM CDT) WED JUN 11 1997

IN ADDITION TO HAVING TO UPDATE ZONES TO DROP WATCH...WILL ALSO DROP
TSTM CHANCES FOR REST OF CWA SINCE AMS HAS STABILIZED DUE TO COOL
OUTFLOW FROM NEBRASKA TSTMS...WARMING AT 700 MB...AND MAIN DYNAMICS
HAVING MOVED TO THE EAST.

WINDS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND A LTL GUSTY TO DUE TO ABV MENTIONED
OUTFLOW. EXPECT THESE WINDS TO DECREASE BUT REMAIN OUT OF NORTH DUE
TO TROF AND LOW NOW OVR NEBRASKA TO CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST. WILL ALSO
KNOCK MINS DOWN A FEW DEGREES IN MOST LOCATIONS DUE TO MUCH LOWER
DPS OVER AREA FROM THE OUTFLOW...WINDS TO BECOME LIGHT...AND LITTLE
IF ANY CLOUDS.

GLD  054/086/055/076 0-33   HLC  056/084/060/077 0-23
CBK  055/085/057/077 0-33   MCK  054/083/057/077 0-33
TRB  056/086/057/077 0-33   ITR  053/085/057/077 0134

BULLER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 11, 5:26 PM CDT, 4 hours 46 minutes before
KSZ002>004-014>016-NEZ081-120030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
426 PM MDT WED JUN 11 1997

...A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR A PORTION OF
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS...

A MOIST UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL COMBINE WITH AN UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE TO PRODUCE A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS PORTIONS OF
NORTHWEST KANSAS AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL
9 PM CDT FOR RED WILLOW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...AND FOR
THOMAS...RAWLINS... DECATUR...NORTON...GRAHAM...AND SHERIDAN
COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST KANSAS.

IN ADDITION...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR GREELEY...
WALLACE...WICHITA...LOGAN...AND GOVE COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL KANSAS
ALSO UNTIL 9 PM CDT (8 PM MDT)

THE KEY TO SURVIVAL IS ADVANCED PLANNING.  YOU SHOULD KNOW WHERE
THE SAFEST AREAS OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS ARE...SUCH AS INTERIOR
ROOMS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO...CABLE TELEVISION...OR
TELEVISION FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION.

BARKER
Special weather statement, Jun 11, 7:43 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before
KSZ027-028-041-042-120150-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
644 PM MDT WED JUN 11 1997

...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR A PORTION OF WEST
CENTRAL KANSAS...

THE ATMOSPHERE HAS STABALIZED OVER WESTERN PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL
KANSAS AND IS NO LONGER CONDUCIVE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES. WALLACE...LOGAN...WICHITA...AND GREELEY
HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE TORNADO WATCH.

RAWLINS...DECATUR...NORTON...THOMAS...SHERIDAN...GRAHAM...AND GOVE
COUNTIES IN KANSAS...AND RED WILLOW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...
REMAIN IN A TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 9 PM CDT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
OR CABLE TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

BARKER
Special weather statement, Jun 11, 7:44 PM CDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before
KSZ027-028-041-042-120150-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
644 PM MDT WED JUN 11 1997

...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR A PORTION OF WEST
CENTRAL KANSAS...

THE ATMOSPHERE HAS STABALIZED OVER WESTERN PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL
KANSAS AND IS NO LONGER CONDUCIVE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES. WALLACE...LOGAN...WICHITA...AND GREELEY
HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE TORNADO WATCH.

RAWLINS...DECATUR...NORTON...THOMAS...SHERIDAN...GRAHAM...AND GOVE
COUNTIES IN KANSAS...AND RED WILLOW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...
REMAIN IN A TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 9 PM CDT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
OR CABLE TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

BARKER
Special weather statement, Jun 11, 9:12 PM CDT, 1 hour before
KSZ002>004-014>016-029-NEZ081-120320-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
813 PM MDT WED JUN 11 1997

...TORNADO WATCHES THAT WERE IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

THE TORNADO WATCHES THAT WERE IN EFFECT FOR RED WILLOW COUNTY OF
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...AND RAWLINS...THOMAS...DECATUR...NORTON...
SHERIDAN...GRAHAM...AND GOVE COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST KANSAS HAVE BEEN
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. CONDITIONS ARE NO LONGER FAVORABLE FOR
THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME SEVERE.

SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD STILL OCCUR OVER THE NEXT HOUR ACROSS
NORTON AND GRAHAM COUNTIES...HOWEVER THESE STORMS SHOULD ONLY
PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 35 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL. THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BECOME STABLE ENOUGH TO PREVENT ANY
MORE THUNDERSTORMS FROM DEVELOPING OVER THE REST OF NORTHWEST
KANSAS...EAST CENTRAL COLORADO...AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA.

BULLER
Special weather statement, Jun 11, 9:13 PM CDT, 59 minutes before
KSZ002>004-014>016-029-NEZ081-120320-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
813 PM MDT WED JUN 11 1997

...TORNADO WATCHES THAT WERE IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

THE TORNADO WATCHES THAT WERE IN EFFECT FOR RED WILLOW COUNTY OF
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...AND RAWLINS...THOMAS...DECATUR...NORTON...
SHERIDAN...GRAHAM...AND GOVE COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST KANSAS HAVE BEEN
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. CONDITIONS ARE NO LONGER FAVORABLE FOR
THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME SEVERE.

SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD STILL OCCUR OVER THE NEXT HOUR ACROSS
NORTON AND GRAHAM COUNTIES...HOWEVER THESE STORMS SHOULD ONLY
PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 35 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL. THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BECOME STABLE ENOUGH TO PREVENT ANY
MORE THUNDERSTORMS FROM DEVELOPING OVER THE REST OF NORTHWEST
KANSAS...EAST CENTRAL COLORADO...AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA.

BULLER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 9:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham46 min
Jun 12, 5:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSherman47 min
Jun 12, 5:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSherman47 min
Jun 12, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWallace50 min
Jun 12, 6:03 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDWallace47 min
Jun 12, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDWallace51 min
Jun 12, 6:35 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDWallace65 min
Jun 12, 6:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDLogan66 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.