Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 270, NWS Dodge City, KS

July 15, 1998Gray County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 15, 1998, 5:35 PM CDT for Gray County, Kansas. It was in force for 50 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: Jul 15, 1998, 5:35 PM CDT (22:35 UTC)
Expired: Jul 15, 1998, 6:25 PM CDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Dodge City, KS
Area: Whole counties

County Gray County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:39 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 15, 5:48 PM CDT	Hail 1	Ingalls, KS
Jul 15, 6:33 PM CDT	Hail 1	Ingalls, 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 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 47 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 57 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -326 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2356 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 30 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.

849 
WUUS1 KDDC 152237 RRA
SVRDDC
KSC069-152325-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
535 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 625 PM CDT

* AT 533 PM CDT... DODGE CITY DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTH OF INGALLS MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  INGALLS                      BY 545 PM CDT
  CHARLESTON                   BY 550 PM CDT

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...BE PREPARED FOR WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 55 MPH AND HAIL UP TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER.  IF YOU ARE
CAUGHT OUTSIDE...MOVE TO A STURDY SHELTER IMMEDIATELY AND STAY AWAY
FROM WINDOWS.

NICHOLS/KRUSE

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 Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 15, 3:09 PM CDT, 2 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 3:09 PM CDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
309 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1998

FCST PROBLEM THIS CYCLE IS BASICALLY SAME AS LAST SEVERAL DAYS. WHERE...
WHEN AND IF THERE WILL BE CONVECTION?

HAS BEEN RATHER BUSY THIS SHIFT WITH FLASH FLOODING IN FAR SW
KS...EARLY AM CONVECTION NEARLY SVR UP BY HAYS AND NOW AFTN CONVECTION
THAT HAS INTENSIFIED TO ABOVE SVR LIMITS IN SE AND SW CWA. MODELS
CONTINUE TO HAVE A HARD TIME WITH MINOR S/WVS AND SUBSEQUENT
CONVECTION.  REALLY NO REASON TO FAVOR ONE MODEL OVER THE OTHER BUT
WILL LEAN ON NGM THIS ONE SINCE IT DOES NOT SEEM TO WARM 70H AS MUCH AS
AVN/ETA.  SEEMS LIKE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS HAVE BEEN BUILDING 50H RIDGE
TOO MUCH LATELY...SO SINCE ETA/AVN SIMILAR WILL NOT USE.  NGM DOES NOT
WARM MID LEVELS NEAR AS MUCH THROUGH 48 HRS.  ALL MODELS HINT AT S/WV
IN WY BUT DONT MOVE IT MUCH.  MORNING ANALYSIS INDICATING COLD POOL IN
THAT VCNTY.  WITH SFC FLOW SE TO NW...OUT OF EARLIER CONVECTION...SEE
NO REASON WHY CONVECTION WONT FIRE IN SE WY AND NC/NE COLORADO BY EVE.
THAT CONVECTION SHLD MOV SE INTO CWA LATE TGT.

WL PLAY POPS BASED ON ONGOING CONVECTION IN SW AND SE CWA...AND THEN A
LITTLE LESS POPS FOR OVERNIGHT CONVECTION.

BACK TO THE MODELS...ALL LOSE THE SFC MOISTURE.  HAVE HAD UPR 60 TO LOW
70 TDS FOR MANY DAYS AND MODELS SEEM TO HAVE A PROBLEM HANDLING THIS.
NGM IS ONLY SLIGHTLY BETTER.  DESPITE LEANING ON THE NGM MODEL...WL
HAVE TO ADJUST THE FWC NUMBERS UPWARD FOR MAX/MIN...CLOSER TO FAN
NUMBERS.

BEYOND TGT...WL STILL KEEP 20 POPS.  WL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE ABOUT
WARMING MID-LEVEL TEMPS.  WL LOOK AT EXTENDED BEFORE SENDING OUT ZONES.
ALL EXTENDED MODELS BUILD RIDGE A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVLY THIS FCST
CYCLE.  MRF HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR WEEKS...NOW THE ECMWF AND UKMET ARE
FOLLOWING SUIT.  MAY HAVE TO ADJUST EXTENDED.

PRELIMINARY GUIDANCE FOR COORDINATION ONLY.  OFFICIAL FORECASTS ARE
CONTAINED WITHIN THE TOPZFPDDC.

DDC 068/094 070/098 072 322
GCK 067/095 068/098 069 422
EHA 065/094 065/099 068 522
LBL 068/095 069/099 070 422
HYS 068/095 072/098 072 222
P28 071/096 072/098 072 321

.DDC...NONE.

HUTTON

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 15, 11:46 AM CDT, 5 hours 49 minutes before

KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-160600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
1145 AM CDT WED JUL 15 1998

A FEW SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY TO CHECK ON
WATER LEVELS IN SOME OF THE CREEKS AND STREAMS OF FAR SOUTHWEST KANSAS.

SYNOPSIS:  AN UNORGANIZED WEATHER PATTERN WILL STILL BE CONDUCIVE TO A
FEW THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN IS A
SMALL COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER EXTREME SOUTHWEST KANSAS...MAINLY IN
PARTS OF MORTON AND STEVENS COUNTY.  THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE COPIOUS
AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL AND COULD BRIEFLY PRODUCE SOME HAIL EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON.

ELSEWHERE...A WIND SHIFT THAT HAS MOVED THROUGH ABOUT THE NORTHEAST HALF
OF THE AREA FROM SYRACUSE TO NEAR MEDICINE LODGE IS THE RESULT OF
THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OUT OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS.
ADDITIONAL STORMS WILL FIRE THIS AFTERNOON FROM NEAR HAYS...TO NEAR DODGE
CITY TO NEAR MEDICINE LODGE.  ALTHOUGH AN ISOLATED STORM COULD BECOME
STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE SOME HAIL...THE BIGGEST THREAT WILL BE ISOLATED
AREAS OF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

ACROSS THE REST OF SOUTHWEST KANSAS...AS THE ATMOSPHERE HEATS UP...MORE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE.  ALTHOUGH NOT ON AN ORGANIZED SCALE...A
FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BRIEFLY PRODUCE HAIL BUT THE BIGGEST THREAT
WILL BE GUSTY THUNDERSTORM WIND AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

FOR MORE WEATHER INFORMATION...VISIT OUR WEB SITE:
HTTP://WWW.DODGECITY.NET/NWS

HUTTON

Local storm report, Jul 15, 4:47 PM CDT, 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
447 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1998

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0115 PM    16 N ROLLA                KS   FLOODING
07/15/98   MORTON                         WATER OVER HIGHWAY 27

0118 PM    16 N ROLLA                KS   FLOODING
07/15/98   MORTON                         NORTH FORK OF CIMARRON RIVER 1 1/2
                                          FEET ABOVE BRIDGE

0130 PM    7 NE ELKHART              KS   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/98   MORTON                         HAIL TWO INCHES DEEP

0157 PM    9 N SHARON                KS   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/98   BARBER

LEE

Local storm report, Jul 15, 4:47 PM CDT, 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
447 PM CDT WED JUL 15 1998

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0115 PM    16 N ROLLA                KS   FLOODING
07/15/98   MORTON                         WATER OVER HIGHWAY 27

0118 PM    16 N ROLLA                KS   FLOODING
07/15/98   MORTON                         NORTH FORK OF CIMARRON RIVER 1 1/2
                                          FEET ABOVE BRIDGE

0130 PM    7 NE ELKHART              KS   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/98   MORTON                         HAIL TWO INCHES DEEP

0157 PM    9 N SHARON                KS   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/15/98   BARBER

LEE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 15, 11:15 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	DDC	Grant, Stanton, Stevens	4 hr
Jul 15, 11:15 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	DDC	Morton	4 hr
Jul 15, 1:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Barber	49 min
Jul 15, 2:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Barber	47 min
Jul 15, 6:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Ford	47 min
Jul 15, 6:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Finney, Gray	64 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 1998 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.