Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Goodland, KS

May 22, 1998Cheyenne County, Kansas

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at May 22, 1998, 7:54 PM CDT for Cheyenne County, Kansas. It was in force for 31 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
May 22, 1998, 7:54 PM CDT (00:54 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 1998, 8:25 PM CDT
In force
31 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 00:57 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 22, 8:09 PM CDTHail 3St Francis, KSOne inch diameter hail reported at 1905 CST.
May 22, 8:11 PM CDTHail 2.75St Francis, KSHail damaged several vehicles and buildings.
May 22, 8:30 PM CDTHail 1.5Bird 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 22, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 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 00:00Z on 1998-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 133 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 00:00Z on 1998-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -35 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
133 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-182 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
925 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
219 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 230054 RRA
TORGLD
KSC023-230125-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
654 PM MDT (754 PM CDT) FRI MAY 22 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN AND WESTERN CHEYENNE COUNTY KANSAS IN NORTHWESTERN KANSAS

* UNTIL 825 PM CDT (725 PM MDT)

* AT 752 PM CDT... GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING
  TORNADO 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF SAINT FRANCIS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  9 MILES NORTH OF SAINT FRANCIS          AROUND 805 PM CDT
  10 MILES NORTH OF WHEELER               AROUND 815 PM CDT

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

VJhN/KPL

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 May 22, 3:10 PM CDT, 4 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 3:10 PM CDT, 4 hours 44 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
210 PM MDT (310 PM CDT) FRI MAY 22 1998

...MAIN FCST CHALLENGE IS CONVECTION TONIGHT...

ETA AND AVN INITIALIZED WELL...BOTH WERE EXCELLENT AT 5H. ETA/AVN
WERE BOTH GOOD AT SFC...WHILE NGM WAS TOO DEEP ON THE LOW OVER KS AT
12Z. BY 18Z ETA WAS BEST AT SFC AS IT INDICATED DEVELOPING LOW OVER
EASTERN COLORADO. WILL FOLLOW ETA THIS PACKAGE.

WV SATELLITE SHOWS A VORT MAX MOVING INTO CENTRAL CO WHICH IS FIRING
TRW ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. THIS FIRST WAVE WILL TRIGGER CONVECTION
OVER WESTERN SECTIONS OF FA BEGINNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
THE EVENING. WITH SFC LOW DEEPENING OVER EASTERN CO LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...MOIST UPSLOPE FLOW WILL PRODUCE BEST MOISTURE
CONVERGENCE FROM NE CO ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF FA.
Q VECTOR ANALYSIS SHOWS STRONGEST CONVERGENCE OVER THETA E RIDGE
ACROSS EASTERN FA BY 00Z. WENT HIGHEST POPS NRN AND ERN FA FOR THESE
REASONS.

UPSLOPE FLOW CONTINUES FOR MOST OF THE NIGHT. THIS COMBINED WITH
SOME OUTFLOW COOLED AIR OVER FA...SO EXPECT AREAS OF FOG TO DEVELOP
OVER ALL BUT FAR SRN ZONES. WITH CLOUDS AND E WINDS MOST OF THE
NIGHT...TEMPERATURES SHOULD STAY ABOVE FWC/FAN NUMBERS.

UPPER LEVEL LOW KICKS OFF TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS ON SAT...DRAGGING
THE SFC LOW INTO EASTERN KS. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS FA
EARLY SAT MORNING. ALTHOUGH Q VECTOR ANALYSIS INDICATES BEST FORCING
OVER EASTERN KS BY 12Z...THINK THAT WRAP AROUND MOISTURE WILL
CONTINUE WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY SAT MORNING OVER
EASTERN ZONES.

PRECIPITATION ENDS BY SAT AFTERNOON WITH DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE REST
OF THE PERIODS. CAA BEHIND SFC LOW KEEPS 850/700 THICKNESSES 30M
LOWER THROUGH SUN AFTERNOON PER ETA/AVN. PREFER FAN NUMBERS OVER
SLIGHTLY WARMER FWC.

.GLD...NONE

MLC/TURNER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 22, 6:26 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
COZ090-KSZ001>003-NEZ079>081-230500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
526 PM MDT (626 PM CDT) FRI MAY 22 1998

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA AND EXTREME NORTHWEST KANSAS...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS POSTED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT (11 PM MDT) FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...

IN FAR EASTERN COLORADO...YUMA.
IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...DUNDY...HITCHCOCK AND RED WILLOW.
AND IN NORTHWEST KANSAS...CHEYENNE...RAWLINS AND DECATUR.

STRONG STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH ARE
POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA.  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.  PERSONS
SHOULD WATCH FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR TELEVISION FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

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

KPL/CBENT
Local storm report, May 22, 6:56 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
556 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

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

0545 PM    17 SE YUMA                CO   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   YUMA                           ALSO ROTATING WALL CLOUD
Local storm report, May 22, 7:20 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
620 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

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

0617 PM    VERNON                    CO   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   YUMA                           ALSO 60 TO 70 MPH WIND.
                                          LASTED 10 MIN.
Local storm report, May 22, 7:38 PM CDT, 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
638 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

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

0634 PM    7 S LAIRD                 CO   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   YUMA                           SPOTTER REPORT
Local storm report, May 22, 7:43 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
643 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

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

0642 PM    17 NE ST FRANCIS          KS   1 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   CHEYENNE                       SPOTTER REPORT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 22, 7:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne65 min
May 22, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRawlins65 min
May 22, 8:26 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDCheyenne49 min
May 22, 8:45 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDCheyenne, Sherman65 min
May 22, 8:57 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDRawlins48 min
May 22, 9:07 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDThomas63 min
May 22, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur78 min
May 22, 10:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSheridan77 min
May 22, 10:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDNorton79 min
May 22, 10:36 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDSheridan49 min
May 22, 10:54 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDGraham51 min
May 22, 11:13 PM CDTTornado WarningGLDNorton47 min
May 22, 11:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham45 min
May 23, 3:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDSherman33 min
May 23, 3:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDThomas76 min
May 23, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGove, Logan67 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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.