Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Goodland, KS

May 5, 1998Kit Carson County, Colorado

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at May 5, 1998, 7:11 PM MDT for Kit Carson County, Colorado. It was in force for 34 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 5, 1998, 7:11 PM MDT (01:11 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1998, 7:45 PM MDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Kit Carson County, CO

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 5, 7:20 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 57Burlington, COEstimated 60 to 70 mph winds blew out windows.
May 5, 7:31 PM MDTHail 1Burlington, CO
May 5, 7:40 PM MDTHail 1.25Burlington, CONWS employee observed hail up to half dollar size along Highway 385 from 1S to 7S of Burlington.

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 5, 6:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 83 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 1998-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 351 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 1998-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 20 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
351 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1870 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
141 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 060111 RRA
TORGLD
COC063-060145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
711 PM MDT TUE MAY 5 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN KIT CARSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO

* UNTIL 745 PM MDT

* AT 709 PM MDT... GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING
  TORNADO 7 MILES SOUTH OF BURLINGTON MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO PASS NEAR BURLINGTON...REMAIN IN
  SHELTER.

  THIS WARNING CONTINUES THE LAST TORNADO WARNING FOR EASTERN KIT
  CARSON COUNTY.

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

VJN

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 5, 2:31 AM MDT, 16 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 2:31 AM MDT, 16 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
231 AM MDT (331 AM CDT) TUE MAY 5 1998

...THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES ARE THE CHALLENGE...

06Z SFC ANALYSIS INDICATED COLD FRONT THRU THE CWA AND RESTING
SOMEWHERE VCNTY OF GCK TO LHX LINE...FAR IN ITS WAKE WAS A 1012 MB
LOCATED OVER SW ND. 700 MB UA ANALYSIS SHOWED A 700 MB LOW OVER
CENTRAL CO AND THIS CIRCULATION WAS SHOWN IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND
CAUGHT BY THE MODELS. RESULT WAS CONTINUING CONVECTION OVER ERN
CO/WRN KS EARLY THIS MORNING. 500 MB CHART SHOWED DIFLUENT FLOW OVER
NE CO PRECEEDING AN EWD PROGRESSING UPPER LOW PROGGED TO FILL 60 M
OR SO AS IT SETTLES OVER CA/NV AREA BY 48 HRS. MEANWHILE...FOCUS
WILL BE MAINLY IN THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE AS RETURN FLOW SETS UP LATE
TDY...AND WE PREPARE FOR ANOTHER FRONTAL SURGE LATE WEDS AFTN/EARLY
EVE.

CURRENTLY FAVOR AN NGM/AVN COMPROMISE...LEANING MORE TOWARD THE NGM.
ETA LOOKS TO MOVE ENERGY TO FAR EAST TOO FAST AND DEVELOPS A
QUESTIONABLE UPPER LOW OVER IOWA BY H48. NGM/AVN SHOW CONTINUING
ENERGY MOVING NE OVER THE CWA AT 700 MB THROUGH WEDS MORNING. THIS
OVER THE TOP OF A MOIST LOWER ATMOSPHERE IN FAIR INSTABILITY FROM
500-700 LAPSE RATES OF 7-8 DEG C/KM. THUS WILL KEEP POPS GOING IN
THE FCST. WILL GO AT OR ABOVE FWC...LEANING A BIT TOWARD AVN NUMBERS.

FWC TEMPS LOOK A BIT WARM IN UPSLOPE FLOW AND CLOUDY SKIES OVER RAIN
SOAKED GROUND...SO WILL CUT SOME FOR TDYS HIGH. WEDNESDAY SHOULD
BRING ENOUGH SUN TO ALLOW TEMPS TO RISE TO FWC. WILL LIKELY LEAVE
EXTENDED ALONE FOR NOW.

.GLD...NONE.
STAVISH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 5, 5:59 PM MDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
COZ090>092-KSZ001-002-013-014-027-028-041-042-060600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
559 PM MDT (659 PM CDT) TUE MAY 5 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR AREAS IN EXTREME EASTERN COLORADO AND
NORTHWEST KANSAS.

THE WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT (1 AM CDT) FOR THE
FOLLOWING AREAS:
    IN COLORADO:  YUMA...KIT CARSON...AND CHEYENNE COUNTIES
    IN KANSAS:  CHEYENNE...RAWLINS...SHERMAN...THOMAS...WALLACE...
       LOGAN...GREELEY...AND WICHITA COUNTIES

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.  FOR YOUR
PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
OR CABLE TELEVISION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS
SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION.

HARMON
Local storm report, May 5, 7:04 PM MDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
704 PM MDT TUE MAY 05 1998

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

0441 PM    6 SSW JOES                CO   .75 INCH HAIL
05/05/98   YUMA                           HALF INCH HAIL ALSO AT 4
                                          SW JOES

0525 PM    9 N STRATTON              CO   TORNADO
05/05/98   KIT CARSON                     BRIEF TOUCHDOWN

0622 PM    7 N STRATTON              CO   .88 INCH HAIL
05/05/98   KIT CARSON                     NICKEL HAIL 7 N AND 4 E OF
                                          STRATTON CO

0622 PM    BETHUNE                   CO   TORNADO
05/05/98   KIT CARSON                     TORNADO ON GROUND TO THE
                                          NORTHWEST OF BETHUNE
Local storm report, May 5, 7:04 PM MDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
704 PM MDT TUE MAY 05 1998

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

0441 PM    6 SSW JOES                CO   .75 INCH HAIL
05/05/98   YUMA                           HALF INCH HAIL ALSO AT 4
                                          SW JOES

0525 PM    9 N STRATTON              CO   TORNADO
05/05/98   KIT CARSON                     BRIEF TOUCHDOWN

0622 PM    7 N STRATTON              CO   .88 INCH HAIL
05/05/98   KIT CARSON                     NICKEL HAIL 7 N AND 4 E OF
                                          STRATTON CO

0622 PM    BETHUNE                   CO   TORNADO
05/05/98   KIT CARSON                     TORNADO ON GROUND TO THE
                                          NORTHWEST OF BETHUNE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 6:10 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson60 min
May 5, 6:22 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDKit Carson48 min
May 5, 7:41 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 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.