Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 8, 20084 counties in Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2008, 5:41 PM CDT for 4 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 34 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 8, 2008, 5:41 PM CDT (22:41 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 2008, 6:15 PM CDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Dodge City, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Finney County, KS, Hodgeman County, KS, Lane County, KS, Ness County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 75 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:41 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
May 8, 6:14 PM CDT	HAIL 1.5	16 Se Dighton, KS

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 8, 2:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 78 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1243 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 100 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.

000 
WFUS53 KDDC 082242
TORDDC
KSC055-083-101-135-082315-
/O.NEW.KDDC.TO.W.0004.080508T2241Z-080508T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
541 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN FINNEY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS.
  NORTHWESTERN HODGEMAN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST KANSAS.
  SOUTHERN LANE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL KANSAS.
  SOUTHWESTERN NESS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL KANSAS.

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 536 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 20 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF ALAMOTA...OR 13 MILES SOUTH OF AMY...MOVING EAST AT 25
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ALAMOTA...
  BEELER...
  RURAL RESIDENCES OF NORTHEASTERN FINNEY...NORTHWESTERN HODGEMAN...
  SOUTHERN LANE AND SOUTHWESTERN NESS COUNTIES.

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

BLOWING DUST OR DEBRIS AND SUDDEN WIND CHANGES MAY MEAN A TORNADO IS
DEVELOPING OR APPROACHING. THE TIME TO TAKE ACTION IS NOW

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.

LAT...LON 3845 10042 3844 10008 3814 10009 3820 10067
      3844 10064
TIME...MOT...LOC 2241Z 274DEG 23KT 3827 10057

$$

01

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS53 KDDC 082300
SVSDDC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
600 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008

KSC055-083-101-135-082315-
/O.CON.KDDC.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-080508T2315Z/
LANE KS-NESS KS-FINNEY KS-HODGEMAN KS-
600 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN HODGEMAN...NORTHEASTERN FINNEY...SOUTHWESTERN NESS AND
SOUTHEASTERN LANE COUNTIES...

AT 555 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF 
ALAMOTA...OR 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF KALVESTA...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. IF IN A
MOBILE HOME...EVACUATE TO A SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURE. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS.

LAT...LON 3816 10024 3816 10035 3817 10035 3817 10044
      3818 10045 3819 10056 3843 10055 3845 10042
      3844 10008 3814 10009
TIME...MOT...LOC 2300Z 278DEG 24KT 3823 10041

$$

01

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 8, 7:06 AM CDT	Dense Fog Advisory	DDC	Clark, Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Hamilton and 10 more	114 min
May 8, 4:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Scott	75 min
May 8, 4:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DDC	Scott	48 min
May 8, 5:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DDC	Finney, Lane, Scott	45 min
May 8, 5:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Lane, Scott	57 min
May 8, 5:44 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DDC	Lane, Scott	31 min
May 8, 6:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DDC	Finney, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness	49 min
May 8, 6:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Lane	45 min
May 8, 6:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Finney, Lane	32 min
May 8, 6:52 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Ness	38 min
May 8, 6:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Edwards, Ford, Hodgeman, Pawnee	50 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.