Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 18, 2013Ellis County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2013, 6:57 PM CDT for Ellis County, Kansas. It was in force for 33 min. 2 reports 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 18, 2013, 6:57 PM CDT (23:57 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2013, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.75 in

County Ellis County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 154 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:55 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 18, 7:10 PM CDTHAIL 1Catherine, KS
May 18, 7:12 PM CDTHAIL 1.25Catherine, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 18, 2:42 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 151 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 12:00Z on 2013-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2095 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 12:00Z on 2013-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 256 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
2095 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-361 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
812 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
256 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
291 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.

729 
WFUS53 KDDC 182357
TORDDC
KSC051-190030-
/O.NEW.KDDC.TO.W.0008.130518T2357Z-130519T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
657 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  ELLIS COUNTY IN CENTRAL KANSAS...

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 655 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF CATHARINE...AND MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

  HAZARD...DEVELOPING TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.

  IMPACT...MOBILE HOMES WILL BE HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
           SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL
           OCCUR. FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DEADLY TO PEOPLE AND ANIMALS.
           EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE IS LIKELY.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CATHARINE...VICTORIA...EMMERAM AND WALKER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY HIDE THIS TORNADO. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE
TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. TAKE COVER IN A
BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 3913 9903 3885 9903 3876 9941 3899 9960
      3914 9943 3914 9904
TIME...MOT...LOC 2356Z 241DEG 26KT 3905 9934

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

RUSSELL
1 follow-up statement
374 
WWUS53 KDDC 190026
SVSDDC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
726 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

KSC051-190036-
/O.EXP.KDDC.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-130519T0030Z/
ELLIS KS-
726 PM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR ELLIS COUNTY IS BEING REISSUED...

PLEASE REFER TO THAT BULLETIN FOR THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER
INFORMATION.  HOWEVER SMALL HAIL IS STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS
THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3913 9903 3885 9903 3876 9941 3899 9960
      3914 9943 3914 9904
TIME...MOT...LOC 0026Z 241DEG 26KT 3915 9909

$$

WAH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 3:00 AM CDTRed Flag WarningDDCGrant, Hamilton, Kearny, Morton, Stanton, Stevens18 hr
May 18, 3:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCTrego51 min
May 18, 4:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCLane, Ness, Trego52 min
May 18, 5:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCNess, Trego44 min
May 18, 5:34 PM CDTTornado WarningDDCTrego26 min
May 18, 5:38 PM CDTTornado WarningDDCNess, Trego37 min
May 18, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEllis, Trego44 min
May 18, 5:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark, Comanche, Ford38 min
May 18, 5:58 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCNess, Trego6 hr
May 18, 6:01 PM CDTTornado WarningDDCEllis, Ness, Rush, Trego29 min
May 18, 6:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Hodgeman, Pawnee41 min
May 18, 6:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark, Comanche, Ford, Kiowa48 min
May 18, 6:30 PM CDTTornado WarningDDCEllis, Trego30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2013Every tornado warning in 2013Tornadoes in 2013

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.