Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Watches in 2013

Tornado Watch 170

May 18, 20137 counties in Colorado; 54 counties in Kansas; 33 counties in Nebraska

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 18, 2013, 1:42 PM MDT for 7 counties in Colorado; 54 counties in Kansas; 33 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 2013, 1:42 PM MDT (19:42 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2013, 10:00 PM MDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
2.5 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 94 counties

Cheyenne County, CO, Kit Carson County, CO, Logan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Washington County, CO, Yuma County, CO, Barber County, KS, Barton County, KS, Butler County, KS, Chase County, KS, Cheyenne County, KS, Clark County, KS, Comanche County, KS, Cowley County, KS, Decatur County, KS, Edwards County, KS, Ellis County, KS, Ellsworth County, KS, Finney County, KS, Ford County, KS, Gove County, KS, Graham County, KS, Gray County, KS, Greeley County, KS, Harper County, KS, Harvey County, KS, Hodgeman County, KS, Kingman County, KS, Kiowa County, KS, Lane County, KS, Lincoln County, KS, Logan County, KS, Marion County, KS, McPherson County, KS, Meade County, KS, Mitchell County, KS, Ness County, KS, Norton County, KS, Osborne County, KS, Pawnee County, KS, Phillips County, KS, Pratt County, KS, Rawlins County, KS, Reno County, KS, Rice County, KS, Rooks County, KS, Rush County, KS, Russell County, KS, Saline County, KS, Scott County, KS, Sedgwick County, KS, Sheridan County, KS, Sherman County, KS, Smith County, KS, Stafford County, KS, Sumner County, KS, Thomas County, KS, Trego County, KS, Wallace County, KS, Wichita County, KS, Arthur County, NE, Banner County, NE, Box Butte County, NE, Chase County, NE, Cherry County, NE, Cheyenne County, NE, Dawes County, NE, Dawson County, NE, Deuel County, NE, Dundy County, NE, Franklin County, NE, Frontier County, NE, Furnas County, NE, Garden County, NE, Gosper County, NE, Grant County, NE, Harlan County, NE, Hayes County, NE, Hitchcock County, NE, Hooker County, NE, Keith County, NE, Kimball County, NE, Lincoln County, NE, Logan County, NE, McPherson County, NE, Morrill County, NE, Perkins County, NE, Phelps County, NE, Red Willow County, NE, Scotts Bluff County, NE, Sheridan County, NE, Sioux County, NE, Thomas County, NE

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 131 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:44 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
70%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
60%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
10%
Ten or more severe hail reports
80%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
30%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
95%

Warnings issued inside it

95 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 2:15 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson60 min
May 18, 2:54 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCTrego51 min
May 18, 2:54 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSDawes, Sioux51 min
May 18, 2:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDThomas47 min
May 18, 3:02 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham43 min
May 18, 3:08 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCLane, Ness, Trego52 min
May 18, 3:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson, Yuma51 min
May 18, 3:13 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFArthur, McPherson47 min
May 18, 3:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington46 min
May 18, 3:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson61 min
May 18, 3:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGove31 min
May 18, 3:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCherry25 min
May 18, 3:29 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDYuma61 min
May 18, 3:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham, Sheridan52 min
May 18, 3:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith50 min
May 18, 3:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGove47 min
May 18, 3:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur, Rawlins, Sheridan, Thomas46 min
May 18, 3:47 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham58 min
May 18, 3:49 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham, Sheridan56 min
May 18, 3:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSCheyenne, Kimball40 min
May 18, 3:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSDawes50 min
May 18, 3:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington46 min
May 18, 3:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFArthur, Grant, Hooker, McPherson46 min
May 18, 4:01 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCNess, Trego44 min
May 18, 4:07 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan38 min
May 18, 4:08 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDGraham37 min
May 18, 4:12 PM MDTTornado WarningCYSDawes33 min
May 18, 4:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSSioux46 min
May 18, 4:17 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSMorrill43 min
May 18, 4:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur, Sheridan42 min
May 18, 4:23 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRawlins52 min
May 18, 4:23 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSCheyenne, Kimball52 min
May 18, 4:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington51 min
May 18, 4:34 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCTrego26 min
May 18, 4:35 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSCheyenne, Kimball40 min
May 18, 4:38 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCNess, Trego37 min
May 18, 4:45 PM MDTTornado WarningCYSMorrill30 min
May 18, 4:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEllis, Trego44 min
May 18, 4:52 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark, Comanche, Ford38 min
May 18, 4:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur, Norton35 min
May 18, 4:58 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningDDCNess, Trego6 hr
May 18, 5:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur45 min
May 18, 5:01 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCEllis, Ness, Rush, Trego29 min
May 18, 5:03 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFurnas42 min
May 18, 5:07 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhillips, Rooks38 min
May 18, 5:07 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFSheridan38 min
May 18, 5:10 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSDawes20 min
May 18, 5:13 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSCheyenne, Morrill47 min
May 18, 5:19 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Hodgeman, Pawnee41 min
May 18, 5:23 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSBox Butte, Morrill52 min
May 18, 5:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDOsborne, Smith49 min
May 18, 5:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCClark, Comanche, Ford, Kiowa48 min
May 18, 5:30 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCEllis, Trego30 min
May 18, 5:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhillips, Rooks45 min
May 18, 5:31 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDecatur59 min
May 18, 5:31 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFGarden, Sheridan44 min
May 18, 5:32 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFChase43 min
May 18, 5:33 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSMorrill27 min
May 18, 5:37 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFSheridan38 min
May 18, 5:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSSioux52 min
May 18, 5:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFDeuel, Garden50 min
May 18, 5:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFSheridan47 min
May 18, 5:52 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSBox Butte, Dawes38 min
May 18, 5:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSCheyenne, Morrill34 min
May 18, 5:57 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCEllis33 min
May 18, 5:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith, Lincoln, Perkins47 min
May 18, 6:02 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSBox Butte, Morrill, Scotts Bluff43 min
May 18, 6:03 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Pawnee42 min
May 18, 6:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFranklin51 min
May 18, 6:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFSheridan51 min
May 18, 6:10 PM MDTTornado Warning Tornado observedICTRussell50 min
May 18, 6:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFChase, Perkins48 min
May 18, 6:15 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFArthur, Deuel, Garden, Keith30 min
May 18, 6:17 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCEdwards, Pawnee28 min
May 18, 6:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLogan, McPherson, Thomas40 min
May 18, 6:25 PM MDTTornado Warning Tornado observedDDCEllis20 min
May 18, 6:29 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCBarber, Comanche, Kiowa, Pratt46 min
May 18, 6:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDAdams, Franklin, Kearney, Webster30 min
May 18, 6:35 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFArthur, Keith, McPherson25 min
May 18, 6:39 PM MDTTornado Warning Tornado observedGIDOsborne36 min
May 18, 6:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith, Perkins50 min
May 18, 6:42 PM MDTTornado Warning Tornado observedDDCPawnee, Rush33 min
May 18, 6:48 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith, Lincoln, McPherson, Perkins42 min
May 18, 6:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFChase49 min
May 18, 6:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCBarber, Comanche, Kiowa, Pratt, Stafford46 min
May 18, 7:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFArthur, Grant, Hooker, McPherson41 min
May 18, 7:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFBlaine, Brown, Cherry, Thomas51 min
May 18, 7:11 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTHarper, Kingman, Reno64 min
May 18, 7:15 PM MDTTornado Warning Tornado observedICTBarton45 min
May 18, 7:17 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCStafford43 min
May 18, 7:22 PM MDTTornado WarningDDCPawnee23 min
May 18, 7:28 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTBarton, Rice62 min
May 18, 7:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFChase, Perkins45 min
May 18, 7:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTLincoln65 min
May 18, 8:01 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningICTMcPherson, Reno59 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 102 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2013-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1531 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2013-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 140 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1531 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
568 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
3.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 1:09 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLogan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Yuma96 min
May 18, 4:15 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCKit Carson, Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Yuma60 min
May 18, 1:19 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarber, Barton, Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Finney and 18 more56 min
May 18, 5:42 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCJewell, Republic33 min
May 17, 9:26 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCArthur, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Dawes and 9 more64 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Kansas, 2013Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 2013Tornado Watches in Colorado, 2013Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.