Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Dodge City, KS

November 16, 2015Seward County, Stevens County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at Nov 16, 2015, 5:23 PM CST for Seward County, Stevens County, Kansas. It was in force for 37 min. 5 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
Nov 16, 2015, 5:23 PM CST (23:23 UTC)
Expired
Nov 16, 2015, 6:00 PM CST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.25 in

Counties Seward County, KS, Stevens County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:24 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
Nov 16, 5:37 PM CSTHAIL 1Liberal, KS
Nov 16, 5:45 PM CSTHAIL 1.758 W Liberal, KS
Nov 16, 5:47 PM CSTTORNADO3 N Hayne, KSDEBRIS WERE REPORTED IN THE AIR.
Nov 16, 6:07 PM CSTTORNADO4 W Plains City, KSCHASER ESTIMATED A QUARTER MILE WIDE TORNADO
Nov 16, 6:07 PM CSTTORNADO5 Nne Kismet, KSCHASER ESTIMATED A QUARTER MILE WIDE TORNADO

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
Nov 16, 1:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 110 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 2015-11-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2015-11-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 230 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1361 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
148 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.

333 
WFUS53 KDDC 162323
TORDDC
KSC175-189-170000-
/O.NEW.KDDC.TO.W.0054.151116T2323Z-151117T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
523 PM CST MON NOV 16 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN STEVENS COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS...
  CENTRAL SEWARD COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS...

* UNTIL 600 PM CST
    
* AT 523 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LIBERAL...MOVING NORTHEAST
  AT 55 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. 
           DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE 
           DAMAGE IS LIKELY. 

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  LIBERAL AROUND 530 PM CST.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3738 10097 3729 10064 3700 10092 3700 10116
TIME...MOT...LOC 2323Z 208DEG 47KT 3699 10105 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.25IN

$$

GERARD
1 follow-up statement
474 
WWUS53 KDDC 162346
SVSDDC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
546 PM CST MON NOV 16 2015

KSC189-162355-
/O.CAN.KDDC.TO.W.0054.000000T0000Z-151117T0000Z/
STEVENS KS-

546 PM CST MON NOV 16 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN STEVENS COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT
OF THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CST FOR SOUTHWESTERN
KANSAS.

LAT...LON 3738 10097 3729 10064 3705 10088 3722 10102
TIME...MOT...LOC 2345Z 214DEG 35KT 3716 10084 

$$

KSC175-170000-
/O.CON.KDDC.TO.W.0054.000000T0000Z-151117T0000Z/
SEWARD KS-
546 PM CST MON NOV 16 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CST FOR CENTRAL
SEWARD COUNTY...
    
AT 545 PM CST...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF HAYNE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO AND HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL. 

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT 
         SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE 
         TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE DAMAGE IS 
         LIKELY. 

THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
CENTRAL SEWARD COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR 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.

&&

LAT...LON 3738 10097 3729 10064 3705 10088 3722 10102
TIME...MOT...LOC 2345Z 214DEG 35KT 3716 10084 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.25IN

$$

GERARD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 16, 2:53 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCGrant, Morton, Stanton, Stevens67 min
Nov 16, 2:57 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementDDCKearny48 min
Nov 16, 3:11 PM CSTTornado WarningDDCMorton, Stevens34 min
Nov 16, 3:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFinney, Kearny, Scott51 min
Nov 16, 3:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCHamilton32 min
Nov 16, 3:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFinney, Grant, Haskell, Kearny, Stevens60 min
Nov 16, 3:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCLane29 min
Nov 16, 3:52 PM CSTTornado WarningDDCGrant, Haskell, Kearny, Stevens38 min
Nov 16, 3:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCScott48 min
Nov 16, 4:24 PM CSTTornado WarningDDCFinney, Grant, Haskell, Kearny51 min
Nov 16, 4:29 PM CSTTornado WarningDDCScott16 min
Nov 16, 4:59 PM CSTTornado WarningDDCFinney, Gray, Lane46 min
Nov 16, 5:04 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementDDCSeward41 min
Nov 16, 5:34 PM CSTTornado WarningDDCFinney, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness41 min
Nov 16, 5:52 PM CSTTornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threatDDCGray, Meade, Seward38 min
Nov 16, 5:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCLane, Scott35 min
Nov 16, 5:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCFinney, Kearny, Scott61 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes in 2015

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.