Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 21, 2020Hamilton County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2020, 4:28 PM MDT for Hamilton County, Kansas. It was in force for 32 min. 3 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 21, 2020, 4:28 PM MDT (22:28 UTC)
Expired: May 21, 2020, 5:00 PM MDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Dodge City, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Observed
Hail: 2.75 in

County Hamilton County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:29 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 21, 4:44 PM MDT	HAIL 1.75	Coolidge, KS
May 21, 4:50 PM MDT	TORNADO	Coolidge, KS	LANDSPOUT.
May 21, 4:51 PM MDT	HAIL 3	Coolidge, 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 21, 2:15 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 188 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: 275 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -409 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 690 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 186 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

203 
WFUS53 KDDC 212228
TORDDC
KSC075-212315-
/O.NEW.KDDC.TO.W.0005.200521T2228Z-200521T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
428 PM MDT Thu May 21 2020

The National Weather Service in Dodge City has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  West central Hamilton County in southwestern Kansas...

* Until 515 PM MDT.

* At 427 PM MDT, a confirmed tornado was located 3 miles southwest 
  of Coolidge, moving northeast at 15 mph.

  HAZARD...Damaging tornado and baseball size hail.

  SOURCE...Weather spotters confirmed tornado near Holly, Colorado.

  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.

* The tornado will be near...
  Coolidge around 445 PM MDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

To repeat, a tornado is ongoing. TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement
or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid
windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move
to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying
debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3813 10205 3817 10201 3807 10188 3793 10204
      3793 10205
TIME...MOT...LOC 2227Z 226DEG 14KT 3798 10205 

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...2.75IN

$$

Tatro

3 follow-up statements

785 
WWUS53 KDDC 212240
SVSDDC

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
440 PM MDT Thu May 21 2020

KSC075-212315-
/O.CON.KDDC.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-200521T2315Z/
Hamilton KS-
440 PM MDT Thu May 21 2020

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM MDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL HAMILTON COUNTY...
    
At 440 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located very near Coolidge, moving northeast at 10 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and baseball 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...
  Coolidge around 450 PM MDT.

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 you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3813 10205 3817 10201 3807 10188 3793 10204
      3793 10205
TIME...MOT...LOC 2240Z 232DEG 8KT 3801 10201 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...2.75IN

$$

TATRO

246 
WWUS53 KDDC 212257
SVSDDC

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
457 PM MDT Thu May 21 2020

KSC075-212315-
/O.CON.KDDC.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-200521T2315Z/
Hamilton KS-
457 PM MDT Thu May 21 2020

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM MDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL HAMILTON COUNTY...
    
At 457 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Coolidge, moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and three inch 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
west central Hamilton 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 you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 3810 10205 3809 10199 3807 10188 3793 10204
      3793 10205
TIME...MOT...LOC 2257Z 266DEG 16KT 3803 10196 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...3.00IN

$$

Tatro

539 
WWUS53 KDDC 212300
SVSDDC

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
500 PM MDT Thu May 21 2020

KSC075-212309-
/O.CAN.KDDC.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-200521T2315Z/
Hamilton KS-
500 PM MDT Thu May 21 2020

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL HAMILTON COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
    
The tornado threat has diminished and the Tornado Warning has been
cancelled. However, large hail and damaging winds remain likely and a
Severe Thunderstorm Warning remains in effect for the area.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 PM MDT for
southwestern Kansas.

Remember, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning still remains in effect for
Hamilton county until 4:45 MDT.

LAT...LON 3810 10205 3809 10199 3807 10188 3793 10204
      3793 10205
TIME...MOT...LOC 2257Z 226DEG 14KT 3804 10195 

$$

Tatro

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 21, 3:23 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Hamilton	37 min
May 21, 3:46 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Hamilton	44 min
May 21, 3:54 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Seward	51 min
May 21, 4:09 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Seward, Stevens	51 min
May 21, 4:16 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Hamilton	29 min
May 21, 4:19 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Hamilton	41 min
May 21, 4:22 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Hamilton	38 min
May 21, 4:38 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Grant	37 min
May 21, 4:48 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Grant, Haskell, Seward, Stevens	42 min
May 21, 4:53 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Hamilton	52 min
May 21, 4:57 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Seward, Stevens	48 min
May 21, 5:04 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Grant	26 min
May 21, 5:06 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Kearny	24 min
May 21, 5:09 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Hamilton, Kearny	51 min
May 21, 5:13 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Grant, Hamilton, Kearny, Stanton	47 min
May 21, 5:37 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Hamilton	38 min
May 21, 5:41 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Seward	49 min
May 21, 5:49 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Hamilton, Kearny	56 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2020 Every tornado warning in 2020 Tornadoes in 2020

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.