Alert archive / Kansas / Mesoscale Discussions in 2024

Mesoscale Discussion 13

January 8, 20246 counties in Kansas

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jan 8, 2024, 7:39 AM CST for 6 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jan 8, 2024, 7:39 AM CST (13:39 UTC)
Expired
Jan 8, 2024, 11:45 AM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Heavy snow

Counties Gove County, KS, Graham County, KS, Logan County, KS, Norton County, KS, Phillips County, KS, Sheridan County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 142 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:38 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 1.7 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2024-01-08Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2024-01-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 266 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
526 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
266 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
352 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

992 
ACUS11 KWNS 081339
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 081339 
KSZ000-NEZ000-081745-

Mesoscale Discussion 0013
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0739 AM CST Mon Jan 08 2024

Areas affected...northwest KS...south-central NE

Concerning...Heavy snow 

Valid 081339Z - 081745Z

SUMMARY...Heavy snowfall rates around 1 to 1.5 inches per hour are
possible through the morning.

DISCUSSION...A mesoscale band of heavier snowfall rates appears to
be developing across northwest KS on the northern periphery of a
warm conveyor belt located over the southern-central Great Plains. 
Frontogenetic forcing for ascent is forecast to continue to
strengthen during the morning across western KS and eventually into
southern NE by late morning.  The 12 UTC Dodge City raob showed a
moist profile and an above-freezing layer from the surface through
800 mb.  A surface front is draped southwest to northeast from far
southwestern KS north-northeast into northwest KS (i.e., located to
the northwest of Dodge City).  The colder airmass north of the front
will support snow as the precipitation type.  Model guidance
indicates upwards of 0.10 to 0.15 inches per hour liquid-equivalent
precipitation across northwest KS this morning.  As a result of
nearly 10:1 snow ratios, expecting 1 to 1.5 inches per hour (locally
heavier bursts are possible) as lift continues to strengthen during
the morning.

..Smith.. 01/08/2024

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...GID...DDC...GLD...

LAT...LON   40030000 40149952 40109896 39989880 39709884 39569942
            38630058 38560091 38670115 38950127 39170123 40030000

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 8, 5:27 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGreeley, Hamilton, Wichita6 hr
Jan 8, 9:27 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAtchison, Brown, Chase, Clay, Cloud, Coffey and 27 more3 hr
Jan 8, 10:35 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Finney, Gove, Graham and 22 more4 hr
Jan 8, 2:48 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCClark, Decatur, Edwards, Ellis, Finney, Ford and 25 more4 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Kansas, 2024Every mesoscale discussion in 2024

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.