Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2025

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 18, 2025Scott County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2025, 5:32 PM CDT for Scott County, Kansas. It was in force for 28 min. 8 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, 2025, 5:32 PM CDT (22:32 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 2025, 6:00 PM CDT
In force: 28 min
Issued by: NWS Dodge City, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 2.0 in

County Scott County, KS

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:35 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 18, 5:34 PM CDT	HAIL 4	5 Wsw Scott State Lake, KS	photo sent in by emergency manager, public report.
May 18, 5:34 PM CDT	HAIL 4	5 Wsw Scott State Lake, KS	photo sent in by emergency manager, public report.
May 18, 5:35 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 Ssw Scott State Lake, KS	Beginning of Scott State Park tornado.
May 18, 5:44 PM CDT	TORNADO	6 S Scott State Lake, KS	This report included video of the tornado.
May 18, 5:44 PM CDT	TORNADO	6 S Scott State Lake, KS	This report included video of the tornado.
May 18, 6:10 PM CDT	TORNADO	3 Sw Scott State Lake, KS	Emergency Manager confirmed Tornado.
May 18, 6:10 PM CDT	TORNADO	3 Sw Scott State Lake, KS	Emergency Manager confirmed Tornado.
May 18, 6:10 PM CDT	TORNADO	3 Wsw Scott State Lake, KS	Brief tornado near Scott State Park.

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 18, 3:38 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 131 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: 723 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -377 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1181 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 206 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 225 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

520 
WFUS53 KDDC 182232
TORDDC
KSC171-182300-
/O.NEW.KDDC.TO.W.0002.250518T2232Z-250518T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
532 PM CDT Sun May 18 2025

The National Weather Service in Dodge City has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Scott County in west central Kansas...

* Until 600 PM CDT.

* At 532 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Scott State Lake, moving northeast at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and hail up to two inches in diameter.

  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...
  Scott State Lake around 535 PM CDT.

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 3870 10075 3855 10093 3857 10108 3870 10105
TIME...MOT...LOC 2232Z 208DEG 24KT 3862 10098 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...2.00 IN

$$

SPRINGER

1 follow-up statement

563 
WWUS53 KDDC 182237
SVSDDC

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
537 PM CDT Sun May 18 2025

KSC171-182300-
/O.CON.KDDC.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-250518T2300Z/
Scott KS-
537 PM CDT Sun May 18 2025

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN SCOTT COUNTY...
  
At 536 PM CDT, a confirmed tornado was located near Scott State Lake,
moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Damaging tornado and two inch hail.

SOURCE...Weather spotters confirmed tornado.

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 tornado will be near...
  Scott State Lake around 540 PM CDT.

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 3870 10076 3859 10093 3859 10107 3870 10105
TIME...MOT...LOC 2236Z 208DEG 24KT 3865 10096 

TORNADO...OBSERVED
MAX HAIL SIZE...2.00 IN

$$

SPRINGER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 18, 4:56 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Ellis	34 min
May 18, 5:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Scott	29 min
May 18, 5:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Ellis	27 min
May 18, 5:10 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Finney, Gray	35 min
May 18, 5:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DDC	Scott	42 min
May 18, 5:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DDC	Lane, Scott	35 min
May 18, 5:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DDC	Clark	50 min
May 18, 5:45 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	DDC	Scott	45 min
May 18, 5:48 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Ford	42 min
May 18, 5:49 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Lane	26 min
May 18, 5:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Destructive damage threat	DDC	Clark	36 min
May 18, 5:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Edwards, Ford, Kiowa	48 min
May 18, 6:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DDC	Finney, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness	45 min
May 18, 6:03 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Hodgeman	27 min
May 18, 6:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DDC	Edwards, Ford, Kiowa	49 min
May 18, 6:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DDC	Ellis, Lane, Ness, Trego	48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2025 Every tornado warning in 2025 Tornadoes in 2025

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.