Alert archive / Kansas / Heat Advisories in 2026

Heat Advisory 21, NWS Dodge City, KS

August 12, 20266 counties in Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this heat advisory at Aug 12, 2026, 1:55 PM CDT for 6 counties in Kansas. It took effect at Aug 13, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 9 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 12, 2026, 1:55 PM CDT (18:55 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 13, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT
Expired
Aug 13, 2026, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
9 hr
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS

Counties Comanche County, KS, Edwards County, KS, Ellis County, KS, Kiowa County, KS, Pawnee County, KS, Rush County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:57 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

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 356 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2026-08-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 340 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, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 2026-08-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
340 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-261 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1745 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

662 
WWUS73 KDDC 121855
NPWDDC

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
155 PM CDT Wed Aug 12 2026

KSZ066-081-090-130700-
/O.CON.KDDC.XH.W.0003.000000T0000Z-260813T0200Z/
/O.CON.KDDC.XH.W.0004.260813T1700Z-260814T0200Z/
Stafford-Pratt-Barber-
Including the cities of St. John, Kiowa, Pratt, Stafford,
Medicine Lodge, and Macksville
155 PM CDT Wed Aug 12 2026

...EXTREME HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS
EVENING...
...EXTREME HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM CDT
THURSDAY...

* WHAT...For the first Extreme Heat Warning, dangerously hot
  conditions with heat index values up to 108. For the second Extreme
  Heat Warning, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up
  to 110 expected.

* WHERE...Barber, Pratt, and Stafford Counties.

* WHEN...For the first Extreme Heat Warning, until 9 PM CDT this
  evening. For the second Extreme Heat Warning, from noon to 9 PM CDT
  Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Heat related illnesses increase significantly during
  extreme heat and high humidity events.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

&&

$$

KSZ031-046-065-079-080-089-130700-
/O.NEW.KDDC.HT.Y.0021.260813T1700Z-260814T0200Z/
/O.CON.KDDC.HT.Y.0020.000000T0000Z-260813T0200Z/
Ellis-Rush-Pawnee-Edwards-Kiowa-Comanche-
Including the cities of Lewis, La Crosse, Greensburg, Haviland, Lake
Coldwater, Larned, Pfeifer, Coldwater, Protection, Kinsley, and Hays
155 PM CDT Wed Aug 12 2026

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM CDT THURSDAY...
...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...For the first Heat Advisory, heat index values up to 106.
  For the second Heat Advisory, heat index values up to 107 expected.

* WHERE...Ellis, Rush, Comanche, Edwards, Kiowa, and Pawnee Counties.

* WHEN...For the first Heat Advisory, until 9 PM CDT this evening.
  For the second Heat Advisory, from noon to 9 PM CDT Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat
  illnesses.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

&&

$$

KSZ030-043>045-061>064-074>078-084>088-130200-
/O.CON.KDDC.HT.Y.0020.000000T0000Z-260813T0200Z/
Trego-Scott-Lane-Ness-Hamilton-Kearny-Finney-Hodgeman-Stanton-Grant-
Haskell-Gray-Ford-Morton-Stevens-Seward-Meade-Clark-
Including the cities of Garden City, Sublette, Johnson City,
Montezuma, Scott City, Lakin, Minneola, Ness City, Scott State Lake,
Dighton, Meade, Fowler, Syracuse, Wakeeney, Cimarron, Satanta, Dodge
City, Ulysses, Hugoton, Liberal, Deerfield, Plains City, Ashland,
Elkhart, Hanston, and Jetmore
155 PM CDT Wed Aug 12 2026 /1255 PM MDT Wed Aug 12 2026/

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 105.

* WHERE...Portions of southwest and west central Kansas.

* WHEN...Until 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ this evening.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat
  illnesses.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

&&

$$

JJOHNSON
1 follow-up statement
895 
WWUS73 KDDC 130552
NPWDDC

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
1252 AM CDT Thu Aug 13 2026

KSZ066-081-090-140200-
/O.CON.KDDC.XH.W.0004.260813T1700Z-260814T0200Z/
Stafford-Pratt-Barber-
Including the cities of Medicine Lodge, Kiowa, Stafford, Pratt,
St. John, and Macksville
1252 AM CDT Thu Aug 13 2026

...EXTREME HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM CDT
THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 110
  expected.

* WHERE...Barber, Pratt, and Stafford Counties.

* WHEN...From noon today to 9 PM CDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Heat related illnesses increase significantly during
  extreme heat and high humidity events.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

&&

$$

KSZ031-046-065-079-080-089-140200-
/O.CON.KDDC.HT.Y.0021.260813T1700Z-260814T0200Z/
Ellis-Rush-Pawnee-Edwards-Kiowa-Comanche-
Including the cities of Greensburg, Coldwater, Hays, Kinsley,
Pfeifer, Haviland, Protection, Lake Coldwater, Lewis, Larned, and La
Crosse
1252 AM CDT Thu Aug 13 2026

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM CDT THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 107 expected.

* WHERE...Ellis, Rush, Comanche, Edwards, Kiowa, and Pawnee Counties.

* WHEN...From noon today to 9 PM CDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat
  illnesses.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

&&

$$

BURGERT

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this heat advisory went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this heat advisory went out at Aug 12, 12:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Thunderstorm chances (30-50%) return Thursday night.
  • Hot temperatures again Thursday, though an advancing weak cold front may keep afternoon highs topped off in the 90s.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 12:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
1225 PM CDT Wed Aug 12 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Thunderstorm chances (30-50%) return Thursday night.

- Hot temperatures again Thursday, though an advancing weak cold
  front may keep afternoon highs topped off in the 90s.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 1219 PM CDT Wed Aug 12 2026

WV imagery indicates upper level ridging transitioning east through
the Western High Plains. Near the surface, a lee side trough of low
pressure remains anchored in extreme southeast Colorado.

Relatively dry conditions are expected to persist early in the
period with the SREF indicating an upper level ridge transitioning
slowly east into the Central Plains Thursday, giving way to a
southwesterly flow aloft across the Western High Plains. The overall
pattern becomes more active Thursday evening into early Friday as a
southwesterly flow aloft slowly develops in wake of departing ridge
aloft. Near the surface, a developing low in southeast Colorado this
evening is projected to push slowly into southwest Kansas early
Thursday morning ahead of an approaching weak cold front that is
expected to stall out somewhere across southwest/central Kansas
by Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, a return flow will enhance
moisture advection into central Kansas and wrap around the low
into western Kansas, pushing surface dewpoints well up into the
60s(F) and providing ample instability. This will set the stage
for thunderstorm development late afternoon/early evening as H5
vort maxima associated with an upper level shortwave lifts
northeast out of the Desert Southwest into the Western High
Plains, interacting with the aforementioned stalled boundary.
The latest HREF suggests the best chance for thunderstorms to be
across west central Kansas into extreme southwest Kansas where
there is a 20-40% probability of 6-hr QPF exceeding 0.25 of an
inch by late Thursday evening. A similar setup is forecast
Friday with little movement to the stalled boundary expected.

Unseasonably warm temperatures are forecast again tonight for south
central Kansas and portions of southwest Kansas, but a weak cold
front moving in from the northwest may help drop temperatures back
near seasonal levels in west central Kansas and extreme southwest
Kansas. This is supported by the HREF showing a 70-90% probability
of temperatures slipping below 70F in our west/northwest. Lows
generally down into the 70s(F) can be expected elsewhere. The front
will also have an effect on afternoon highs out west where the HREF
paints a 20-40% probability of temperatures exceeding 90F while
pointing to a 40-60% probability of topping 100F in south central
Kansas. A similar temperature range is expected Friday with little
movement to the stalled boundary.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 1106 AM CDT Wed Aug 12 2026

VFR conditions will prevail in vicinity of all TAF sites through
early Thursday. Southerly winds 10 to 20kt with gusts up to 25kt
through late afternoon will begin to subside generally after 00-02Z
as a lee side trough in eastern Colorado begins to edge east into
extreme southwest Kansas.

&&

.DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Heat Advisory until 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ this evening for
KSZ030-031-043>046-061>065-074>080-084>089.
Extreme Heat Warning until 9 PM CDT this evening for KSZ066-
081-090.

&&

DISCUSSION...JJohnson
AVIATION...JJohnson

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 12, 1:37 AM CDTExtreme Heat WarningDDCBarber, Pratt, Stafford19 hr
Aug 12, 1:28 PM CDTExtreme Heat WarningDDCBarber, Pratt, Stafford32 hr

Nearby

Heat Advisories in Kansas, 2026Every heat advisory in 2026

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.