Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Dodge City, KS

May 17, 2026Ness County, Pawnee County, Rush County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2026, 8:44 PM CDT for Ness County, Pawnee County, Rush County, Kansas. It was in force for 46 min. 4 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 17, 2026, 8:44 PM CDT (01:44 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2026, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Dodge City, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon
Damage threat
Considerable
Hail
1.75 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Ness County, KS, Pawnee County, KS, Rush County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:43 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
May 17, 8:49 PM CDTHAIL 1.25Rush Center, KSHalf-dollar sized hail reported.
May 17, 9:06 PM CDTHAIL 2Nekoma, KSReport received from social media.
May 17, 9:10 PM CDTHAIL 1.5Timken, KSmPing report of ping ball ball sized hail.
May 17, 9:30 PM CDTHAIL 1.252 N Rush Center, KSCounty dispatch reported half-dollar sized hail.

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
May 17, 7:40 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 85 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 00:00Z on 2026-05-18Temperature 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 00:00Z on 2026-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
5469 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

207 
WUUS53 KDDC 180144
SVRDDC
KSC135-145-165-180230-
/O.NEW.KDDC.SV.W.0021.260518T0144Z-260518T0230Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
844 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

The National Weather Service in Dodge City has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  Southeastern Ness County in west central Kansas...
  Northwestern Pawnee County in south central Kansas...
  Rush County in central Kansas...

* Until 930 PM CDT.

* At 844 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line
  extending from near Otis to 9 miles north of Burdett, moving
  northeast at 15 mph.

  HAZARD...Golf ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail 
           damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect 
           wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Severe thunderstorms will be near...
  La Crosse, Bison, Rush Center, and Nekoma around 850 PM CDT.

Other locations in the path of these severe thunderstorms include
Alexander and Loretta.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for south
central, central, southwestern and west central Kansas.

&&

LAT...LON 3842 9903 3823 9957 3826 9957 3826 9961
      3835 9969 3841 9969 3870 9918 3870 9903
TIME...MOT...LOC 0144Z 130DEG 8KT 3858 9905 3832 9958 

THUNDERSTORM DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE
HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.75 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

SPRINGER
1 follow-up statement
385 
WWUS53 KDDC 180207
SVSDDC

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
907 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

KSC135-145-165-180230-
/O.CON.KDDC.SV.W.0021.000000T0000Z-260518T0230Z/
Ness KS-Pawnee KS-Rush KS-
907 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM CDT
FOR SOUTHEASTERN NESS...NORTHWESTERN PAWNEE AND RUSH COUNTIES...

At 907 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line
extending from near Loretta to 7 miles southeast of Bazine, moving
northwest at 10 mph.

HAZARD...Golf ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail 
         damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind 
         damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...
  La Crosse, Alexander, Nekoma, Loretta, Hargrave and Pfeifer.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for south
central, central, southwestern and west central Kansas.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 3842 9903 3826 9957 3826 9961 3835 9969
      3841 9969 3870 9918 3870 9903
TIME...MOT...LOC 0207Z 130DEG 8KT 3861 9910 3835 9963 

THUNDERSTORM DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE
HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.75 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

SPRINGER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 7:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPawnee, Rush38 min
May 17, 7:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPawnee, Rush47 min
May 17, 8:18 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningDDCPawnee, Rush3 hr
May 17, 9:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatDDCHodgeman, Ness, Pawnee, Rush50 min
May 17, 10:14 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementDDCRush31 min
May 17, 11:09 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementDDCPawnee36 min
May 17, 11:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPawnee, Rush33 min
May 17, 11:23 PM CDTAreal Flood WarningDDCNess, Pawnee, Rush13 hr
May 18, 12:52 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementDDCEdwards, Kiowa, Stafford3 hr
May 18, 3:30 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementDDCEdwards30 min
May 18, 3:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Ford, Hodgeman, Pawnee39 min
May 18, 3:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Ford, Hodgeman47 min
May 18, 4:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Pawnee38 min
May 18, 4:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Pawnee, Stafford40 min
May 18, 4:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatDDCBarber, Comanche, Kiowa, Pratt12 min
May 18, 4:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCStafford33 min
May 18, 5:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCStafford47 min
May 18, 5:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCEdwards, Kiowa, Pratt51 min
May 18, 5:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPratt, Stafford48 min
May 18, 6:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPratt, Stafford37 min
May 18, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDCPratt, Stafford51 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.