Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 224, NWS Dodge City, KS

July 23, 2026Comanche County, Kiowa County, Kansas

NWS Dodge City, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 23, 2026, 7:32 PM CDT for Comanche County, Kiowa County, Kansas. It was in force for 43 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 23, 2026, 7:32 PM CDT (00:32 UTC)
Expired: Jul 23, 2026, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Dodge City, KS
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.25 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Comanche County, KS, Kiowa County, KS

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:31 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 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 70 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: 1952 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -110 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1937 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 120 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 409 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 16.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 23, 5:09 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Severe thunderstorms make a return to southwest KS this afternoon, primarily posing a damaging wind gust and large hail threat.
Warm, dry conditions resume Friday through the end of the period, with daily highs in the upper 90s to low 100s.
Monday and Tuesday look particularly hot, with highs in the 105- 110 range.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 5:09 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
509 PM CDT Thu Jul 23 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Severe thunderstorms make a return to southwest KS this
  afternoon, primarily posing a damaging wind gust and large
  hail threat.

- Warm, dry conditions resume Friday through the end of the
  period, with daily highs in the upper 90s to low 100s.

- Monday and Tuesday look particularly hot, with highs in the
  105- 110 range.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 1145 AM CDT Thu Jul 23 2026

Late morning water vapor satellite imagery and RAP upper air
analysis reveal a fairly flat ridge centered over the southern
plains, allowing modest westerly flow across the central Rockies.
Additionally, a shortwave trough was noted over western WY moving
east-southeast. At the surface, broad high pressure is centered over
the Midwest, leading to southeasterly winds across southwest KS.
Despite the marginally weaker ridge aloft, models show 850-mb
temperatures will rise by around 3-5 degrees C, which will translate
to afternoon highs warming into the upper 90s to low 100 for most,
while the northern zones stay a bit cooler in the lower 90s courtesy
of lingering cloud cover this morning. A Heat Advisory remains in
effect for Meade and Clark counties where dewpoints in the upper
50s/low 60s combine with temperatures in the low 100s to support
heat indices at or above 105 degrees F. While adjacent counties will
likely fail to reach Heat Advisory criteria, precautions should
still be taken to limit outside exposure.

Focus then shifts to the first opportunity for severe thunderstorms
in our area in quite some time. As the aforementioned shortwave
trough over western WY approaches later this afternoon, HREF members
all agree scattered thunderstorms will develop across southwest KS
by 21-22Z. With gusty surface southeasterlies beneath ~20 kt
westerly flow at 500-mb, and strong surface heating amidst upper 50s
to mid 60s dewpoints, the CAPE/shear parameter space will be
sufficiently supportive of organized convection. HREF members
suggest the primary storm mode will be a combination of high-based
supercells and bowing segments that will pose a mainly damaging wind
gust risk, although isolated large hail will also be possible. This
activity should weaken quickly after sunset as the boundary layer
stabilizes, but convection will likely linger over our eastern zones
through sunrise Friday morning.

Daytime Friday, short and medium range ensembles agree the upper
level ridge will begin to rebuild northwestward to near the Four
Corners region, and this ridge will only propagate slightly eastward
through the rest of the forecast period. This synoptic evolution
will result in a resumption of the dry conditions across the central
plains, along with daily afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s to
low 100s. At the moment, Monday and Tuesday look particularly hot as
highs in the 105-110 range appear likely for much of the area.
Therefore, multiple days of Heat Advisories, and perhaps some
Excessive Heat Warnings, will assuredly be forthcoming.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/...
Issued at 509 PM CDT Thu Jul 23 2026

Thunderstorms will be ongoing at the start of the TAF period,
especially for GCK, DDC, and LBL. HYS is expected to get storms
later this evening. Strong winds could accompany these storms
as they track eastward. Storms will taper off late tonght from
west to east through 09z. Otherwise, skies clear into Friday
morning with VFR conditions expected. Expect winds easterly to
start the period, shifting northeasterly through Friday
afternoon.

&&

.DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening for KSZ087-088.
Heat Advisory from noon to 8 PM CDT Friday for KSZ087>090.

&&

DISCUSSION...Springer
AVIATION...Bennett

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 6:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 23, 6:36 PM CDT, 56 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 6:51 PM CDT, 41 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jul 23, 6:53 PM CDT, 39 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 6:59 PM CDT, 33 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
659 PM CDT Thu Jul 23 2026

KSZ086-087-240045-
Seward KS-Meade KS-
659 PM CDT Thu Jul 23 2026

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SEWARD AND MEADE COUNTIES THROUGH
745 PM CDT...

At 658 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from near Plains to near Liberal. Movement was east
at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Strong thunderstorms will be near...
  Missler and Plains around 705 PM CDT.
  Meade and Meade State Park around 715 PM CDT.

Other locations in the path of these storms include Fowler.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3700 10105 3739 10088 3739 10065 3738 10009
      3700 10009
TIME...MOT...LOC 2358Z 270DEG 36KT 3733 10058 3698 10094

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

UMSCHEID

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 7:18 PM CDT, 14 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
718 PM CDT Thu Jul 23 2026

KSZ045-063-064-240100-
Finney KS-Hodgeman KS-Ness KS-
718 PM CDT Thu Jul 23 2026

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT EAST CENTRAL FINNEY...SOUTHERN
NESS AND NORTHWESTERN HODGEMAN COUNTIES THROUGH 800 PM CDT...

At 718 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 6 miles southwest of Ness City to 6 miles
southwest of Kalvesta. Movement was east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Strong thunderstorms will be near...
  Kalvesta around 725 PM CDT.

Other locations in the path of these storms include Bazine.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3856 9959 3803 9983 3801 10041 3835 10014
TIME...MOT...LOC 0018Z 255DEG 26KT 3837 9997 3801 10038

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

UMSCHEID

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 23, 7:18 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Hodgeman	42 min
Jul 23, 7:38 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Ford	37 min
Jul 23, 7:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Ford, Gray, Hodgeman	45 min
Jul 23, 7:51 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Meade	24 min
Jul 23, 8:08 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Kiowa	37 min
Jul 23, 8:18 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Meade	42 min
Jul 23, 8:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Ford, Hodgeman	35 min
Jul 23, 8:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Clark, Meade	42 min
Jul 23, 8:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DDC	Hodgeman	18 min
Jul 23, 8:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DDC	Edwards, Ford, Hodgeman	27 min
Jul 23, 8:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Kiowa	34 min
Jul 23, 9:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	DDC	Ford	29 min
Jul 23, 9:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC	Clark, Comanche, Kiowa	51 min
Jul 23, 9:27 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Kiowa, Pratt	48 min
Jul 23, 9:50 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Clark	40 min
Jul 23, 10:03 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DDC	Barber, Comanche	27 min
Jul 24, 11:47 AM CDT	Heat Advisory	DDC	Barber, Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Ellis, Finney and 21 more	3 days

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2026 Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.