Kansas, 2005

High Wind in Kansas, December 23, 2005

December 23, 2005 · NWS GLD · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An intense surface pressure gradient resulted in strong northwest winds across much of eastern Colorado, northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska. Peak wind gusts of 55 to 70 mph were reported throughout the afternoon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GLD wrote it up.

An intense surface pressure gradient resulted in strong northwest winds across much of eastern Colorado, northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska. Peak wind gusts of 55 to 70 mph were reported throughout the afternoon. No damage was reported.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 23, 11:26 AM MST, 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 23, 11:26 AM MST, 34 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1126 AM MST FRI DEC 23 2005

.DISCUSSION...ZONES HAVE BEEN UPDATED TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO HIGH
TEMPERATURES TODAY ESPECIALLY FOR EASTERN ZONES DUE TO TIMING AND
AMOUNT OF MIDDLE AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS MOVING EASTWARD THROUGH THE
FORECAST AREA. HAVE LOWERED HIGH TEMPERATURES A CATEGORY FOR MCCOOK
AND HILL CITY AREAS INTO THE UPPER 50S. ALSO ADJUSTED HIGH AT
TRIBUNE INTO THE LOWER 60S FOR SAME REASON. LATEST IR SATELLITE
SHOWS MASS OF MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH WEAK UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE COVERING MUCH OF KANSAS AND INTO CENTRAL AND
EASTERN COLORADO AT THE MOMENT. ALSO MADE SLIGHT TIMING ADJUSTMENTS
TO WIND SPEEDS THIS AFTERNOON AS SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AS WELL AS RUC
FORECAST WINDS STILL LOOK TO INCREASE SPEEDS INTO THE WINDY CATEGORY
AT MOST LOCATIONS DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. REST OF FORECAST
LOOKS GOOD AT THIS TIME.

&&

.GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KS...NONE.
NE...NONE.
CO...NONE.

&&

LAMMERS
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 23, 4:26 AM MST, 7 hours 34 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
426 AM MST FRI DEC 23 2005

COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-241200-
YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON-
SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA-
DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW-
526 AM CST FRI DEC 23 2005 /426 AM MST FRI DEC 23 2005/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM WILL BEGIN TO MOVE THROUGH THE CENTRAL
PORTION OF THE COUNTRY LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT. THIS STORM WILL
PUSH A FRONT AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS THROUGH THE AREA THIS
AFTERNOON. WIND SPEEDS SHOULD STAY IN THE 20 TO 30 MPH RANGE.
HOWEVER...LOCATIONS ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM LEOTI TO COLBY TO
TRENTON MAY SEE WINDS BRIEFLY INCREASE TO ABOVE 30 MPH WITH A FEW
GUSTS TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE. DURING THE NIGHT...WIND SPEEDS OVER THE
ENTIRE AREA WILL REMAIN IN THE 20 TO 30 MPH RANGE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

ON SATURDAY...A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL CONTINUE TO EXIST
OVER THE ENTIRE AREA. AS A RESULT...NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25
TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER MOST
OF THE AREA. THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE NEAR SUNSET.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

BULLER

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Cheyenne

When
December 23, 12:00 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Cheyenne forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.786, -101.731 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sherman

When
December 23, 12:00 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Sherman forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.351, -101.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2005

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5485002, 5485003.