Hail in Colorado, April 23, 2008

Name: Hail in Colorado, April 23, 2008
Start: 2008-04-23T15:04
End: 2008-04-23T16:40
Location: Colorado

April 23, 2008 · NWS GLD · 8 events in 3 counties and zones

Thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon hours across eastern Colorado, resulting in the first severe thunderstorm events of 2008 in the Goodland County Warning Area. Hail diameters of nickel to golf ball size were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

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 Apr 23, 1:58 PM MST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 1:58 PM MST, 1 hour 6 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
258 PM MDT WED APR 23 2008

.DISCUSSION...
148 PM MDT WED APR 23 2008

MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IS THE POTENTIAL OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND AGAIN THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY NIGHT.

VERY MOIST LOW LEVEL SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST FLOW IS BRINGING DEWPOINTS
IN THE 50S AND LOWER 60S. A DRYLINE ALONG THE FRONT RANGE IS
BEGINNING TO MOVE EAST INTO THE PLAINS. CONVECTION FIRING UP OVER
SOUTHEAST COLORADO IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AND MOVE INTO THE
FORECAST AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. WITH HIGH
CAPE VALUES AND SHEAR THAT IS INCREASING THROUGH THE
EVENING...THERE WILL A POSSIBILITY OF SOME SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING. THESE STORMS WILL PROPAGATE TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS
THE TRI-STATE REGION...DIMINISHING OVERNIGHT AS THE UPPER SHORT
WAVE TROUGH LIFTS OUT ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS.

THERE WILL BE ANOTHER COUPLE SHORT WAVE TROUGHS MOVING ACROSS THE
REGION THURSDAY EVENING AND AGAIN SATURDAY EVENING AS THE UPPER
SOUTHWEST FLOW TRANSITIONS INTO NORTHWEST FLOW. AS A
RESULT...THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TOMORROW
EVENING WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS SATURDAY EVENING. DO NOT CURRENTLY
HAVE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST ON SATURDAY EVENING AS
TEMPERATURES ARE COOL AND MOISTURE IS MORE LIMITED.

EXPECT DRY CONDITIONS AND WARMER TEMPERATURES WITH HIGHS IN THE
70S AGAIN DURING THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK AS THE AMPLIFYING
RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN U.S. MOVES OVER THE ROCKIES AND HIGH
PLAINS.

LOCKHART
&&

.AVIATION...
525 AM MDT WED APR 23 2008

CONDITIONS AT THE KGLD TAF SITE WILL BE VFR FOR THE REMAINDER OF
TODAY WITH MVFR CONDITIONS IN LOWER CEILINGS DEVELOPING AFTER 03Z
AND PERSISTING THROUGH 12Z. CONDITIONS AT THE KMCK TAF SITE WILL
REMAIN MVFR THROUGH 12Z...IMPROVING AFTER 15Z. SOUTH WINDS OF 15 TO
20 MPH WILL GUST TO 30 MPH BEFORE DECREASING AFTER 06Z TONIGHT. THERE
IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING
BETWEEN 21 AND 03Z...DIMINISHING AFTER 06Z.

LOCKHART
&&

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

WFO GOODLAND

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 23, 9:37 AM MST, 5 hours 27 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1037 AM MDT WED APR 23 2008

COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-241545-
YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON-
SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA-
DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW-
1037 AM MDT WED APR 23 2008 /1137 AM CDT WED APR 23 2008/

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP EAST OF HIGHWAY 27 BY
THE MID AFTERNOON HOURS ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER
DISTURBANCE MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. CLOUD-TO-GROUND
LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS WITH STRONGER
STORMS. BY LATE AFTERNOON...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP ALONG A NORTH-SOUTH ORIENTED DRYLINE SITUATED IN COLORADO
NEAR LIMON. THUNDERSTORMS WILL THEN MOVE TOWARD THE COLORADO-KANSAS
BORDER EARLY THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE
POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREAT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN DEVELOP IN THE AREA THURSDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. MOST ACTIVITY WILL BE NORTH OF A KIRK COLORADO TO
OAKLEY KANSAS LINE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AFTER 4 PM MDT ACROSS EASTERN
COLORADO AND EXTREME WESTERN KANSAS.

24

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 23, 2:10 PM MST, 54 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
310 PM MDT WED APR 23 2008

KSZ003-004-015-016-232145-
DECATUR-GRAHAM-NORTON-SHERIDAN-
410 PM CDT WED APR 23 2008

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ALERT FOR NORTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST KANSAS...DECATUR COUNTY
IN NORTHWEST KANSAS...SHERIDAN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST KANSAS AND GRAHAM
COUNTY IN NORTHWEST KANSAS...

AT 406 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DRESDEN...AND MOVING NORTH
AT 40 MPH.

PENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH
THIS STORM.

Special weather statement, Apr 23, 2:25 PM MST, 39 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
325 PM MDT WED APR 23 2008

NEZ081-232200-
RED WILLOW-
425 PM CDT WED APR 23 2008

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ALERT FOR RED WILLOW COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...

AT 420 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
THAT THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF
CEDAR BLUFFS...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. STORMS MAY BECOME
SEVERE OVER THE NEXT HOUR...AND PEOPLE IN THIS AREA SHOULD BE ALERT
FOR CHANGING WEATHER.

JRM

Special weather statement, Apr 23, 2:49 PM MST, 15 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
349 PM MDT WED APR 23 2008

KSZ004-232215-
NORTON-
449 PM CDT WED APR 23 2008

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ALERT FOR NORTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST KANSAS...

AT 448 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES NORTH OF REAGER...AND MOVING NORTH AT 31
MPH.

PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.

JRM

Local storm report, Apr 23, 2:58 PM MST, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
358 PM MDT WED APR 23 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0350 PM     HIGH SUST WINDS  1 E EDSON               39.33N 101.52W
04/23/2008  E0 MPH           SHERMAN            KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            DIRT REDUCING VISIBLITY TO 1/8 OF A MILE DUE TO HIGH
            WINDS ALONG I-70 NEAR MILE POST 28.

&&

KBURTIS

Local storm report, Apr 23, 3:04 PM MST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
404 PM MDT WED APR 23 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0404 PM     HAIL             3 N STRATTON            39.35N 102.60W
04/23/2008  E0.88 INCH       KIT CARSON         CO   PUBLIC

&&

BLM

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 77 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Kit Carson

When: April 23, 3:04 PM MST
Where: Kit Carson County, 3 mi N of Stratton
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 39.343, -102.600

Hail, Yuma

When: April 23, 3:29 PM MST
Where: Yuma County, 6.2 mi E of Kirk
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.620, -102.484

Hail, Cheyenne

When: April 23, 3:30 PM MST
Where: Cheyenne County, 17 mi SE of Cheyenne Wells
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.646, -102.127

Hail, Kit Carson

When: April 23, 3:40 PM MST
Where: Kit Carson County, 13 mi N of Stratton
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 39.488, -102.600

Hail, Yuma

When: April 23, 3:50 PM MST
Where: Yuma County, 6.2 mi E of Kirk
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.620, -102.484

Broken tree branches were reported, including a measured wind gust of 47 mph.

Hail, Yuma

When: April 23, 4:01 PM MST
Where: Yuma County, 4 mi E of Vernon
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.930, -102.204

Hail, Yuma

When: April 23, 4:10 PM MST
Where: Yuma County, Wray
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.080, -102.230

Hail, Yuma

When: April 23, 4:40 PM MST
Where: Yuma County, 7 mi ENE of Kirk
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Storm Chaser
Coordinates: 39.659, -102.478

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, April 2008

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: 85120, 85121, 85122, 85123, 85124, 85125, 85126, 85127.