A brief tornado developed near the KS-CO border. It remained over open country with no known damage.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS GLD wrote it up.
A brief tornado developed near the KS-CO border. It remained over open country with no known damage.
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 May 23, 12:52 PM MST, 3 hours 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
152 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
.SYNOPSIS...
1248 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
VERY ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES OVER THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS
TODAY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING IMPRESSIVE CLOSED MID/UPPER
LOW OVER THE GREAT BASIN. SHORTWAVE TROUGH WHICH KICKED OFF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS OVER OUR AREA YESTERDAY IS NOW MOVING INTO THE
DAKOTAS. ANOTHER POTENT SHORTWAVE TROUGH NOW ROUNDING THE BASE OF
THE LONGWAVE TROUGH BRINGING POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SEVERE
WEATHER OUTBREAK AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
FOLTZ
&&
.DISCUSSION...
1248 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
PRIMARY FOCUS FOR THIS FORECAST PACKAGE WILL BE LINGERING SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT OVER THE CWA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT AND
CONTINUED PRECIP CHANCES THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD.
STRONG TO SEVERE DEEP MOIST CONVECTION WILL BE ONGOING AT THE
START OF FORECAST PERIOD AND WILL SLOWLY TRANSITION EASTWARD
DURING THE OVER NIGHT HOURS. COMBINATION OF 2 TO 3 INCH RAINFALL
AMOUNTS FROM LAST NIGHTS STORMS AND TODAYS SOUTH TO NORTH STORM
MOTION CONDUCIVE TO TRAINING CELLS...WILL LIKELY RESULT IN HYDRO
CONCERNS OVER THE EASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE CWA. HAVE ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM STRATTON NEBRASKA
TO RUSSEL SPRINGS KANSAS. WILL SEE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL
CONVECTION SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING ALONG AND EAST OF THE
COLORADO/KANSAS BORDER HOWEVER BEST COMBINATION OF SHEAR AND
INSTABILITY WILL BE WELL EAST OF THE CWA. ACTIVE WEATHER PATTER
WILL CONTINUE ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS ANOTHER IN THE LONG SERIES
OF SHORTWAVE TROUGHS EJECTS OUT OF THE BASE OF THE LONGWAVE
TROUGH. BEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE MONDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. TIMING AND MODE OF SEVERE WEATHER TOUGH TO PIN DOWN
AT THIS POINT BUT WILL BECOME CLEARER AS MONDAY DRAWS CLOSER.
BY TUESDAY..ECMWF SHOWS THE MID/UPPER LOW RETROGRADING OFF THE
COAST OF CALIFORNIA WHICH SHOULD ALLOW WEAK RIDGING TO SET UP.
RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS EASTWARD INTO THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BY
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING IN THURSDAY
MORNING BRINGING ANOTHER SHOT AT CONVECTION BACK TO THE AREA.
ESSENTIALLY FOLLOWED HPC GUIDANCE FOR TEMPS IN THE EXTENDED GIVING
ONGOING CONVECTION OVER THE CWA.
FOLTZ
&&
.AVIATION...
1113 AM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWESTERN KS AND SOUTHWESTERN NE
SHOULD BE OUT OF THE REGION...INCLUDING KMCK...BY 20Z.
HOWEVER...EXPECTING FURTHER THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS
AFTERNOON. EXACT TIMING OF THUNDERSTORMS IS THE BIG VARIABLE RIGHT
NOW...BUT UNDER ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP EXPECT IFR
CONDITIONS...BASED ON OBS UNDER THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING.
SFJ
&&
.GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KS...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT /9 PM CDT/ THIS EVENING FOR KSZ001-
002-013-014-027-028-041-042.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR KSZ002>004-
014>016-028-029.
NE...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT /9 PM CDT/ THIS EVENING FOR NEZ079-
080.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR NEZ080-081.
CO...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR COZ090>092.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR COZ253-254.
&&
WFO GOODLANDHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 1147 AM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-241215- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 1147 AM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008 /1247 PM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT EAST OF A LINE FROM JOES COLORADO TO LEOTI KANSAS. ABUNDANT MOISTURE TRANSPORTED ON SOUTHEAST WIND WILL COMBINE WITH INSTABILITY TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AREA. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BECOME MORE NUMEROUS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AS A DISTURBANCE ALOFT FURTHER INTENSIFIES STORMS. THERE IS PLENTY OF SHEAR SO THAT SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY WITH LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES. IN ADDITION...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS MOVING RAPIDLY NORTH OVER THE SAME PATH WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING ESPECIALLY OVER EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA WHERE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL OCCURRED LAST NIGHT. IN ADDITION...STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE OBSERVED ACROSS A PORTION OF THE THE REGION TODAY. SOUTH WINDS OF 30 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. EXTREME FIRE DANGER ALSO EXISTS THIS AFTERNOON OVER KIT CARSON AND CHEYENNE COUNTIES IN COLORADO. LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES COMBINED WITH STRONG WINDS WILL RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS AGAIN ON SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF RELIEF FROM THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ON SUNDAY BEFORE THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY DURING THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. FS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
428 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0330 PM HAIL 2 ESE PARK 39.10N 100.33W
05/23/2008 E3.00 INCH GOVE KS PUBLIC
RELAYED FROM NSSL.
&&
SJOHNSONPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
433 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 PM HAIL 25 W WAKEENEY 39.02N 100.35W
05/23/2008 E3.00 INCH GOVE KS TRAINED SPOTTER
RELAYED FROM DDC
&&
SJOHNSONPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
452 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0438 PM TORNADO 10 SSE GOVE 38.83N 100.42W
05/23/2008 GOVE KS STORM CHASER
5 MIN DURATION 438 TO 443. MULTIPLE REPORTS RELAYED FROM
SPOTTER NETWORK.
&&
SJOHNSONPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
515 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0514 PM TORNADO 10 SSW QUINTER 38.93N 100.31W
05/23/2008 GOVE KS EMERGENCY MNGR
LARGE WEDGE TORNADO
&&
SJOHNSONPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
522 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0521 PM HAIL 10 NW ATWOOD 39.91N 101.17W
05/23/2008 E0.88 INCH RAWLINS KS TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
SJOHNSONPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
531 PM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0529 PM HAIL 3 W TRENTON 40.17N 101.07W
05/23/2008 E1.00 INCH HITCHCOCK NE TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
SJOHNSONThe Goodland radar (KGLD), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:31 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Brief tornado observed in extreme eastern Cheyenne county Colorado near the Kansas border. This tornado remained over open country with no known damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 2008Warnings in Colorado, May 2008
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: 103780.