Isolated thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening produced heavy rain and marginally severe hail.
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 DDC wrote it up.
Isolated thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening produced heavy rain and marginally severe hail.
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 Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 18, 2:07 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 307 PM CDT FRI JUL 18 2008 .DISCUSSION... DAYS 1-2... THE MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGES ARE CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS AND QPF TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY EARLY MORNING. A SUBTROPICAL PLUME AND SHORTWAVE WITH A 60KT 200MB JET STREAK WAS MOVING EAST INTO WESTERN COLORADO. THIS FEATURE IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS TONIGHT. THIS WILL ENHANCE UVVS AND PROVIDE SOME SUPPORT FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT. ALSO A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WAS SLOWLY LIFTING NORTH FROM THE ELKHART TO LIBERAL AREAS WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP. CAPES ARE RUNNING AROUND 2000 J/KG BUT WITH VERY WEAK LAYER SHEAR DO NOT EXPECT SEVERE. WILL KEEP 4O TO 50 POPS GOING FOR TONIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF THE FA AND INCREASE IN THE WEST TO LIKELY WITH THE UPPER WAVE. THE GFS HAS THE HIGHEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIER COUNTIES AND WILL TRY AND FOLLOW THAT MODEL FOR QPF OVERNIGHT AS IT DID THE BEST WITH LAST NIGHTS SYSTEM. THE SHORTWAVE SHOULD BE JUST EAST OF DODGE CITY BY 12Z WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MEDICINE LODGE AREA UNTIL 15Z. THEN LOOK FOR UPPER RIDGING WITH WARM TEMPS INTO THE WEEKEND. FOR TONIGHT LOOK FOR SOUTHEAST WINDS TO BECOME SOUTH AT 10 MPH WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS SIMILAR TO LAST NIGHT IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S UNDER MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES. FOR SATURDAY EXPECT CLEARING WEST TO EAST BEHIND THE UPPER WAVE AND SOUTH WINDS INCREASING TO 15 TO 25 MPH. HIGHS SHOULD BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S. FOR SATURDAY NIGHT LOOK FOR SOUTH WINDS AROUND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. FOR SUNDAY LOOK FOR SUNNY SKIES WITH SOUTH WINDS AGAIN PICKING UP TO 15 TO 25 MPH AND HIGHS AROUND THE CENTURY MARK. DAYS 3-7... SENSIBLE WEATHER DURING THE PERIOD WILL BE HEAVILY DEPENDANT ON MINOR SHORTWAVE TROUGHS MOVING OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE, AND IF THESE FEATURES CAN PUSH BOUNDARIES DOWN INTO SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS AND SET OFF CONVECTION. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE, AS EXPECTED, ALL OVER THE PLACE WITH THESE FEATURES. THE GFS BRINGS A SHORTWAVE THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS MONDAY, TAKING IT FURTHER EASTWARD TUESDAY AND BRINGING A BOUNDARY DOWN. THE ECMWF DURING THE SAME PERIOD KEEPS THE RIDGE WELL BUILT UP, WHILE THE CANADIAN HAS A SHORTWAVE SIMILAR BUT WEAKER THAN THE GFS. BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, THE ECMWF IS BRINGING A SHORTWAVE OUT. ENSEMBLE SPREAD IS ALL OVER THE PLACE AND THE MEANS HAVE AVERAGED OUT SUCH SMALL FEATURES. GIVEN ALL THE UNCERTAINTY AND MODEL INCONSISTENCY BOTH BETWEEN MODELS AND FROM RUN TO RUN, SEE LITTLE REASON TO MAKE WHOLESALE CHANGES TO THE GOING FORECAST. WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP THE VERY MINIMAL POPS WE HAVE GOING FOR MONDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN ON LATE WEDNESDAY. WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP HIGHS MAINLY IN THE 90S AND LOWS IN THE 60S AND LOW 70S, WITH ONLY MINOR TWEAKS TO AGREE BETTER WITH THE NEIGHBORS. .AVIATION... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY STARTED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CWA NEAR A SFC BOUNDARY, AND THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING. THINK THAT MOST OF THE ACTIVITY WILL STAY SOUTH, SO WILL KEEP KDDC IN THE VCTS WITH KGCK HAVING ONLY A CB MENTION. STORMS SHOULD TAPER OFF AFTER 03Z, LEAVING THE FORECAST AREA MAINLY WITH MID LEVEL CLOUDS AND VFR CONDITIONS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 67 98 70 100 / 50 10 0 0 GCK 66 98 68 99 / 60 10 0 0 EHA 66 98 67 100 / 60 10 0 0 LBL 67 99 68 100 / 60 10 0 0 HYS 67 98 70 101 / 30 10 0 0 P28 70 97 73 101 / 50 30 0 0 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && FN06/26
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 318 PM CDT FRI JUL 18 2008 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-192030- TREGO-ELLIS-SCOTT-LANE-NESS-RUSH-HAMILTON-KEARNY-FINNEY-HODGEMAN- PAWNEE-STAFFORD-STANTON-GRANT-HASKELL-GRAY-FORD-EDWARDS-KIOWA- PRATT-MORTON-STEVENS-SEWARD-MEADE-CLARK-COMANCHE-BARBER- 318 PM CDT FRI JUL 18 2008 /218 PM MDT FRI JUL 18 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS...SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY LIFTS NORTH ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN KANSAS. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL ALSO MOVE ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS BEFORE MIDNIGHT WITH MORE NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED. WITH WEAK LAYER WIND SHEAR THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SLOW MOVING WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED ALTHOUGH A FEW COULD HAVE SOME SMALL HAIL THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT. && FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC 06
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
333 PM CDT FRI JUL 18 2008
KSZ084-085-182145-
MORTON-STEVENS-
333 PM CDT FRI JUL 18 2008
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MORTON AND STEVENS COUNTIES...
AT 332 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF WILBURTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
12 MPH.
PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
RESIDENTS IN SOUTHEASTERN MORTON AND SOUTHWESTERN STEVENS COUNTIES...
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF ROLLA AND FETERITA...SHOULD MONITOR THE
WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE
PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN.
LAT...LON 3718 10173 3718 10138 3708 10136 3700 10145
3700 10196
TIME...MOT...LOC 2033Z 233DEG 10KT 3698 10172
FINCHThe Dodge City radar (KDDC), 164 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:53 UTC.
3 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall of 2.43 fell 1 mile SSW of Rolla. This person said that heavier rain fell southeast of him and he knew of water over roads approximately 1 to 2 miles southeast of his location.
Rainfall of 1.50 fell in 35 minutes.
Three inches of rain fell in just a little over an hour. Water was up to the top of the curbs in the streets.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, July 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: 127945, 127946, 127948, 127944.