A strong cold front swept across the area. A tight pressure gradient behind the front allowed for strong winds to develop.
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.
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.
A strong cold front swept across the area. A tight pressure gradient behind the front allowed for strong winds to develop.
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 Jan 12, 2:52 PM CST, 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 252 PM CST MON JAN 12 2009 .DISCUSSION... DAYS 1-2... BASED ON PROFILER DATA WIND SPEEDS +50KTS CONTINUED TO BE OBSERVED JUST ABOVE THE SFC LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS A TIGHT SFC PRESS RISE/FALL GRADIENT BEGINS TO CROSS PARTS OF SW KS. CURRENT OBSERVATIONS WERE SHOWING WINDS ACROSS THE CWA WERE WELL INTO THE WIND ADV CRITERIA BUT HAVE YET TO REACH HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA. STILL GIVEN THE WIND PROFILES AND THE TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT LINGERING IN OUR CWA LATE TODAY/EARLY EVENING AM RELUCTANT TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE HWW. MAY HOWEVER TRIM A FEW COUNTIES OUT BUT WILL WAIT UNTIL CLOSER TO ISSUANCE TIME BEFORE MAKING A FINAL CALL ON THIS. AS OUR STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST TONIGHT A COLD DOME OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO SETTLE INTO THE CNTL PLAINS. WITH CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS DEVELOPING AFTER MIDNIGHT THE CURRENT MAV/MET NUMBERS WERE LOOKING TO BE IN THE BALL PARK. MAY EVEN BE A LITTLE TOO WARM FOR LOWS TONIGHT IN OUR N/NE. 24HR 85H TEMP CHANGE BETWEEN 00Z TUE AND 00Z WED FROM THE NAM AND GFS INDICATE THIS SHOT OF COLD AIR WILL BE SHORT LIVED. BASED ON 85H TEMPS THE MAV WARM FORECAST WAS LOOKING A BIT MORE REPRESENTATIVE THAN THE COOLER MET. ON WEDNESDAY OUR NEXT SHOT OF COLD AIR WILL BE RETURNING TO WESTERN KS. BOTH NAM AND GFS WERE SUGGESTING FROPA SOMETIME DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS WHILE THE ECWMF WAS SUGGESTED A FROPA UP TO 6HR EARLIER. TIMING OF THIS FRONT WILL ONCE AGAIN PLAY A KEY ROLE IN HIGHS FOR SW KS AS STRONG CAA IS PROGGED BY ALL MODELS BEHIND THIS FRONT. IF THE ECMWF VERIFIES THEN THE MAV/MET GUIDANCE MAY NOT BE TOO BAD FOR OUR NRN CWA HOWEVER IF IT HAPPENS TO BE A LITTLE SLOWER TEMPS COULD EASILY CLIMB BACK INTO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. GIVEN THIS ISSUE HAVE OPTED TO GO WITH A COMPROMISE ON HIGHS IN OUR NRN CWA ON WEDNESDAY. IN OUR SOUTHERN CWA FAVORED THE WARM 85H 18Z/21Z TEMPS. DAYS 3-7... MAIN CHALLENGE CONTINUES TO BE THE UPCOMING ARCTIC AIRMASS AND HOW IT WILL IMPACT SOUTHWEST KANSAS. THERE MAIN QUESTION NOW IS THE MORE FINER SCALE DETAILS REGARDING THE MOVEMENT AND STRENGTH OF THE ARCTIC HIGH CENTER...AND HOW QUICK IT MOVES OUT OF THE GREAT PLAINS REGION...BUT IT STILL APPEARS THAT ONCE IT LEAVES THE AREA...DOWNSLOPE WILL RETURN IN PRETTY STRONG FORCE. STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE ARCTIC AIR SPILLS SOUTHWEST. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL WELL DOWN INTO THE LOWER TEENS BY LATE EVENING WITH SINGLE DIGITS IN THE NORTHEASTERN DDC FA. BY MIDDAY THURSDAY... THE 1050MB SURFACE HIGH WILL BE CENTERED ACROSS EASTERN NEBRASKA WITH DDC FA ON THE SOUTHWEST PERIPHERY OF THE HIGH. THE ARCTIC HIGH CENTER WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE OZARKS REGION THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL BEGIN TO PUT WESTERN KANSAS INTO A RETURN SOUTHERLY FLOW BEGINNING THURSDAY EVENING AS THE UPPER TROP JET CORE SHIFTS WELL EAST OF THE PLAINS. WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY...A BAND OF LIGHT SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHLY BAROCLINIC ZONE AT H8-7. ALL THE GLOBAL MODELS HAVE BEEN PERSISTENT IN GENERATING QPF IN THIS SLIGHTLY FRONTOGENETIC, YET HIGHLY BAROCLINIC REGION. GIVEN THE MODEL PERSISTENCE...WILL GO AHEAD AND INSERT SLIGHT CHANCE 20 POPS ACROSS NORTHEASTERN DDC FA FOR LIGHT SNOW. VERY NEGLIGIBLE IF ANY ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED WITH THIS LIGHT SNOW BAND. ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE DAY THURSDAY EVEN IF NO SNOW FALLS...THUS TEMPERATURES WILL BE GOING NOWHERE FROM THE MORNING MINIMUMS...WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER TEENS TO LOWER 20S ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN HALF OF THE DDC FA. ONCE AGAIN...SUBSTANTIAL MID LEVEL HEIGHT RISES WILL OCCUR IN THE WAKE OF THIS ARCTIC AIRMASS AND A RESUMPTION OF DOWNSLOPE WARMING WILL OCCUR. THIS MAY ACTUALLY BEGIN LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY WITH PERHAPS SLIGHTLY WARMING TEMPS THROUGH THE NIGHT LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. FRIDAY HIGHS WILL BE A CHALLENGE WITH THE WESTERN THIRD OF DDC FA MOST LIKELY REACHING TEMPS IN THE 50 TO 55 RANGE. FARTHER EAST...TEMPS MAY NOT ESCAPE 30S ESPECIALLY NEAR HAYS AND MEDICINE LODGE WHERE REMNANT ARCTIC AIR WILL BE STUBBORN TO LOOSEN ITS GRIP. ANOTHER SUBTLE NORTHWEST FLOW PERTURBATION MAY CLIP THE CENTRAL PLAINS WITH ANOTHER QUICK SHOT OF COOLER AIR LATE SATURDAY OR SUNDAY BUT THIS WILL NOT BE OF ARCTIC FLAVOR LIKE THURSDAYS AIRMASS. YET ANOTHER QUICK WARM-UP WILL OCCUR FOLLOWING THAT FRONT WITH HIGHS WELL INTO THE 50S AND PERHAPS LOW 60S EARLY NEXT WEEK. BEYOND DAY 7 GOING INTO WEEK TWO THE LARGE RIDGE WILL MOST LIKELY ERODE AND PERHAPS REBUILD BACK TO THE WEST...HOWEVER THERE ARE NO CLEAR SIGNALS REGARDING ANY HOPES OF SUBSTANTIAL PRECIPITATION. A RETROGRESSION OF THE LARGE SCALE RIDGE OFF THE LEFT COAST MAY SUPPORT A COOLING TREND WITH PERHAPS LOWER HEIGHTS IN SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA/NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS. UMSCHEID && .AVIATION... VERY STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS DEVELOPED AROUND MIDDAY ACROSS THE REGION WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 35 KNOTS AND GUSTS AROUND 45 KNOTS AT TIMES. THESE WINDS WILL DECREASE FAIRLY SUBSTANTIALLY AFTER SUNSET...AND EVENTUALLY BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WINDS WILL SHIFT AROUND TO THE SOUTHWEST EARLY TUESDAY WITH VFR CONDITIONS PERSISTING. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 14 52 25 49 / 0 0 0 0 GCK 12 54 23 48 / 0 0 0 0 EHA 16 55 25 49 / 0 0 0 0 LBL 15 55 23 51 / 0 0 0 0 HYS 12 49 24 40 / 0 0 0 0 P28 17 49 25 52 / 0 0 0 0 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST /5 PM MST/ THIS AFTERNOON FOR KSZ030-031-043>046-061>064-074>077-084>086. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR KSZ065-066-078>081- 087>090. && FN18/25/25
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 1031 AM CST MON JAN 12 2009 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-131000- 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- 1031 AM CST MON JAN 12 2009 /931 AM MST MON JAN 12 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS...SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...SOUTHWEST KANSAS AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS TODAY WILL BRING STRONG AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS TO THE AREA. WINDS WILL INCREASE INTO 30 TO 45 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION TO THE STRONG WINDS...RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE 20 PERCENT RANGE. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL RESULT IN AN INCREASED DANGER OF WILDFIRES. OUTDOOR BURNING SHOULD BE POSTPONED UNTIL CALMER WINDS PREVAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ANOTHER ARCTIC FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTH THROUGH WESTERN KANSAS ON WEDNESDAY. THIS SYSTEM COULD BRING MORE STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS AND VERY COLD AIR. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This wind gust was observed in Wakeeney.
Several vehicle windshields were damaged from flying debris in Hays. A woman in a wheelchair was blown over and injured while crossing a parking lot.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, January 2009
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: 152711, 152712.