Flood and Hail in Kansas, September 7 to 8, 2009

Name: Flood and Hail in Kansas, September 7 to 8, 2009
Start: 2009-09-07T17:00
End: 2009-09-08T00:00
Location: Kansas

September 7 to 8, 2009 · NWS DDC · 8 events in 3 counties and zones

A stationary front was the focus for scattered thunderstorms during the early evening, some of which became severe and some that produced copious amounts of rainfall.

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: $25,000
Crop damage: $100,000
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 DDC wrote it up.

A stationary front was the focus for scattered thunderstorms during the early evening, some of which became severe and some that produced copious amounts of rainfall.

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 Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 7, 2:41 PM CST, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 7, 2:41 PM CST, 2 hours 19 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
341 PM CDT MON SEP 7 2009

.DISCUSSION...

DAYS 1-2...

THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ALONG A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN
CENTRAL KS TODAY. OTHER ISOLATED STORMS WERE DEVELOPING HERE AND
THERE ON NO APPARENT BOUNDARIES. THE ISOLATED STORMS IN THE WARM SECTOR
SHOULD WEAKEN WITH THE LOSS OF HEATING BUT CONVECTION ALONG THE FRONT
SHOULD LINGER INTO THE NIGHT.

AFTER SOME LINGERING MORNING SHOWERS, THUNDERSTORMS WILL PROBABLY
DEVELOP LATE IN THE AFTERNOON IN WESTERN KS ALONG THE LEE TROUGH. THIS
ACTIVITY COULD ALSO LINGER INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. WITH PLENTY OF SUN
MUCH OF THE DAY, TEMPERATURES OUGHT TO WARM TO NEAR 90 IN MOST PLACES,
WITH SOME 80S IN THE EAST.

A STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL
HELP PUSH A COLD FRONT INTO KANSAS LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AS THIS FRONT MOVES THROUGH OUR COUNTY
WARNING AREA. WITH CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE PRECIP, TEMPERATURES MAY BE
A LITTLE COOLER WEDNESDAY.

DAYS 3-7...

COLD FRONT STILL PROGGED TO CROSS WRN KS FRIDAY NIGHT AS AN UPPER
LVL LOW DEVELOPS OVER THE NRN PLAINS. 00Z MODELS WERE IN GOOD
AGREEMENT WITH THIS UPPER LOW DEVELOPING AND THEY KEEPS THIS LOW
ALMOST STATIONARY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. OVER WRN KS LOW LVL
MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED SAT AS MULTIPLE UPPER LVL
S/W TROFS ROTATE AROUND THIS UPPER LOW...HOWEVER MID LVL MOISTURE IS
PROGGED TO ACCOMPANY A FEW OF THESE WAVES ALONG WITH SOME MID LVL
INSTAB. AS A RESULT CAN NOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT SOME LIGHT PCPN
SOMETIME OVER THE WEEKEND PERIOD BUT AT THIS TIME WILL FOCUS POPS
LATE IN THE PERIOD SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY AS A SOME 85H MOISTURE
APPEARS TO BEGIN TO RETURN AHEAD OF ONE OF THESE UPPER LVL
DISTURANCE.

AS FOR TEMPERATURES OVER THE WEEKEND PERIOD...THE 00Z GFS WAS COOLER
THAN THE ECMWF BOTH SAT AND SUNDAY IN THE SFC-85H LVL WHILE ALOFT
BOTH AGREE WITH SOME DOWNSLOPE FLOW DEVELOPING OVER OUR WRN CWA.
CURRENT GRIDS SEEM TO BE A COMPROMISE BETWEEN THESE TWO SOLUTIONS
AND GIVEN THE CONTINUED UNCERTAINTY ON HOW MUCH WARMING WILL OCCUR
FROM THE DEVELOPING DOWNSLOPE FLOW HAVE OPTED TO STAY CLOSE TO
CURRENT FORECAST OVER THE WEEKEND PERIOD.

&&

AVIATION...

FOR THE 18Z TAFS...12Z NAM HAS A 5H S/W TROF SLOWLY MOVING EAST
ACROSS WRN KS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT. WITH SOME MID
LVL MOISTURE AND LATE DAY INSTAB PRESENT THERE APPEARS TO BE A SLT
CHC FOR SOME SHRA/TSRA LATE TODAY OR EARLY TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY IN
OUR NE CWA. AT THIS TIME HOWEVER ANY PCPN THAT DOES DEVELOPS WILL
LOOKS TO BE WIDELY SCATTERED SO DID NOT INCLUDE MENTION OF PCPN IN
THE TAFS. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS THIS AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO SUBSIDE
TO AROUND 10KTS AFTER SUNSET AS THE BACK MORE TO THE SE.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DDC  65  90  63  85 /  20  20  20  30
GCK  65  90  60  84 /  20  30  30  30
EHA  65  90  62  86 /  10  20  30  30
LBL  65  90  63  86 /  20  20  30  30
HYS  64  88  64  83 /  40  20  30  30
P28  66  88  66  88 /  40  20  30  30

&&

.DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

FN24/18

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 7, 4:05 AM CST, 12 hours 55 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
505 AM CDT MON SEP 7 2009

KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-081015-
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-
505 AM CDT MON SEP 7 2009 /405 AM MDT MON SEP 7 2009/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH
CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ACROSS FAR WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST KANSAS NEAR THE COLORADO BORDER. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS
EXPECTED WITH DANGEROUS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING BEING THE MAIN
THREAT WITH ANY LATE DAY STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH INTO WESTERN KANSAS WEDNESDAY
BRINGING WITH IT AN INCREASED CHANCE FOR MORE ORGANIZED
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS SOUTHWEST KANSAS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTERS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT.

&&

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC

UMSCHEID

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Pratt

When: September 7, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Pratt County, 1.09 mi W of Cairo
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 37.650, -98.590

Hail, Ford

When: September 7, 5:24 PM CST
Where: Ford County, 7.64 mi WNW of Bloom
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.520, -100.030

Most of the hail was dime sized.

Heavy Rain, Ford

When: September 7, 6:00 PM CST to September 8, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Ford County, 5.53 mi W of Bloom
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.490, -100.000

Rainfall of 5.10 inches was measured at this location. Other unofficial amounts of up to 8 inches were reported in the vicinity.

Hail, Ford

When: September 7, 6:09 PM CST
Where: Ford County, 13.07 mi WNW of Bloom
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.530, -100.130

Thunderstorm winds of 60 mph accompanied the hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ford

When: September 7, 6:09 PM CST
Where: Ford County, 13.07 mi WNW of Bloom
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.530, -100.130

Nickel sized hail was also observed.

Hail, Ford

When: September 7, 6:47 PM CST
Where: Ford County, 6 mi W of Bloom
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.480, -100.009

Hail, Clark

When: September 7, 7:18 PM CST
Where: Clark County, 4.44 mi W of Minneola
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.440, -100.050

Flood, Ford

When: September 7, 8:25 PM CST
Where: Ford County, 6.95 mi WNW of Bloom to 10.7 mi W of Bloom
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: $100,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.530, -100.010

Rainfall of 5 to 8 inches in about 4 hours produced widespread farmland flooding. Some county roads were submerged after water flowed out of the fields.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, September 2009

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: 197649, 197650, 197656, 197651, 197654, 197655, 197653, 197648.