A strong system moved across the area bringing high winds during the evening.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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 system moved across the area bringing high winds during the evening.
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 Dec 31, 5:55 AM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.
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
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 446 AM CST SAT DEC 31 2011 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-075>081-011100- TREGO-ELLIS-SCOTT-LANE-NESS-RUSH-HAMILTON-KEARNY-FINNEY-HODGEMAN- PAWNEE-STAFFORD-GRANT-HASKELL-GRAY-FORD-EDWARDS-KIOWA-PRATT- 446 AM CST SAT DEC 31 2011 /346 AM MST SAT DEC 31 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM CST. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WARNING MESSAGE FOR MORE DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. && FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC KSZ074-084>090-011100- STANTON-MORTON-STEVENS-SEWARD-MEADE-CLARK-COMANCHE-BARBER- 446 AM CST SAT DEC 31 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST ADVISORY MESSAGE FOR MORE DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. && FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC GERARD
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The wind gust occurred at the Syracuse airport at 4:58 PM MST.
The gust occurred at the Bernadine Sitts weather lab at 4:24 PM.
The 66 MPH gust occurred at 4:28 PM at a location 1 mile ESE of Kendall.
The wind gust occurred at the Scott City airport at 4:44 PM.
The wind gust occurred at the Johnson City airport at 4:52 PM.
The sustained wind of greater than 40 PM occurred at the Liberal airport from 6:15 until 6:25 PM.
The wind gust occurred in Healy at 5:42 PM.
The wind gust occurred in Dodge City at 5:58 PM.
The wind gust occurred at the Hugoton airport at 5:36 PM.
Winds of at least 58 MPH were estimated in the Sublette area around 5 PM.
Winds of at least 58 MPH were estimated in the Cimarron area around 5 PM.
Winds of at least 58 MPH were estimated in the Jetmore area around 5 PM.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2011
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: 359994, 359995, 359996, 359997, 359998, 359999, 360000, 360001, 360002, 360003, 360004, 360005.