A large cluster of severe thunderstorms moved east from Colorado across the Kansas-Nebraska state line. Wind gusts of 70 to 90 mph resulted in roof, tree and utility pole 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 large cluster of severe thunderstorms moved east from Colorado across the Kansas-Nebraska state line. Wind gusts of 70 to 90 mph resulted in roof, tree and utility pole damage. Several reports of large hail up to golf ball size were received, along with isolated flash flooding.
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 Jul 2, 2:00 AM CST, 0 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 200 AM MDT SAT JUL 2 2011 .DISCUSSION... 200 AM MDT SAT JUL 2 2011 DOUBLE BARRELED RIDGE STRETCHED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS TODAY IS FORECAST TO CONSOLIDATE AND MOVE WEST THE NEXT FEW DAYS...EVENTUALLY SETTLING OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. FORECAST AREA WILL BRIEFLY BE UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW TODAY AND MAY GET A PIECE OF A SHORTWAVE TROUGH ROTATING AROUND THE RIDGE AXIS. AT THE SURFACE...OLD BOUNDARY THAT HAS BEEN WAFFLING AROUND THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS FORECAST TO SLOWLY LIFT NORTH. IT MAY PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL FOCUS FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON. MODEL PRECIPITATION FORECASTS ARE IN VERY POOR AGREEMENT AND THERE IS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY IN MESOSCALE DETAILS...LEADING TO AN UNUSUALLY LOW CONFIDENCE POP FORECAST FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND PERIODS. THAT BEING SAID...THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BE MARGINALLY SUPPORTIVE FOR ORGANIZED CONVECTION. THE BEST DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL BE NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY WHERE EASTERLY WINDS AT THE SURFACE SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE DIRECTIONAL COMPONENT...AND WEAK TO MODERATE INSTABILITY. SO A FEW SEVERE STORMS SEEM IN THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY. STILL UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW ON SUNDAY WITH THE RIDGE WEST OF THE DIVIDE. 500MB HEIGHT FIELDS AND 400MB PV ANOMALIES SUGGEST A SERIES OF WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGHS ROTATING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. INSTABILITY IS FORECAST TO BE QUITE A BIT WEAKER...BUT LITTLE TO NO CIN BY THE AFTERNOON. HARD TO RULE OUT AT LEAST AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING WITH STRONG SURFACE HEATING. SURFACE DEW POINTS ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM THE 40S IN COLORADO TO 50S AND 60S IN KANSAS AND NEBRASKA...SO CONVERGENCE ALONG THE DRY LINE NEAR THE COLORADO STATE LINE MAY ACT TO FOCUS INTIMATION. ALL THE MODELS SHOW A SHORTWAVE RIDGE MOVING OVER THE FORECAST AREA ON MONDAY. THE ECMWF EVEN SHIFTS THE CENTER OF THE RIDGE VERY CLOSE. GIVEN THE ACCOMPANYING LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE AND STRONG MID LEVEL CAP...WILL KEEP IT DRY BUT RAISE MAX TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES TO KEEP IN STEP WITH LATEST GUIDANCE 024 && .AVIATION... 1053 PM MDT FRI JUL 1 2011 FOR 06Z TAFS...THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP TO THE WEST OF THE AREA...WITH MORE ISOLATED CONVECTION DEVELOPING TO THE NORTH OF SFC FRONT ACROSS EASTERN CWA. WHILE THESE WILL NOT BE AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO TAF SITES...THINK COVERAGE WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS SHORT WAVE TROUGH APPROACHES. WITH HIGH BASES AND POCKET OF DRY AIR JUST OFF SFC...THINK GUSTY WINDS WILL BE PRIMARY IMPACT SHOULD ANY STORM IMPACT TAF SITE. WITH INCREASING TDS AND WEAK OROGRAPHIC FORCING LOW STRATUS AND FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT MAINLY BETWEEN CLIMO FAVORED TIMES BTWN 09 AND 14Z...ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE IS NOT PARTICULARLY HIGH. OTHERWISE SHOULD SEE A BREAK IN PRECIP CHANCES BTWN 17 AND 21Z...WITH INCREASING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES AFTER THAT. JRM && GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. NE...NONE. CO...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 901 PM MDT FRI JUL 1 2011 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-031230- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 901 PM MDT FRI JUL 1 2011 /1001 PM CDT FRI JUL 1 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA...MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS MAY ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS...BUT WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY. A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WEST OF A LINE FROM TRENTON NEBRASKA TO CHEYENNE WELLS COLORADO. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. JRM
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 133 AM MDT SAT JUL 2 2011 COZ090-091-020800- KIT CARSON COUNTY-YUMA COUNTY- 133 AM MDT SAT JUL 2 2011 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR KIT CARSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO AND YUMA COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO... AT 128 AM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES NORTH OF BETHUNE...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. PENNY TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. && LAT...LON 3996 10230 3947 10207 3935 10254 3969 10281 TIME...MOT...LOC 0733Z 250DEG 19KT 3947 10246 024
The Goodland radar (KGLD), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:59 UTC.
15 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning strike started a bale fire overnight, resulting in response of two fire departments.
The spotter reports several 4-inch tree limbs down as well as many 2-3 inch limbs down.
Spotter estimated peak wind gusts of 70 mph.
Spotter reported 5-inch diameter live tree limbs down.
A semi was blown off Interstate 70 at this location. Firefighters on scene estimated peak wind gusts of between 60 and 70 mph. 1.70 inches of rainfall was also measured.
Emergency Manager reported street flooding with 6 inches of water running across the road and over curbs.
COOP observer reported several trees uprooted. House had part of its roof blown off, and several power poles were broken off.
Law enforcement reported peak wind gusts of 60 mph.
The public reported that siding was ripped off the side of a retail store. Newspaper reports also indicated that 20 headstones were pushed over at the cemetery, and the flag pole was bent. A car port was also lifted off the ground and landed on the car dealer's roof.
Wind gust was measured from KSN's Weather Network.
Trained spotter reported a measured wind gust of 72 mph.
The public reported 5-inch tree limbs down. Newspaper accounts also indicated trees and tree limbs were down throughout town.
Trained spotter reported a measured wind gust of 88 mph.
A wind gust of 58 mph was measured by KSN's weather network.
Wind gusts estimated at 70 mph hit Norton , damaging trees and the Downtown Sander Furniture store awning.
A wind gust of 72 mph was measured by KSN's weather network.
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, July 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: 328269, 328287, 328291, 328292, 328302, 328306, 328665, 328668, 328671, 328672, 328674, 328675, 328677, 328678, 328679, 328683, 328688, 328684.