A well mixed and deep boundary layer allowed high winds to develop ahead of a surface trough.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 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 well mixed and deep boundary layer allowed high winds to develop ahead of a surface trough.
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 22, 11:17 AM CST, 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 1117 AM CST SUN JAN 22 2012 .AVIATION... FOR THE 18Z TAF ISSUANCE... EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH MUCH OF THIS TAF PERIOD. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH AXIS WILL MOVE OVER THE TAF SITES AROUND NOON WITH MID LEVEL CIGS LOWERING TO AROUND 4KFT WITH SOME LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS BY 20-22Z WITH SOME AREAS OF MVFR CIGS. ALSO EXPECT NORTHWEST WINDS TO INCREASE TO 30KT WITH GUSTS TO 45KTS AROUND THE SAME TIME PERIOD AND LAST THROUGH 23-01Z. AFTER THAT TIME FRAME AS THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST LOOK FOR CLEARING SKIES AND NORTHWEST WINDS DECREASING TO 20KTS BY SUNSET AND BECOMING WEST AROUND 10KT AFTER 09Z. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 709 AM CST SUN JAN 22 2012/ UPDATE... LIGHT PRECIPITATION BEGINNING TO SPREAD INTO NORTHWEST KANSAS BASED ON MOSAIC RADAR. BASED ON THE RUC THE HIGHER RETURNS APPEARS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF 850-700MB FRONTOGENESIS UNDER THE 500MB DEFORMATION ZONE. THIS BAND OF FRONTOGENESIS IS CURRENTLY FORECAST TO MOVE TO NEAR SYRACUSE AND SCOTT CITY BY 15Z AND THEN CROSS THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHWEST KANSAS BETWEEN 15Z AND 21Z. HAVE THEREFORE ADJUSTED TIMING OF INCREASING CLOUDS AND DEVELOPING PRECIPITATION. LEFT EXIT REGION OF A 250 JET CONTINUES TO HIGHLIGHT NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AS AN AREA OF BETTER LIFT BETWEEN 18Z AND 21Z SO WILL ALSO INCREASE PRECIPITATION CHANCES IN THIS REGION LATER THIS AFTERNOON. -RB PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 242 AM CST SUN JAN 22 2012/ DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/ THE REGIONAL AND SYNOPTIC SCALE FEATURES THIS MORNING INCLUDE A RAPIDLY ADVANCING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH/PV ANOMALY FROM THE WESTERN STATES THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES THIS MORNING. MEANWHILE, STEADY SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS HAVE BECOME NEARLY NEUTRAL ON MSAS ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS FROM WYOMING THROUGH WESTERN KANSAS. SOUTHERLY, BETTER THAN EXPECTED MIXED SURFACE WINDS ACROSS THE FAR WESTERN COUNTIES HAVE HELPED MAINTAIN MILD TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT IN THE LOW 50S AND UPPER 40S. AS THE UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES, INCREASING PERIODICITY OF MID LEVEL CLOUD BANDS ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP WHICH ARE BEING OBSERVED IN THE REGIONAL 11-3.9 MICRON AND INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY. THE CURRENT MODELS RUNS HAVE COME TOGETHER WITH MUCH STRONGER 2 METER WIND SPEEDS THAN A FEW RUNS AGO, AND ALL OF THE MODELS SEEM TO BE INCREASING MAGNITUDE WITH TIME. THERE IS NOT A SIGNIFICANTLY DEEP UNSTABLE LAYER, BUT THE NAM DOES INDICATE VERY IMPRESSIVE LOW LEVEL 0-1 KM LAPSE RATES LATE THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON NEAR 10 DEG C/KM IN AN ENVIRONMENT WITH 40 KNOT SUSTAINED WINDS JUST OFF THE SURFACE. EVEN THE 40KM GFS IS INDICATING 25 TO 30 KNOT 2 METER WINDS TODAY. GFS MOS IS PRODUCING SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS ACROSS THE WESTERN COUNTIES AROUND 40+ KNOTS SUSTAINED LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT, WE HAVE INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN HOISTING A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ALL AREAS ALONG WEST OF GENERALLY THE HIGHWAY 283 CORRIDOR. A RAPIDLY COOLING BOUNDARY LAYER SHOULD BRING THE WIND SPEEDS DOWNS IN THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON, BUT CONDITIONS MAY REMAIN BREEZY THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVEN THE EARLY EVENING IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES. A DECENT LAYER OF 800-700 MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT DOES SHOW UP IN MODEL FIELDS BEHIND THIS BOUNDARY AND MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW AN IMPRESSIVE SATURATED LAYER BEHIND THE PV ANOMALY IN THE COLD POOL OF AIR. THERMAL FIELDS INDICATE SOME DENDRITIC PRODUCTION IS POSSIBLE AND EVEN LIKELY, BUT LOW LEVEL TEMPERATURES MAY NOT SUPPORT THAT AND RAIN SHOWERS ARE PROBABLY THE MORE LIKELY PRECIPITATION TYPE WITH THIS WAVE. POPS AND WINDS WILL DIMINISH RAPIDLY IN THE EVENING. THE EXTENT TO HOW COLD IT GETS OVERNIGHT WILL DEPEND ON THE MAGNITUDE OF COLD ADVECTION, BUT THE COLDER MOS SEEMS THE BEST CHOICE TONIGHT. TEMPERATURES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REBOUND SIGNIFICANTLY IN MONDAY OTHER THAN USUAL DIURNAL HEATING AS WEAK SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW OF COLD ANTICYLONE AIR REMAINS. ANOTHER RELATIVELY COOL NIGHT WITH GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING IN THE LOW 20S IS ANTICIPATED MONDAY NIGHT. LONG TERM... BY TUESDAY NIGHT OUR NEXT PACIFIC UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL BE DIGGING INTO SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO. THIS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WAS ALSO STARTING TO BECOME CUT OFF FROM THE MEAN FLOW AS WELL. THE NEW 00Z MODELS NOT DIFFERING MUCH FROM THE PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS IN THIS UPPER LOW DEVELOPING NEAR THE MEXICO/SOUTHWEST TEXAS BORDER BY EARLY WEDNESDAY AND THEN SLOWLY DRIFTING EAST THROUGH LATE WEEK. AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM ABUNDANT MID TO UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE IS ANTICIPATED TO SPREAD INTO WESTERN KANSAS. GIVEN THE MOISTURE EXPECTED AND DIFLUENT FLOW DEVELOPING WITH THE 500MB DEFORMATION ZONE WILL INCREASE CLOUD COVER AND AS A RESULT OF THIS LOWER TEMPERATURES TUESDAY AFTERNOON. ON TUESDAY NIGHT THE 500MB DEFORMATION ZONE WILL MOVE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST OF THE AREA. BEHIND THIS DEFORMATION ZONE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW DEVELOPS ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS WITH LIMITED MOISTURE PRESENT. GIVEN THE CLEARING SKIES AND 900-850MB TEMPERATURE TRENDS THE PREVIOUS TEMPERATURE FORECAST STILL LOOKS ON TRACK WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES RETURNING TO WESTERN KANSAS. THIS WARMUP HOWEVER WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO BEGIN TO DROP SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS LATE WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 51 22 50 23 / 40 0 0 0 GCK 50 20 49 22 / 30 0 0 0 EHA 52 23 50 25 / 20 0 0 0 LBL 52 20 50 23 / 20 0 0 0 HYS 48 20 49 20 / 60 0 0 0 P28 55 25 53 26 / 30 0 0 0 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 5 PM CST /4 PM MST/ THIS AFTERNOON FOR KSZ030-043>045-061>064-074>078-084>088. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR KSZ031-046-065-066- 079>081-089-090. && FN06
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 125 AM CST SUN JAN 22 2012 KSZ030-043>045-061>064-074>078-084>088-231130- TREGO-SCOTT-LANE-NESS-HAMILTON-KEARNY-FINNEY-HODGEMAN-STANTON- GRANT-HASKELL-GRAY-FORD-MORTON-STEVENS-SEWARD-MEADE-CLARK- 125 AM CST SUN JAN 22 2012 /1225 AM MST SUN JAN 22 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY. PLEASE SEE THE WARNING MESSAGE FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT, HOWEVER, DAMAGE REPORTS ARE APPRECIATED. && FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC KSZ031-046-065-066-079>081-089-090-231130- ELLIS-RUSH-PAWNEE-STAFFORD-EDWARDS-KIOWA-PRATT-COMANCHE-BARBER- 125 AM CST SUN JAN 22 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY. PLEASE SEE THE ADVISORY MESSAGE FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 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
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
14 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The high wind was measured at the Syracuse airport.
The high wind was measured at the Johnson City airport.
The high wind was measured at a location 1 mile southeast of Kendall.
The high wind was measured at the Ulysses airport.
The high wind was measured at the Garden City airport.
The high wind was measured at the Elkhart airport.
The high wind was measured at the Scott City airport.
The high wind was estimated to be 60 MPH at a location 21 miles NNW of Liberal.
The high wind was estimated to be 60 MPH at a location 10 miles northwest of Hugoton.
The high wind was measured in Healy.
The high wind was estimated to be 60 MPH in northern Haskell county.
The high wind was estimated to be 60 MPH at a location 10 miles southwest of Charleston.
The high wind was estimated to be 60 MPH at a location 6 miles NNW of Plains.
The high wind was estimated to be 60 MPH in Collyer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, January 2012
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: 363415, 363416, 363420, 363417, 363414, 363419, 363418, 363426, 363425, 363421, 363423, 363424, 363427, 363422.