A vigorous upper low pressure system moved across the region during the day. Behind the system, strong winds aloft mixed down to the surface with wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph producing localized dust storms, vehicle accidents and road closures.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 GLD wrote it up.
A vigorous upper low pressure system moved across the region during the day. Behind the system, strong winds aloft mixed down to the surface with wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph producing localized dust storms, vehicle accidents and road closures. Interstate 70 was closed between Limon, Colorado and Goodland, Kansas due to zero visibility and strong winds, with road closures also occurring on adjacent U.S., state and county roads. Law enforcement reported near zero visibility at times in blowing dirt in Kit Carson County Colorado, as well as Greeley, Wallace and Sherman Counties in western Kansas.
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 Sep 23, 2:00 AM MST, 7 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 300 AM MDT MON SEP 23 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 300 AM MDT MON SEP 23 2013 TODAY-TONIGHT...UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO EXPECTED TO LIFT NORTHEAST TOWARD THE CO/KS BORDER BY SUNRISE THEN INTO CENTRAL NEBRASKA BY 00Z TUESDAY THEN INTO NORTHWEST IOWA BY 12Z TUESDAY. MID LEVEL DRY SLOT WORKS INTO MUCH OF THE AREA FROM THE SOUTH/SOUTHWEST EARLY THIS MORNING CONTINUING EAST THROUGH NOON. ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE SYSTEM BETTER CHANCES OF RAIN/RAIN SHOWERS WITH PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM MOVE INTO FAR EASTERN COLORADO AND ADJACENT COUNTIES IN WESTERN KANSAS/SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA CONTINUING EAST THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY BEFORE EXITING THE AREA SHORTLY AFTER 00Z AS THE SYSTEM LIFTS OUT OF THE AREA. HIGHS TODAY IN THE 60S ACROSS THE NORTHWEST 1/3 OF THE AREA WITH LOW TO MID 70S ELSEWHERE. AREAS ACROSS THE EAST WILL HAVE THEIR HIGHS BY NOON OR SO BEFORE SLOWLY FALLING AS THE CLOUDS AND PRECIP BEHIND THE FRONT MOVE IN. LOWS TONIGHT IN THE 40S EXCEPT FOR THE FAR EASTERN 1/4 OF THE AREA WHERE LOW 50S EXPECTED. ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE SYSTEM NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE INTO THE 25 TO 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. A FEW AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH. LOCAL WIND GUST PROGRAM BASED OFF THE NAM SUGGESTING GUSTS AROUND 41KTS AT KGLD AND KITR AROUND 21Z WITH AREAS IN THE YUMA AND FLAGLER AREAS AROUND 18Z OR SO. DESPITE WEAK LOW AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES THERE IS GOOD DOWNWARD MOTION AND OK 3 HOUR PRESSURE RISES. PERHAPS THE STRONGER WINDS COULD GET MIXED DOWN THE PRECIPITATION. FOR NOW WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY WIND HIGHLITES. TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...CLEAR AND DRY. SHORTWAVE RIDGING TUESDAY MOVES EAST TUESDAY NIGHT AS A LARGE UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH MOVE INTO THE GREAT BASIN WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SOUTH/SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL BECOME BREEZY AND PERHAPS WINDY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING AS A SFC TROUGH MOVES OFF THE FRONT RANGE AND INTO EASTERN COLORADO. HIGHS TUESDAY IN THE 70S...WARMING INTO THE 80S WEDNESDAY. LOWS TUESDAY NIGHT UPPER 40S WEST AND NEAR MCCOOK WITH AROUND 50 ELSEWHERE. FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT LOWS IN THE 50S EXCEPT AROUND 60 ACROSS THE FAR EAST. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 300 AM MDT MON SEP 23 2013 THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE ROCKIES WILL MOVE EAST-NORTHEAST WITH LEESIDE CYCLOGENESIS DEVELOPING OVER EASTERN COLORADO...PUSHING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE CWA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. AS OF RIGHT NOW...THE BEST AREA FOR THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD REACH SEVERE LIMITS IS OVER SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF KANSAS EAST OF HIGHWAY 83...WITH THIS AREA HAVING THE BEST INSTABILITY...MOISTURE...AND SHEAR. SHOWERS MAY ALSO LINGER BEHIND THE FRONT WITH A STRONG JET STREAK OVER THE CWA AND VORTICITY MOVING THROUGH THE CWA. HOWEVER...INSTABILITY WANES AS THE SURFACE LOW MOVES EAST...SO JUST SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED FOR FRIDAY NIGHT OVER THE CWA. TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MIDDLE 80S. BELOW TO NEAR NORMAL HIGHS IN THE LOW 60S NORTHWEST TO THE MID 70S IN THE EASTERN CWA ARE EXPECTED ON FRIDAY DUE TO PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT...CLOUD COVER...AND SHOWERS. SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THE MODELS SEEM TO SLIGHTLY DISAGREE DURING THIS PORTION OF THE EXTENDED. THE GFS HAS A LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGE DEVELOPING IN THE WEST AND EXTENDING INTO THE CWA...WHILE THE ECMWF HAS A MORE AMPLIFIED RIDGE DEVELOPING TO THE WEST AND A DEEP TROUGH DEVELOPING OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION WITH THE CWA BETWEEN FEATURES. HOWEVER...MODELS KEEP THE FORECAST FOR THIS PERIOD DRY AS NO STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGHS MOVE THROUGH THE MID TO UPPER FLOW. WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVING INTO THE CWA ON SATURDAY AND THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE CWA ON SUNDAY...THE WEEKEND LOOKS TO BE QUIET AND DRY. TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY WILL BE NEAR NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S TO MID 70S AND HIGHS WARMING UP ON SUNDAY INTO THE MID TO UPPER 70S. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 300 AM MDT MON SEP 23 2013 KGLD...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED FROM 12Z THROUGH 16Z OR SO BEFORE POSSIBLY DROPPING INTO MVFR RANGE FROM 17Z-21Z OR SO AS POST FRONTAL LOW CLOUDS MOVE IN BEHIND A DEPARTING COMPACT STORM SYSTEM. AFTER 21Z VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF THE TAF PERIOD. MAY HAVE RAIN/RAIN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM DURING THE PERIOD OF MVFR CONDITIONS OTHERWISE NO PRECIPITATION EXPECTED. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 15KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS AT TAF ISSUANCE EXPECTED TO NORTHWEST AT 26KTS OR SO WITH HIGHER GUSTS BY 17Z AND CONTINUE THROUGH 00Z BEFORE SLOWLY FALLING BELOW 12KTS BY 03Z. FROM 04Z-12Z WINDS GENERALLY BACKING TO THE WEST AT 5-10KTS. KMCK...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED FROM 12Z THROUGH 21Z OR SO BEFORE POSSIBLY DROPPING INTO MVFR RANGE FROM 22Z-03Z OR SO AS POST FRONTAL LOW CLOUDS MOVE IN BEHIND A DEPARTING COMPACT STORM SYSTEM. AFTER 03Z VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF THE TAF PERIOD. MAY HAVE RAIN/RAIN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM DURING THE PERIOD OF MVFR CONDITIONS OTHERWISE NO PRECIPITATION EXPECTED. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 15KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS AT TAF ISSUANCE EXPECTED TO NORTHWEST AROUND 20KTS OR SO WITH HIGHER GUSTS BY 23Z AND CONTINUE THROUGH 04Z BEFORE SLOWLY FALLING BELOW 12KTS BY 07Z. FROM 07Z-12Z WINDS GENERALLY FROM THE NORTHWEST AROUND 10KTS. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM...ALW AVIATION...99
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 345 AM MDT MON SEP 23 2013 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-241300- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 345 AM MDT MON SEP 23 2013 /445 AM CDT MON SEP 23 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. A FEW SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM WITH THE MAJORITY OF PRECIPITATION FALLING BEHIND IT. IN ADDITION TO THE LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL COME NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 45 MPH. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED GENERALLY WEST OF HIGHWAY 25. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The Kit Carson mesonet site reported intermittent wind gusts to a least 58 mph during the day while Firstview had gusts over 55 mph for approximately five hours.
High winds in Kit Carson county were reported from mesonet sites at Seibert and Stratton as well as the ASOS site at the Kit Carson County Airport south of Burlington. A peak gust of 71 mph occurred at Burlington at 208 pm MDT. Other reports included a 60 mph gust at Seibert and 69 mph gust at Stratton. Interstate 70 was closed from Limon to the state line. The cooperative observer in Burlington reported dust storm conditions around 200 pm MDT. Tree limbs were blown down in Burlington, including some damage to fences.
Interstate 70, plus most U.S. and state highways in the county were closed for much of the afternoon as wind gusts to 70 mph resulted in near zero visibility at times. An injury accident occurred on I-70 near mile marker 429 (Bethune) as a result of the strong winds and poor visibility.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, September 2013
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: 472743, 472745, 472791.