A large weather system moved out into the High Plains from the Rockies during the day. Strong atmospheric instability and wind shear resulted in several clusters of strong to severe storms during the afternoon and evening.
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 weather system moved out into the High Plains from the Rockies during the day. Strong atmospheric instability and wind shear resulted in several clusters of strong to severe storms during the afternoon and evening. A second round of marginally severe storms also redeveloped during the overnight hours. Most hail was quarter size but one report near Jennings was golf ball sized.
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 May 18, 1:05 PM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 105 PM MDT SAT MAY 18 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 1142 AM MDT SAT MAY 18 2013 DRY LINE FAINTLY DETECTABLE ON KGLD RADAR AT 1745Z FROM NEAR ST FRANCIS SOUTHWEST TO BURLINGTON AND THEN SOUTH TOWARDS CHEYENNE WELLS. IT APPEARS TO BE SLOWLY MIXING EAST INTO KANSAS AND SHOULD BE THE INITIATING MECHANISM FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. EXTREME INSTABILITY WILL EXIST EAST OF THE DRY LINE AND STORMS WILL QUICKLY GO SEVERE WITH VERY LARGE HAIL POSSIBLE. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS BEST FURTHER EAST FOR ROTATING STORMS...BUT EVEN NEAR THE DRY LINE SHEAR MAY BE SUFFICIENT FOR A SUPERCELL TO DEVELOP. AS A RESULT...THERE MAY BE A TORNADO OR TWO IN THE AREA BEFORE ALL IS SAID AND DONE. STORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS ENDING BY MIDNIGHT. THERE WILL BE A LULL IN PRECIPITATION OVERNIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY MORNING. HOWEVER...WITH UPPER SYSTEM SLOW TO MOVE OUT WILL SEE SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON. INSTABILITY IS NOT NEARLY AS IMPRESSIVE ON SUNDAY...IN FACT IN WESTERN AREAS THERE IS LITTLE TO NO SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY FORECAST...BUT CANT RULE OUT A SEVERE STORM OR TWO PRIMARILY IN THE FAR EASTERN COUNTIES FROM MCCOOK TO HILL CITY WITH HAIL UP TO THE QUARTER SIZE THE MAIN THREAT ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 105 PM MDT SAT MAY 18 2013 SUNDAY NIGHT-TUESDAY...UPPER LOW WILL BE OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE PERIOD PROVIDING FOR BELOW NORMAL DAYTIME HIGHS AND NORMAL OVERNIGHT LOWS. NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIPITATION TIL MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY WHEN CLOUDS AND LIFT INCREASE AS A VORT MAX OR SERIES OF VORT MAXES MOVE ACROSS THE AREA AROUND THE UPPER LOW. TUESDAY NIGHT-SATURDAY...UPPER LOW LIFTS AWAY FROM THE AREA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD LEAVING DRY CONDITIONS. FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY FORECAST AREA UNDER UPPER RIDGING AHEAD OF A LARGE UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE NORTHWEST. VARIOUS DISTURBANCES MOVE INTO THE AREA UNDERNEATH THE RIDGE IN WHATS LOOKS LIKE A MONSOON SEASON PATTERN. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. TEMPERATURES NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1142 AM MDT SAT MAY 18 2013 KGLD...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH ABOUT MID AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP NEAR THE TERMINAL AFTER THAT TIME WITH POSSIBILITY OF STRONG/SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE BRIEFLY POSSIBLE. THUNDERSTORMS WILL END THIS EVENING WITH VFR EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. KMCK...MVFR CIGS MAY LINGER INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON BEFORE LIFTING TO VFR. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL WIND DOWN AFTER MIDNIGHT. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...024 LONG TERM...99 AVIATION...024
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 1038 AM MDT SAT MAY 18 2013 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-191415- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 1038 AM MDT SAT MAY 18 2013 /1138 AM CDT SAT MAY 18 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA AFTER 2 PM MDT (3 PM CDT) AS THUNDERSTORMS BEGIN TO DEVELOP ALONG AN ADVANCING DRYLINE. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG INSTABILITY AND WIND SHEAR WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE HIGHEST IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH STORM INTENSITY DECREASING AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK AS AN UNSETTLED PATTERN REMAINS OVER THE AREA. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
317 PM MDT SAT MAY 18 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0317 PM HAIL MINGO 39.28N 100.96W
05/18/2013 E1.00 INCH THOMAS KS PUBLIC
REPORT OF QUARTER SIZED HAIL NEAR MILE MARKER 61. REPORT
VERIFIED BY SHERIFF DISPATCH IN THOMAS COUNTY.
&&
ALWThe Goodland radar (KGLD), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:19 UTC.
8 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Report of quarter size hail near mile marker 61 on Interstate 70, verified by sheriff dispatch in Thomas county.
Quarter size hail found in a ditch at intersection of highway 24 and highway 83.
Hail reported east of highway 83.
Spotter estimated peak winds gusts to 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, May 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: 441607, 441609, 441610, 441612, 441613, 441614, 441615, 441616, 441617.