Northwest Kansas counties showed no change in terms of drought status during the month of May. The entire area remains in either D2 (Severe) or D3 (Extreme) Drought.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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.
Northwest Kansas counties showed no change in terms of drought status during the month of May. The entire area remains in either D2 (Severe) or D3 (Extreme) Drought. Precipitation during the month was below normal at all reporting sites, with departures ranging from 0.25 to nearly 3.0 below average. The driest areas in May were Norton, Graham and Sheridan counties in the east, while observers in Thomas and Rawlins counties reported precipitation only 0.25 to 1.0 below average.
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 Apr 30, 11:33 PM CST, 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 1133 PM MDT WED APR 30 2014 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 908 PM MDT WED APR 30 2014 INCREASED SKY COVER THIS EVENING AND ADDED MENTION OF ISOLATED FLURRIES/SPRINKLES. VERY LIGHT RADAR RETURNS ARE GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH VIRGA...HOWEVER THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF VERY LIGHT SNOW/RAIN THAT IS REACHING THE GROUND. NOT EXPECTING MEASURABLE CONSIDERING THE DRY SUB CLOUD LAYER...HOWEVER IT IS WORTH MENTIONING. THIS SEEMS TO BE TIED TO SHORTWAVE TROUGH ROUNDING THE WESTERN EDGE OF LARGER UPPER LOW. THIS SHOULD LIMIT TIMING OF THIS ACTIVITY TO THIS EVENING AS SHORT RANGE GUIDANCE SUPPORTS AREA OF SUBSIDENCE MOVING OVER CWA AFTER MIDNIGHT ON BACK SIDE OF THIS H5/H7 SHORTWAVE TROUGH. UPDATE ISSUED AT 714 PM MDT WED APR 30 2014 WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA THE REST OF THE NIGHT SO CURRENT ADVISORY WAS ALLOW TO EXPIRE. LOOKING AT WINDS TOMORROW WESTERN PORTIONS OF CWA COULD BE CLOSE TO MEETING 3HR SUSTAINED CRITERIA FOR ADVISORY THURSDAY. CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW TO ISSUE ANOTHER ADVISORY CONSIDERING THE MARGINAL NATURE. GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE LOW TEMPS TONIGHT AROUND 32F FOR MUCH OF THE AREA...AND SHELTERED LOCATIONS MAY ACTUALLY SEE A HARD FREEZE. WE ARE STILL 5 TO 10 DAYS AWAY FROM THE LAST CLIMATOLOGICAL FREEZE (32F) FOR ALMOST ALL OF OUR CWA...SO THERE ARE NO PLANS AT THIS TIME TO ISSUE A FROST/FREEZE HIGHLIGHT. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 212 PM MDT WED APR 30 2014 WILL KEEP THE WIND ADVISORY GOING THROUGH EARLY EVENING. WINDS HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT MARGINAL IN A FEW AREAS AS FAR AS THE ADVISORY GOES...BUT CONDITIONS ARE STILL BEING MET ACROSS WEST AND NORTH COUNTIES WITH GUSTS TO 40 KTS. THE LARGE SYSTEM OVER THE GREAT LAKES WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE AREA OVERNIGHT WITH WINDS HOLDING IN THE 10-15 MPH RANGE AFTER DECOUPLING EARLY THIS EVENING. MID CLOUDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED BUT OVERALL CLOUD COVER WILL BE CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN LAST NIGHT. ALTHOUGH SOME WARMING OF LOW LEVELS IS FORECAST TONIGHT AND SOIL TEMPERATURES ARE STILL IN THE MID 40S...DEWPOINTS ARE ONLY IN THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 20S. BOTTOM LINE IS OVERNIGHT LOWS SHOULD DROP INTO THE LOWER 30S MOST AREAS. BACKED OFF A FEW DEGREES FROM PREVIOUS FORECAST FOR THURSDAY HIGH TEMPERATURES GIVEN CURRENT TRENDS AND WARMING OF ONLY A FEW DEGREES AT 850 MB BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. CURRENT FORECAST IN LINE WITH LATEST MET/MAV GUIDANCE IN THE UPPER 50S TO NEAR 60. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 250 PM MDT WED APR 30 2014 THURSDAY NIGHT-SATURDAY...FORECAST AREA TO REMAIN UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH SOME UPPER RIDGING TRYING TO MOVE IN FROM THE WEST SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S FRIDAY AND MID 70S TO MID 80S SATURDAY WARMEST ACROSS THE SOUTH AND WEST. LOWS IN THE 30S THURSDAY NIGHT WITH LOW TO MID 40S FRIDAY NIGHT. SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY...BROAD UPPER RIDGE MOVES OVER THE AREA SUNDAY WITH LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND NORTHEAST COASTS. UPPER FLOW SHIFTS TO THE SOUTHWEST MONDAY AS PACIFIC NORTHWEST SYSTEM SLOWLY SHIFTS SOUTHEAST TOWARD NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. FOR TUESDAY THIS SYSTEM CONTINUES TO DIG SOUTH/SOUTHEAST INTO SOUTHERN NEVADA THEN LIFT NORTHEAST INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND POSSIBLY AS FAR EAST AS NORTHERN COLORADO. MAY SEE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW GIVEN THE DISAGREEMENT IN THE HANDLING OF THE SYSTEM. HIGHS SUNDAY MID 70S TO AROUND 80 NORTHEAST WITH MID 80S ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST. FOR MONDAY WIDESPREAD 80S. ON TUESDAY SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR MOVES INTO THE NORTHWEST WHERE HIGHS IN THE MID 70S TO AROUND 80 EXPECTED. FOR THE REST OF THE AREA LOW TO MID 80S. FINALLY FOR WEDNESDAY LOW TO MID 70S WEST...LOW TO MID 80S EAST OF THE CO/KS BORDER. LOWS THROUGH THE PERIOD IN THE MID 40S WEST...UPPER 40S TO MID 50S EAST OF THE CO/KS BORDER. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1133 PM MDT WED APR 30 2014 VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH LOWEST CIG TONIGHT AROUND 5000FT. LIGHT RADAR RETURNS ON RADAR ARE ASSOCIATED WITH VIRGA AND ISOLATED SPRINKLES/FLURRIES AROUND BOTH TERMINALS...AND THIS SHOULD MOVE EAST AFTER MIDNIGHT AS STABLE AIR MOVES IN FROM THE NORTHWEST ON BACK SIDE OF UPPER LOW. WINDS HAVE ALREADY DECREASED BELOW 12KT FROM THE W-NW...AND WINDS OVERNIGHT SHOULD REMAIN AROUND 12KT OR LESS. NW WINDS WILL INCREASE AFTER SUNRISE WITH DAYTIME GUSTS THURSDAY AROUND 30KT. WINDS WILL THEN QUICKLY DIMINISH WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING BELOW 12KT AFTER SUNSET. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && UPDATE...DR SHORT TERM...DLF LONG TERM...99 AVIATION...DR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 705 PM MDT WED APR 30 2014 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-011345- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 705 PM MDT WED APR 30 2014 /805 PM CDT WED APR 30 2014/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Cheyenne County continued in D3 (Extreme) Drought.
Decatur County continued in D2 (Severe) Drought.
Gove County continued in D2 (Severe) Drought.
Graham County continued in D2 (Severe) Drought.
Logan County continued in D3 (Extreme) Drought.
Norton County continued in D2 (Severe) Drought.
Rawlins County continued in D3 (Extreme) Drought.
Sheridan County continued in D2 (Severe) Drought.
Thomas County continued in D3 (Extreme) Drought.
Wichita County continued in D3 (Extreme) Drought.
Greeley County continued in D3 (Extreme) Drought.
Sherman County continued in D3 (Extreme) Drought.
Wallace County continued in D3 (Extreme) Drought.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, May 2014
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: 522263, 522264, 522265, 522267, 522269, 522270, 522271, 522272, 522274, 522276, 522268, 522273, 522275.