Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, July 17, 2015

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, July 17, 2015
Start: 2015-07-17T15:50
End: 2015-07-17T20:05
Location: Kansas

July 17, 2015 · NWS DDC · 13 events in 6 counties and zones

A surface trough moved into an unstable atmosphere producing scattered severe thunderstorms.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $75,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS DDC wrote it up.

A surface trough moved into an unstable atmosphere producing scattered severe thunderstorms.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jul 17, 2:00 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 17, 2:00 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
300 PM CDT FRI JUL 17 2015

...UPDATED FOR LONG TERM...

.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY)
ISSUED AT 232 PM CDT FRI JUL 17 2015

FOR TONIGHT, A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES WILL
MOVE INTO FAR NORTHWEST KANSAS BY MORNING. SOUTHERLY MOIST LOW LEVEL
FLOW WILL BE COMMON WITH SOUTH WINDS OF 12 TO 22 MPH OVERNIGHT. THE
12Z NAM MODEL STILLS SHOWS LOTS OF CONVECTION BY 7 PM TONIGHT ACROSS
MUCH OF WESTERN KANSAS ALONG WITH THE HRRR, HOWEVER OTHER MODELS
SHOW ONLY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE BEST CHANCE ACCORDING TO
THE 4KM NAM SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OF DODGE CITY. WILL MAINTAIN SMALL
CHANCES TO COVER. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP COULD BE SEVERE WITH LARGE
HAIL TO QUARTER SIZE AND STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS WITH 60KT SHOWING AT
200MB. ALSO LOCAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN THE VERY MOIST TROPICAL
PLUME RIDING UP FROM THE BAJA REGION AND INTO NEW MEXICO AND
KANSAS. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE WARM AND RANGE FROM 70 TO 75 WITH
THE WARMEST IN PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

FOR SATURDAY, A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL PUSH ACROSS THE NORTHERN
PLAINS WITH A COLD FRONT FORECAST TO BE NEAR OR JUST NORTH OF DODGE
CITY BY 7 PM. VERY WARM AIR WILL BE AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH HIGHS
AROUND 100 AND SLIGHTLY COOLER NORTH. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY FIRE
ALONG THE FRONT WITH SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE.

.LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)
ISSUED AT 255 PM CDT FRI JUL 17 2015

FOR SUNDAY, THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTH ACROSS
WESTERN KANSAS IN THE MORNING WITH NORTH WINDS OF 12 TO 25 MPH. MUCH
OF THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL ALSO BE PUSHING SOUTH WITH THE
COLD FRONT. HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 80S AT HAYS TO THE LOW 90S
AT DODGE AND 98 AT MEDICINE LODGE.

FOR MONDAY, VERY MOIST EAST TO NORTHEAST FLOW COULD BE PROBLEMATIC
FOR SOME LOW STRATUS AND FOG IN THE MORNING. WILL BACK OFF ON
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WITH THE FRONT WELL SOUTH INTO OKLAHOMA AND
WEST TEXAS. HIGHS WILL BE NEAR 90.

FOR THE PERIOD OF TUESDAY INTO NEXT FRIDAY, A COOLER AIRMASS BEHIND
THE FRONT WILL BE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS WITH MORE SEASONABLE
READINGS AROUND 90. SCATTERED MAINLY LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE INTO WEDNESDAY. BY THURSDAY HOWEVER, AN
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD BACK INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS WITH HIGHS
BACK TO AROUND 100 TO 105 AND LITTLE IF ANY CHANCES FOR RAINFALL.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON)
ISSUED AT 1153 AM CDT FRI JUL 17 2015

A SURFACE TROUGH IN THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES WILL SLOWLY SHIFT EAST
INTO NORTHWEST KANSAS BY MORNING AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES TOWARDS
GOODLAND. AHEAD OF THE TROUGH SOUTH WINDS OF 15-25KT WILL PREVAIL
WITH VFR CONDITIONS. THIS EVENING LOOK FOR SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST
WINDS OF 12-20KT. A LOW LEVEL JET IS ALSO FORECAST TO FORM BY
05-06Z OF AROUND 50KT.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DDC  73 100  71  92 /  30  10  30  30
GCK  71  99  69  91 /  20  20  40  30
EHA  71  99  69  92 /  20  10  10  20
LBL  72 100  72  93 /  30  10  20  20
HYS  74  97  71  86 /  20  20  30  40
P28  76 101  75  98 /  20  20  20  30

&&

.DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM...KRUSE
LONG TERM...KRUSE
AVIATION...KRUSE

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 17, 3:12 AM CST, 12 hours 38 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
412 AM CDT FRI JUL 17 2015

KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-180915-
TREGO-ELLIS-SCOTT-LANE-NESS-RUSH-HAMILTON-KEARNY-FINNEY-HODGEMAN-
PAWNEE-STAFFORD-STANTON-GRANT-HASKELL-GRAY-FORD-EDWARDS-KIOWA-
PRATT-MORTON-STEVENS-SEWARD-MEADE-CLARK-COMANCHE-BARBER-
412 AM CDT FRI JUL 17 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH
CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

DISCUSSION...ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL KANSAS LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND NICKEL TO QUARTER
SIZE HAIL.

WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED...

  LIMITED HAIL RISK.
  LIMITED THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE RISK.
  LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK.
  ELEVATED EXCESSIVE HEAT RISK.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN SATURDAY NIGHT
INTO SUNDAY AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTHWARD INTO WESTERN KANSAS.
THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO BE SUNDAY WITH
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREATS. PERIODIC CHANCES
FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE MONDAY THROUGH THE MIDDLE PART OF
NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER, IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE THE POTENTIAL FOR
SEVERE WEATHER.

HAZARDS WEATHER RISK...

  SATURDAY...
  LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK.
  ELEVATED EXCESSIVE HEAT RISK.
  LIMITED FIRE WEATHER RISK.

  SUNDAY...
  ELEVATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK.
  ELEVATED EXCESSIVE HEAT RISK.

  MONDAY...
  LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK.
  LIMITED EXCESSIVE HEAT RISK.

  TUESDAY...
  LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK.
  LIMITED EXCESSIVE HEAT RISK.

  WEDNESDAY...
  LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK.
  LIMITED EXCESSIVE HEAT RISK.

  THURSDAY...
  LIMITED EXCESSIVE HEAT RISK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
TONIGHT.

&&

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT OUR WEBPAGE HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC/EHWO

32

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 17, 3:08 PM CST, 42 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
408 PM CDT FRI JUL 17 2015

KSZ065-079-172215-
EDWARDS KS-PAWNEE KS-
408 PM CDT FRI JUL 17 2015

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL PAWNEE AND EDWARDS
COUNTIES UNTIL 515 PM CDT...

AT 408 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
CENTERVIEW...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH.

DIME SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
LARNED...KINSLEY...LEWIS...BURDETT...GARFIELD...ROZEL...BELPRE...
CENTERVIEW...SANFORD...FELLSBURG...ZOOK AND FRIZELL.

LAT...LON 3774 9912 3782 9952 3825 9956 3823 9894
TIME...MOT...LOC 2108Z 187DEG 35KT 3782 9923

KRUSE

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:50 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Edwards

When: July 17, 3:50 PM CST
Where: Edwards County, 2.34 mi NNE of Lewis
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.960, -99.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Pawnee

When: July 17, 4:02 PM CST
Where: Pawnee County, 4.27 mi SE of Ash Valley
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 38.260, -99.160

Hail, Hodgeman

When: July 17, 4:05 PM CST
Where: Hodgeman County, 15.62 mi WSW of Jetmore
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.030, -100.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Seward

When: July 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Seward County, 1.3 mi ESE of Liberal
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.020, -100.910

Eight to 10 power poles were blown down by the wind.

Thunderstorm Wind, Seward

When: July 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Seward County, 5.11 mi NNE of (Lbl)liberal Arpt
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 37.120, -100.940

A pivot irrigation sprinkler was flipped over by the high wind.

Hail, Pawnee

When: July 17, 4:38 PM CST
Where: Pawnee County, Larned
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 38.180, -99.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: July 17, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Meade County, 9.39 mi SSE of Meade State Park
Measured: 75 kt (86 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.050, -100.340

Numerous 3 to 4 inch diameter tree branches were broken by the high wind.

Thunderstorm Wind, Seward

When: July 17, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Seward County, 4.98 mi SSE of Hayne
Measured: 74 kt (85 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.040, -100.750

Trees were reportedly blown down by the high wind.

Thunderstorm Wind, Seward

When: July 17, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Seward County, 1.38 mi N of Kismet
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.220, -100.700

A small tree was blown down.

Hail, Seward

When: July 17, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Seward County, 1.3 mi WNW of Hayne
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 37.110, -100.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Meade

When: July 17, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Meade County, 7.43 mi SE of Meade State Park
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 37.090, -100.330

Five inch diameter tree limbs were broken by the high wind.

Hail, Pawnee

When: July 17, 7:38 PM CST
Where: Pawnee County, 4.7 mi SE of Ash Valley
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.260, -99.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Rush

When: July 17, 8:05 PM CST
Where: Rush County, 0.88 mi SW of Rush Center
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 38.460, -99.310

Large tree limbs were broken and there was also a couple of broken windows.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, July 2015

Sources

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: 597556, 597568, 597557, 597561, 597562, 597558, 597563, 597564, 597565, 597559, 597566, 597560, 597567.