Strong winds developed behind a cold front sweeping south across the area.
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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.
Strong winds developed behind a cold front sweeping south across the area.
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 Mar 23, 5:29 PM CST, 5 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Dodge City KS 629 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016 ...Updated for Aviation... .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 321 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016 A strong upper level storm system and associated cold fronts were sweeping across the central plains this afternoon. This system will rapidly pass off to the east tonight, with surface high pressure gradually building into the plains by Thursday. The next upper level storm system and associated cold front are expected to traverse the plains Saturday and Sunday. Yet another upper level storm system is expected to approach the high plains region by mid to late next week. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH Thursday) ISSUED AT 321 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016 The lower levels were too dry for precipitation despite the passage of the strong, aforementioned upper level system and fronts. Winds will remain strong this evening and shift to the north. High wind warning criteria may not be met, but opted to keep it in place since marginal criteria can't be ruled out. Cold advection will result in temperatures falling into the upper 20s to lower 30s by Thursday morning. Highs on Thursday will only be in the 50s. .LONG TERM...(Thursday NIGHT THROUGH Wednesday) ISSUED AT 321 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016 Rain chances will increase by late Friday night and Saturday as the aforementioned upper level storm system approaches. Rain will likely change to snow as cold air invades southwestern Kansas behind the front. It is too early to tell whether this will be a significant snow event. High temperatures will fall from the upper 60s to lower 70s Friday to the 40s or 50s for Saturday and Sunday, with lows in the 20s and 30s. Temperatures will rebound nicely into the 60s and 70s by Monday and Tuesday ahead of yet another upper level storm system. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z Thursday EVENING) ISSUED AT 624 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016 MVFR cigs will improve after 10-12Z to VFR as the strong upper system pulls away. The pressure gradient also relaxes around noon with northwest winds of 20-35kt becoming 10-15kt after 17-19Z. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 415 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2016 A Red Flag warning will be kept until 9 pm due to low relative humidity, strong winds and the ongoing, large fire in Barber county. With cold air invading southern Kansas this evening, conditions will no longer meet Red Flag warning criteria after 9 pm. However, since a large fire is already in progress in Barber county, continued strong winds that will be shifting from westerly to northerly through the evening despite the rising humidity values will just prolong the fire threat downwind. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 28 59 32 70 / 20 10 0 0 GCK 25 57 31 68 / 30 10 0 0 EHA 28 59 31 68 / 20 10 0 0 LBL 28 60 32 70 / 20 10 0 0 HYS 27 53 32 66 / 70 10 0 0 P28 33 57 33 72 / 20 10 0 0 && .DDC Watches/Warnings/Advisories... High Wind Warning until 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ this evening for KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090. Red Flag Warning until 9 PM CDT this evening for KSZ065-066- 078>081-088>090. Dense Smoke Advisory until midnight CDT tonight for KSZ081-090. && SYNOPSIS...Finch SHORT TERM...Finch LONG TERM...Finch AVIATION...Kruse FIRE WEATHER...Finch
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 944 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-250245- 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- 944 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2016 /844 PM MDT WED MAR 23 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. DISCUSSION...GUSTY SOUTH WINDS DEVELOPING ON FRIDAY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS WILL CREATE ELEVATED WILDFIRE CONDITIONS. HAZARDS WEATHER RISK... THURSDAY... LIMITED NON THUNDERSTORM WIND RISK. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. FRIDAY... LIMITED NON THUNDERSTORM WIND RISK. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. SATURDAY... NO HAZARDS. SUNDAY... NO HAZARDS. MONDAY... ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. TUESDAY... LIMITED NON THUNDERSTORM WIND RISK. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT OUR WEBPAGE HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC/EHWO 06
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This high wind was measured at the Garden City airport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, March 2016
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: 627102.