A line of slow moving thunderstorms developed along a warm front during the latter half of the afternoon over Red Willow county. During the development of one of the thunderstorms, a landspout formed northeast of Indianola.
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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 GLD wrote it up.
A line of slow moving thunderstorms developed along a warm front during the latter half of the afternoon over Red Willow county. During the development of one of the thunderstorms, a landspout formed northeast of Indianola. Due to the landspout being out in the rural part of the county, no damage or injuries occurred.
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 8, 2:59 PM CST, 2 hours 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 259 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 1159 AM MDT SUN MAY 8 2016 AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE EASTWARD INTO THE PLAINS THROUGH THE DAY TODAY AND INTO MONDAY WITH A COLD FRONT PUSHING SOUTHEASTWARD OUT OF EASTERN COLORADO. A DRYLINE WILL DEVELOP OUT AHEAD OF THIS FRONT WITH GOOD INSTABILITY IN AREAS EAST OF THE DRYLINE. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM MAINLY EAST OF HWY 83 IN KANSAS. WE ARE EXPECTING THE POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...AND PERHAPS A FEW TORNADOES. THESE STORMS WILL START AS INDEPENDENT CELLS OR SUPERCELLS THIS AFTERNOON THEN FORM INTO A BROKEN LINE AS THEY MOVE NORTHEASTWARD INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHCENTRAL KANSAS TONIGHT. RAIN AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH AREAS OF FOG OR MIST POSSIBLE MONDAY MORNING. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 258 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2016 MONDAY EVENING THERE MAY BE SOME LINGERING SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE AREA AHEAD OF SUBSIDENCE THAT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH BEHIND THE CLOSED LOW MOVES THROUGH. A SHORT WAVE RIDGE WILL MOVE THROUGH OVERNIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. TUESDAY MORNING WILL START OUT DRY AS THE SHORT WAVE RIDGE MOVES THROUGH. BEHIND THE RIDGE A CLOSED LOW OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL FOLLOW THE SHORT WAVE RIDGE EAST. ROTATING AROUND THE BASE OF THE CLOSED LOW IS A SHORT WAVE TROUGH. DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE MORNING STORMS WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP OVER THE WEST PART OF THE AREA/MOVE INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST...AS A SHORT WAVE TROUGH ROTATES AROUND THE CLOSED LOW AND INTO THE AREA. AT THE SURFACE A COLD FRONT WILL BE OVER THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE AREA...A LOW PRESSURE WILL BE CENTERED OVER SOUTHWEST KANSAS WITH A DRY LINE EAST OF IT. ANTICIPATE THE FRONT TO SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR STORM DEVELOPMENT...WITH MORE SCATTERED COVERAGE SOUTH OF THE FRONT UNDER THE BROAD LIFT OF THE SHORT WAVE TROUGH. THIS SURFACE PATTERN IS VERY SIMILAR TO TODAY...HOWEVER THE ENVIRONMENT WILL NOT BE AS STABLE DUE TO THE CLOSED LOW BEING OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. AM EXPECTING GENERAL THUNDERSTORMS AS A RESULT OF THE MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENT. EXPECT THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS LIFT OVER THE AREA STRENGTHENS. ON A SIDE NOTE...SIDED WITH THE MODELS WHICH HAD THE SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO. WITH THIS LAST SEVERE WEATHER EVENT...NEARLY ALL THE MODELS HAD THE SURFACE LOW TOO FAR NORTH OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO INSTEAD OF OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO. FOLLOWING THE FURTHER SOUTH SOLUTION GIVES THE ENTIRE TRI-STATE AREA A BETTER SHOT AT RECEIVING RAINFALL SINCE THE FRONT WILL BE OVER MORE OF THE AREA INSTEAD OF NORTH OF THE AREA. TUESDAY EVENING STORM COVERAGE WILL PEAK AS LIFT OVER THE AREA REACHES ITS FULL POTENTIAL. STORM ACTIVITY WILL SHIFT EAST THROUGH THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES EASTWARD AND SUBSIDENCE MOVES INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. THERE COULD BE SOME TRAINING THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG THE FRONT...DUE TO THE MEAN WIND BEING PARALLEL TO THE COLD FRONT. IF STORMS TRACK OVER THE SAME LOCATION LONG ENOUGH THIS COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE OVERALL WEATHER PATTERN. FOR THE MOST PART THE PERIOD WILL BE DRY. THERE WILL BE SOME WITH SOME MINIMAL CHANCES FOR RAINFALL THROUGH THE WEEK AS WEAK LIFT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF A BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE GREAT BASIN. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER THE PRESENCE OF THE RIDGE WEST OF THE TRI- STATE AREA AND FAIRLY DRY ENVIRONMENT WILL LIMIT THE RAIN POTENTIAL OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE NEXT CHANCE DECENT CHANCE FOR RAINFALL WILL BE NEXT WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. A COUPLE DEEPER UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE TROUGHS MOVE OVER THE TRI-STATE AREA AND 700-500MB MIXING RATIOS INCREASE. THESE STRONGER SHORT WAVE TROUGHS FLATTEN THE RIDGE...ALLOWING THE INCREASED MOISTURE TO MOVE OVER THE AREA. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1119 AM MDT SUN MAY 8 2016 VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON AT BOTH TAF SITES. MVFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE STARTING AROUND 21Z AT BOTH KGLD AND KMCK AS THUNDERSTORMS BEGIN TO FORM IN THE REGION. COVERAGE WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES. SHOWERS COULD LINGER IN THE REGION INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON MONDAY WITH MIST OR FOG POSSIBLE BETWEEN 09Z AND 14Z WITH POSSIBLE IFR CONDITIONS MAINLY AT KMCK THROUGH MID MORNING ON MONDAY. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...TL LONG TERM...JTL AVIATION...TL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 309 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2016 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-092115- YUMA COUNTY-KIT CARSON COUNTY-CHEYENNE COUNTY-CHEYENNE-RAWLINS- DECATUR-NORTON-SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE- GREELEY-WICHITA-DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 309 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2016 /409 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL COLORADO... EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE EAST OF HIGHWAY 25. THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE LARGE HAIL UP TO BASEBALL SIZE AND DAMAGING WINDS. HOWEVER A FEW TORNADOES CANNOT BE RULED OUT EAST OF HIGHWAY 25. A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS AREA AS RESULT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG A COLD FRONT. REPEATED ROUNDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG THE FRONT MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING EAST OF THE COLORADO BORDER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANY WEATHER REPORTS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA OR BY PHONE ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. JTL
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
445 PM MDT SUN MAY 08 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0440 PM HAIL 3 S GRAINFIELD 39.07N 100.48W
05/08/2016 E0.25 INCH GOVE KS STORM CHASER
&&
BWARRENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
449 PM MDT SUN MAY 08 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0444 PM HAIL GOODLAND 39.35N 101.71W
05/08/2016 E0.50 INCH SHERMAN KS NWS EMPLOYEE
&&
BWARRENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
459 PM MDT SUN MAY 08 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0446 PM TORNADO 4 E GOVE 38.96N 100.42W
05/08/2016 GOVE KS PUBLIC
LOCATION EST BY RADAR
&&
BWARRENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
513 PM MDT SUN MAY 08 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0504 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 9 N WAKEENEY 39.16N 99.91W
05/08/2016 GRAHAM KS LAW ENFORCEMENT
&&
BWARRENSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 515 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2016 KSZ001-002-NEZ079-080-082330- CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS KS-DUNDY NE-HITCHCOCK NE- 515 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN RAWLINS AND NORTHEASTERN CHEYENNE COUNTIES IN NORTHWESTERN KANSAS...SOUTHEASTERN DUNDY AND SOUTHWESTERN HITCHCOCK COUNTIES IN SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA UNTIL 530 PM MDT/630 PM CDT/... AT 515 PM MDT/615 PM CDT/...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF BENKELMAN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... BENKELMAN AND MAX. THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO STATIONS AND AVAILABLE TELEVISION STATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM MDT/1000 PM CDT/ FOR NORTHWESTERN KANSAS. LAT...LON 3983 10143 3995 10169 4019 10148 4004 10114 TIME...MOT...LOC 2315Z 215DEG 24KT 3995 10149 LUNDQUIST
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
516 PM MDT SUN MAY 08 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0442 PM HAIL ENE GOODLAND 39.35N 101.71W
05/08/2016 E0.50 INCH SHERMAN KS COCORAHS
FROM 1642PM TO 1656PM
&&
BWARRENThe Goodland radar (KGLD), 148 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:27 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Landspout developed northeast of town.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 2016Warnings in Nebraska, May 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: 627425.