During the evening thunderstorms moved through Gove County. The strongest storms produced hail up to quarter size south of Gove, and broke three inch diameter branches off a cedar tree north of Pendennis.
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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.
During the evening thunderstorms moved through Gove County. The strongest storms produced hail up to quarter size south of Gove, and broke three inch diameter branches off a cedar tree north of Pendennis.
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 15, 6:05 PM CST, 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Goodland KS 605 PM MDT Sat Apr 15 2017 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday) Issued at 115 PM MDT Sat Apr 15 2017 Today and tonight: Tranquil weather continues to prevail this afternoon across most of the CWA. Our southeastern counties could see a scattered thunderstorm along the lingering theta-e axis associated with this morning's cold front. A weak trough will quickly traverse the region overnight and into Sunday morning. PoPs will be slgt chc to chc as the system moves from west to east. Best chances for precip will be along and southeast of a line from Cheyenne county Colorado to Red Willow county Nebraska. Instability will be minimal and forcing will be weak, thus besides a few rumbles of thunder, mainly just showers are expected with coverage remaining relatively scattered. Sunday: We could see a shower or two remaining in the southeastern portions of CWA early on; however, this activity will move off to the east and southeast through the morning hours. A dry afternoon is expected across the entire CWA as weak shortwave high pressure will prevail. Another weak shortwave will approach the area late in the afternoon and evening. .LONG TERM...(Sunday night through Saturday) Issued at 115 PM MDT Sat Apr 15 2017 There will be several chances for rainfall for this period, with the best chance for rainfall at the end of next week. That system will be the focus for this forecast. Monday night through Wednesday night several quick moving upper level short wave troughs will move through in the zonal flow. Each short wave trough will be stronger than the last. However they will be moving fast enough and be shallow enough that they will not bring much precipitation with them. Monday night the environment will be quite dry except for the first thousand feet or so above ground, when the highest chances for precipitation will occur. Am thinking this will most likely be more of a drizzle, if the current sounding profile holds, as a cold front moves through behind the upper level short wave trough. Another cold front will move through Wednesday afternoon, with a glancing blow of some chances for rain ahead of it. If this front moves through earlier in the afternoon, current highs will be too warm. The main focus of interest is the upcoming storm system at the end of the work week. The ECMWF has shifted slightly further north with its latest track over the last two model runs. It still has a closed low developing over the Four Corners area then lifts northeast over Western Kansas. This track will still favor a good soaking rainfall for the forecast area. The GFS has been much more variable in its track. The last six runs of the GFS have gradually shifted the track of the low north and have changed from a closed low to an open wave. Plus the GFS track has the low further north than the ECMWF over the Great Basin. The GFS track does not deepen into a closed low until the KS/MO border. A closed low would circulate the precipitation north into the forecast area while an open wave would move more quickly with precipitation mainly on the leading edge of the trough. The GEFS ensemble members are much more varied with the track/development of the low than the previous run (0z). The 0z GEFS had almost half the members lining up rather well with the ECMWF closed low. The Canadian model has shifted the closed low further south with the latest run to where the ECMWF has had the closed low for the last three runs, and is in good agreement with the speed/track of the ECMWF. Taking all the model variances into consideration, currently have more faith in the more consistent ECMWF solution than the GFS at this time. The ECMWF track would be more favorable for bringing wide spread rainfall to the Tri-State Area too. Currently looks like rainfall will start Thursday and possibly last into Saturday. If this does end up being a closed low, would expect the start time to be closer to Friday due to models typically moving closed lows too fast. On a side note, am not too concerned about winter weather or severe weather with this system. Looks like all the instability will be east of the forecast area and temperatures will remain warm enough behind the cold front Thursday to keep the precipitation as rain not snow. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Sunday evening) Issued at 533 PM MDT Sat Apr 15 2017 GLD and MCK TAFs should remain VFR through the period with north winds slackening and turning east overnight and then southeast by mid day on Sunday. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...TL LONG TERM...JTL AVIATION...LOCKHART
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Goodland KS 1024 AM MDT Sat Apr 15 2017 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-161630- Yuma County-Kit Carson County-Cheyenne County-Cheyenne-Rawlins- Decatur-Norton-Sherman-Thomas-Sheridan-Graham-Wallace-Logan-Gove- Greeley-Wichita-Dundy-Hitchcock-Red Willow- 1024 AM MDT Sat Apr 15 2017 /1124 AM CDT Sat Apr 15 2017/ This hazardous weather outlook is for east central Colorado... extreme southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be required.
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Goodland KS 711 PM CDT SAT APR 15 2017 KSZ028-029-160100- Gove KS-Logan KS- 711 PM CDT SAT APR 15 2017 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EAST CENTRAL LOGAN AND SOUTHWESTERN GOVE COUNTIES UNTIL 800 PM CDT... At 711 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm was reported 16 miles northeast of Scott State Lake, moving east at 25 mph. Dime size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Gove. LAT...LON 3881 10092 3902 10089 3901 10033 3871 10037 TIME...MOT...LOC 0011Z 277DEG 21KT 3889 10079 Lockhart
The Goodland radar (KGLD), 120 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:56 UTC.
2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail already covering the ground and ranged in sizes from pea to nickel size, with a few quarter size stones.
The ground was covered in hail at the time of the report. Mostly pea and nickel size hail, with some quarter size hail mixed in.
Living cedar tree branches up to three inches in diameter broken off.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, April 2017
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: 691739, 691746, 691753.