A supercell thunderstorm moved southward across Northwest Kansas producing flash flooding, hail up to hen egg size, and damaging winds. The largest hail reported was in north of Goodland and in southeast Sherman County.
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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 supercell thunderstorm moved southward across Northwest Kansas producing flash flooding, hail up to hen egg size, and damaging winds. The largest hail reported was in north of Goodland and in southeast Sherman County. The slow movement of the storm and heavy rainfall caused flash flooding across northern Sherman County including flooding the South Beaver Creek and many roads. Estimated wind gusts up to 90 MPH rolled a camper trailer, blew down a cottonwood tree, and uprooted a pine tree in Goodland.
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 31, 4:45 PM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Goodland KS 445 PM MDT Wed May 31 2017 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Thursday) Issued at 219 PM MDT Wed May 31 2017 A nearly stationary boundary is positioned from northwest to southeast across the forecast area this afternoon. North of this boundary, east-southeasterly surface flow is pooling dewpoints in the lower to mid 50s while temperatures are rising into the lower to middle 80s this afternoon. This will create an axis of instability this afternoon that may help feed any thunderstorms that develop in the convergent area in the vicinity of the surface boundary. There is currently little to no convective inhibition present, although convective development is currently being limited by the subsidence aloft from the large ridge in place over the Rockies and western portions of the high plains. As storms move off the Rockies and over the plains, they may also tap into the instability present over far northeast Colorado and then continue eastward along the axis of instability through the evening hours. Expect the favored area of development to lift northeast out of the area by 08Z with dry conditions to continue persisting through the remainder of the overnight hours and through the day on Thursday as the axis of the upper ridge moves east over the high plains. Damaging winds and hail are possible with any of the stronger storms that develop. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Wednesday) Issued at 155 PM MDT Wed May 31 2017 THE PERIOD STARTS OUT WITH AN UPPER RIDGE AXIS OVER THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. THIS WILL INFLUENCE THE REGION WITH DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS THROUGH THE MORNING. BY THE START OF THE AFTERNOON, THE RIDGE WILL BREAK DOWN AND BE REPLACE BY AN OPEN WAVE WITH CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THERE LOOKS TO BE MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY. THIS WILL AID IN SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY, CANNOT RULE OUT A SEVERE STORM OR TWO DURING FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. SATURDAY RIDGING BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST AS A DEEP TROUGH SITUATED OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION AND ANOTHER JUST OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST. THE MODELS ARE SHOWING THIS PATTERN LASTING OVER THE REST OF THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE IT WILL ALLOW MOISTURE TO BE ADVECTED IN FROM THE SOUTHEAST ON SUNDAY. MONDAY AFTERNOON THE RIDGE STARTS TO BREAKS DOWN ALLOWING SHORTWAVE TROUGHS TO MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. THIS WILL PRODUCE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS STARTING MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND LASTING THE REST OF THE EXTENDED AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WITH ITS ASSOCIATED FRONT MOVES CLOSER TO THE REGION. AT THIS TIME IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL WHAT SEVERE POTENTIAL WILL BE. THE MODELS ARE SHOWING THE HIGHEST INSTABILITY ON THE SOUTHWESTERN EDGE OF THE TRI STATE REGION ON WEDNESDAY. THIS COULD EASILY SHIFT OVER OUR REGION DURING THE NEXT FEW MODEL RUN. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO BE ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH MONDAY. THEN EXPECT NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Thursday evening) Issued at 445 PM MDT Wed May 31 2017 KGLD, vfr conditions expected through the period. Will have a chance of thunderstorms near/over the terminal from taf issuance through about 03z as a weather disturbance moves across the area. Winds generally from the southeast 10-15kts but could be variable and quite gusty around any thunderstorms. From 04z-08z winds from the southeast near 10kts. From 09z-17z winds from the south around 10kts. After 18z winds increase from the south 15-20kts with higher gusts. KMCK, vfr conditions expected from taf issuance through about 07z then again after 14z. From 08z-13z warm front and saturated boundary layer moisture looks to create ifr cigs and possibly some reductions in visibility with winds from the east under 10kts. Otherwise could see thunderstorms near/over the terminal from 01z-03z with gusty winds and reduced visibilities. Winds from taf issuance through about 02z from the east gusting 20-25kts. Otherwise winds from the east to southeast under 10kts through the rest of the period. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...LOCKHART LONG TERM...BW AVIATION...99
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Goodland KS 1036 AM MDT Wed May 31 2017 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-011645- Yuma County-Kit Carson County-Cheyenne County-Cheyenne-Rawlins- Decatur-Norton-Sherman-Thomas-Sheridan-Graham-Wallace-Logan-Gove- Greeley-Wichita-Dundy-Hitchcock-Red Willow- 1036 AM MDT Wed May 31 2017 /1136 AM CDT Wed May 31 2017/ This hazardous weather outlook is for east central Colorado... extreme southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... There is a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms across the Central High Plains Region this afternoon and evening. The primary focus will be north of a line from Benkelman Nebraska to Hill City Kansas. Large hail and damaging winds will be the main threats with any of the stronger storms that may develop. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... There will be a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and evening. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be required.
The Goodland radar (KGLD), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:54 UTC.
9 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail up to dime size is still occurring after 20 minutes of nickel size hail.
Hail started off around nickel size then grew to quarter size and is still falling. Hail is covering the ground.
Rainfall amounts of up to four inches in a couple hours occurred. The rapid runoff quickly filled the channel of the Little Beaver Creek not long after the heavy rain began. Water was reported over Highway 27 at the Little Beaver Creek.
Rainfall amounts of up to four inches in a couple hours occurred. The rapid runoff quickly filled the channel of the Little Beaver Creek not long after the heavy rain began. Water was reported over CR 20 south of the CR 20/CR B intersection at the Little Beaver Creek.
Hail stones of dime to nickel size accompanied the severe wind gusts.
Dime to nickel size hail also occurred with the wind gusts.
Near the hospital a 30 ft. camper trailer was rolled three times, including rolling over a privacy fence and a shed. A large cottonwood tree was also blown over and a pine tree was uprooted on the hospital campus.
Three irrigation pivots were blown over.
Rainfall rate was so high water was running into the basement of the house.
Rainfall amounts of up to four inches in a couple hours occurred. The rapid runoff quickly filled the channel of the Little Beaver Creek not long after the heavy rain began. Water was reported over CR 21 at the Little Beaver Creek.
Hail was just a little over two inches in diameter.
During this time 0.88 inches of rain also fell.
Rainfall amounts of up to four inches in a couple hours occurred. The rapid runoff quickly filled the channel of the Little Beaver Creek after the heavy rain began. Water was reported over CR 23 at the Little Beaver Creek north of the CR 23/CR C intersection.
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, May 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: 701763, 701765, 702042, 702045, 701985, 701979, 701980, 701766, 701978, 701768, 701982, 701987, 701988, 701767, 701986, 702048, 701983, 701770, 701981, 701984, 701772, 702055.