A cluster of thunderstorms moved northeast across parts of Northwest Kansas, with the majority of the severe weather occurring in the Oakley, Gove, and Quinter area. Five tornadoes occurred with these storms.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 cluster of thunderstorms moved northeast across parts of Northwest Kansas, with the majority of the severe weather occurring in the Oakley, Gove, and Quinter area. Five tornadoes occurred with these storms. The first tornado occurred in far western Greeley County, but most of them in Gove County with one of them inflicting damage to Quinter. Some of these storms also produced damaging straight-line winds which caused significant tree and structural damage in Quinter. Due to the repeated heavy rainfall of three and a half to over four inches over Logan, Gove and Graham counties, flash flooding lead to significant road damage occurring in Gove County.
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 Oct 2, 2:04 PM MST, 3 hours 11 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Goodland KS 304 PM MDT Mon Oct 2 2017 .SHORT TERM...(This afternoon through tonight) Issued at 303 PM MDT Mon Oct 2 2017 Amplified pattern remains in place with large scale upper trough over the western US, and southwest flow over the Central High Plains. A stalled front is just east of our CWA, with stratus extending west over much of our CWA. There has been a trend in stratus beginning to break up, particularly in our southwest. This afternoon-Tonight: There is a sharp cutoff along the frontal zone in our east where supercell development is possible this afternoon/evening. Deep strong shear has already developed as strong sw flow overrides low level veering along frontal zone (mesoanalysis shows bulk effective shear around 50kt). Short range guidance still supports this front lifting northwest, and this could allow more favorable air mass/instability to build into our CWA. There has been very little movement so far, and if the front remains further south this could limit severe threat further south and east. Better forcing increases as a shortwave troughs the base of the upper trough and interacts with elevated frontal zone over the rest of our CWA. Elevated instability isn't as high, but high shear will be in place as evening moves on. High resolution guidance continues to indicate several clusters or linear segments forming and this may support more of a wind threat late this evening (assuming winds are able to penetrate stable low levels at that point). .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Monday) Issued at 303 PM MDT Mon Oct 2 2017 Tuesday-Friday night: Large scale upper low will be slow to break down, with individual closed centers breaking off across the northern plains. Deep moisture builds with the southwest flow ahead of the trough and with a stalled frontal zone in place we will see increasing precip chances. Temps are particularly trick as period of cloud cover and precip could hold highs down, while between shortwaves we should see increasing WAA and highs closer to upper 70s/near 80F. Sunday-Monday: Stronger upper troughs from Canada begin to drop towards the plains during these periods. Precip chances are less certain due to dry air mass ahead of these troughs, however we may see the coldest air mass of the season so far reach our CWA by Monday-Monday night and increasing frost potential. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Tuesday afternoon) Issued at 1152 AM MDT Mon Oct 2 2017 Low stratus is lingering along a front southeast of both KGLD and KMCK. As this front lifts northwest MVFR conditions will begin to build over both terminals, with IFR possible late tonight (low confidence on this). Current obs/model trend is to slow down the timing, and I adjusted TAFs to reflect this. Showers/thunderstorms are also expected to develop along this front, with coverage increasing this evening at both terminals. Best overall chance for lower cigs and thunderstorms will be at KMCK this evening. Another cold front moves through the region tonight with winds shifting to the northwest, and then conditions improving by 12Z. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DR LONG TERM...DR AVIATION...DR
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Goodland KS 1120 AM MDT Mon Oct 2 2017 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-031730- Yuma County-Kit Carson County-Cheyenne County-Cheyenne-Rawlins- Decatur-Norton-Sherman-Thomas-Sheridan-Graham-Wallace-Logan-Gove- Greeley-Wichita-Dundy-Hitchcock-Red Willow- 1120 AM MDT Mon Oct 2 2017 /1220 PM CDT Mon Oct 2 2017/ This hazardous weather outlook is for extreme southwest Nebraska... northwest Kansas and east central Colorado. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop east of Highway 83 this afternoon, with coverage increasing across the entire region this evening. Severe weather will be possible across the region. The best chance for severe weather will be east of Highway 83 this afternoon and early evening, where hail greater than 2 inches, damaging winds in excess of 60 mph, and a few tornadoes will be possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed after 1 PM MDT (2 PM CDT) through this evening.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
535 PM MDT MON OCT 02 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0507 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 13 SSE TRIBUNE 38.29N 101.69W
10/02/2017 GREELEY KS STORM CHASER
REPORTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA, TIME AND LOCATION RADAR
ESTIMATED.
&&
TLYNCHThe Goodland radar (KGLD), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:15 UTC.
6 flash flood, 5 tornado, 5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado was visible for almost a minute between CR V and X in the vicinity of CR 24 traveling northeast. No damage was reported with this tornado.
The tornado continued from Scott County into Gove County, crossing the county line just east of CR Quivera and CR Logan-Scott. Damage was observed to large cottonwood trees along Hell Creek on Gove County Road 12. The tornado continued northeast, ending south of the CR 22 and CR I intersection. Due to the lack of vegetation and structures in the path of the tornado, little to no damage was reported.
A brief tornado crossed CR I between CR 38 and CR 42. Several large trees were snapped in a creek bottom. A few farm structures suffered significant damage to their roofs. One or two windows were also broken in one of the structures. Some of the metal roofing from one of the structures was blown into a field northeast of the farm property. Many limbs and a few tree trunks were snapped on the property too.
Estimated wind gusts of 50 MPH also occurred with the hail.
An old shed collapsed due to walls giving way and an enclosed trailer was blown over. Several small limbs were snapped and a single pole for a residential cell tower was blown over.
The hail ranged from nickel to golf ball size, growing larger during this time.
Many structures were damaged in Quinter. The tornado began near the elementary school, causing damage to play ground equipment and blew a fence down. The tornado then caused damage to the city building to the northeast of the school, and damaged a few businesses, a few single-wide mobile homes, and a few homes. Damage to the buildings ranged from loosing shingles to porches being blown over, blowing in a set of doors to a hardware store, and blowing a mobile home off its foundation. Many windows were also broken out of the buildings and a few vehicles. Some of the buildings with metal roofing lost some paneling. Numerous trees had significant damage, with some tree trunks having been snapped. A windbreak on the edge of town was damaged in the middle but not on either end.
Training thunderstorms producing moderate to heavy rainfall over Gove County caused widespread flash flooding. Some of the more noteworthy reports include flood waters over Highway 23 four and five miles north of Gove.
Eighteen inches of running water was reported over 280th Ave. south of Highway 24.
Logan County Road Department reported the road was closed due to flood waters cutting a deep ditch in CR 390 where Plum Creek flows under the road between CR Seneca and CR Rawhide.
Logan County Road Department reported the road had been washed away from the culverts on CR Zest between CR 380 and CR 390.
Logan County road department reported the road was washed away around a 6'x8' box culvert on CR Seneca between CR 380 and CR 390 where Plum Creek crosses under CR Seneca.
Logan County Road Department reported half the road on CR 240 had been washed away between CR Adobe and CR Bison where Chalk Creek flows under CR 240.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2017Warnings in Kansas, October 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: 723919, 723735, 723736, 722395, 723737, 722396, 722397, 725507, 723738, 722398, 723937, 725071, 725066, 725070, 725505, 725068.