During May Severe drought conditions spread over parts of East Central Colorado including Kit Carson, Cheyenne, and the western fringe of Yuma counties. The worst of the drought conditions were located in southwest Cheyenne County where extreme drought was reported.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
During May Severe drought conditions spread over parts of East Central Colorado including Kit Carson, Cheyenne, and the western fringe of Yuma counties. The worst of the drought conditions were located in southwest Cheyenne County where extreme drought was reported. Precipitation for these counties ranged from 1.20 to 1.80 below normal for the month of May.
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 30, 10:43 PM MST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Goodland KS 1143 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2020 .UPDATE... Issued at 549 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2020 Fire weather conditions are remaining below critical values and will continue to improve as temperatures cool and relative humidity values increase along with a decrease in winds this evening. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday) Issued at 200 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2020 Upper ridge axis is passing east of the area today and upper pattern beginning to transition to more of a zonal flow. Cannot completely rule out an isolated shower tonight with any weak embedded wave, but with very dry lower layers thinking it will be mostly virga anyway so kept pops below 10 percent. Low temperatures will be in the lower 50s with light west winds. Friday will start out mostly sunny then as the next shortwave comes out of the central Rockies will see slight chances for isolated thunderstorms coming off the Palmer Divide. Deep layer shear will be good with zonal flow atop low level easterly flow, but instability will be weak, with just a narrow corridor of 500 j/kg from the Palmer southeastward toward Tribune and Leoti. May see an isolated stronger storm there in the afternoon/early evening, but otherwise not anticipating severe storms on Friday. Widely scattered showers/isolated thunderstorms will continue through Friday night and slowly lift northward overnight. High temperatures on Friday will reach the upper 80s to near 90. Relative humidity reaches near critical values of 15-20 percent in the afternoon, but winds are light. As a result, not expecting to meet red flag criteria on Friday. Will get a break in precipitation chances during the morning and early afternoon Saturday, then the next shortwave emerges bringing another round of showers and thunderstorms, mainly Saturday night. Deep layer shear continue to be very good, up to 50 kts, but instability is lacking for stronger updrafts. Even using the HREF ensemble max surface based CAPE, instability barely reaches 1000 j/kg, and the ensemble means are closer to 500 j/kg. Instability rapidly drops off after 00z, which is when the best forcing and chances of precipitation will occur. A marginal risk for severe storms will probably be confined to the late afternoon hours, and mainly in northeast Colorado where storms will develop earlier. QPF for Saturday night will generally be around a quarter of an inch, though might see some locally heavier amounts of over a half inch. Precipitation will wind down late Saturday night. High temperatures will be in the 70s with lows Saturday night in the 40s. Not seeing much of a pattern change for Sunday. Another shortwave trough comes out of the Rockies in the afternoon and evening hours with scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms, diminishing after midnight. The environment will be marginally better for severe storms, with a narrow corridor of instability of up to 1500 j/kg extending north/south into northeast Colorado and adjacent counties of northwest Kansas/southwest Nebraska. Deep layer shear continues to be strong, near 50 kts, so there will be a chance of severe storms in the corridor outlined, with hail and wind being the main threats. However, given the magnitude of the shear, and a stationary frontal boundary in the area, cannot completely rule out a tornado-producing supercell either. High temperatures Sunday afternoon will be around 80 and low temperatures Sunday night in the upper 40s to lower 50s. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Thursday) Issued at 1250 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2020 Monday...latest 12z guidance showing a weather disturbance and associated cold front moving into the northern and northwestern portions of the forecast area during the afternoon moving south and southeast overnight. This will support a mention of showers and thunderstorms. High temperatures in the mid 70s to low 80s. Low temperatures in the low to upper 40s. Tuesday...dry weather currently expected. Breezy north winds possible during the day behind Monday nights cold frontal passage. High temperatures in the mid 60s to low 70s. Low temperatures in the upper 30s to mid 40s. Wednesday...another weather disturbance moves into the area from the northwest during the afternoon exiting the area around or shortly after midnight. No precipitation expected at this time but will need to watch carefully. Breezy south winds possible along and west of the Colorado Kansas border. High temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Low temperatures in the low to mid 40s. Thursday...generally dry weather currently expected. High temperatures in the low to mid 70s. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Friday night) Issued at 1129 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2020 VFR conditions are expected at MCK and GLD through the 06Z TAF period. Mostly cloudy skies will prevail overnight with mainly high clouds streaming across the region. Light south winds turn north northwest by morning with some gusts possible after 16Z as the surface trough moves east across the region. North winds become northeast around 00Z may become gusty after 16Z on the back side of the trough. North winds become northeast after 00Z. There is a very slight chance of light rain and isolated thunder lifting across the region after 02Z Friday evening. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && UPDATE...LOCKHART SHORT TERM...024 LONG TERM...99 AVIATION...LOCKHART
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Goodland KS 559 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2020 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-020000- Yuma County-Kit Carson County-Cheyenne County-Cheyenne-Rawlins- Decatur-Norton-Sherman-Thomas-Sheridan-Graham-Wallace-Logan-Gove- Greeley-Wichita-Dundy-Hitchcock-Red Willow- 559 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2020 /659 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2020/ This hazardous weather outlook is for extreme southwest Nebraska... northwest Kansas and east central Colorado. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... There is a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon and evening in far northeast Colorado. Marginally severe hail up to quarter size and wind gusts up to 60 mph may accompany stronger storms. There will be a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms both Saturday and Sunday over the weekend, mainly in the afternoon and early evening hours both days. Northeast Colorado will be the favored location, but a few storms may move into adjacent areas of northwest Kansas and southwest Nebraska. Hail and wind will be the primary hazards with stronger storms. Elevated fire weather conditions will return to the area early next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected tonight.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall amounts across the county for the month ranged from 0.01 to 0.53. This was 1.10 to 1.40 below normal for May.
Rainfall amounts across most of the county for the month ranged from 0.03 to 0.50. The eastern part of the county near Burlington reported 1.31. Aside from the eastern part of the county, rainfall departures ranged from 1.20 to 1.50 below normal.
Rainfall amounts across the county for the month ranged from 0.01 to 0.45. This was 1.40 to 1.80 below normal for May.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, May 2020
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: 894185, 894186, 894187.