A heat burst occurred in NW Yuma County. The local mesonet stations recorded rising temperatures with strong wind gusts.
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 heat burst occurred in NW Yuma County. The local mesonet stations recorded rising temperatures with strong wind gusts. Damage from the event included displaced hay bales, a broken power pole, and a destroyed farm outbuilding occurred near Joes, Colorado. An AWOS station (K2V6) at the Yuma Municipal Airport observed sustained southerly winds at 38 mph gusting to 47 mph as pressure fell 4.7 millibars. The dewpoint also fell from 32 F to 4 F as the temperature rose 13 degrees from 64 F to 77F. The data observed is that of a classic Heat Burst signature.
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 20, 5:01 PM MST, 5 hours 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Goodland KS 601 PM MDT Wed May 20 2020 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Saturday) Issued at 220 PM MDT Wed May 20 2020 Tonight-Thursday...an isolated strong or severe thunderstorm or two is possible this evening across parts of far eastern Colorado along or near a surface dryline. As we approach midnight and through the overnight hours a weather disturbance per 850-500mb relative humidity slides south-southeast across the area supporting some showers and possible thunderstorms. Plenty of low level moisture in the area and am expecting fog and maybe some drizzle to develop for much of the area. Low temperatures are expected to range from the mid 40s to low 50s in far eastern Colorado, mid to upper 50s elsewhere. On Thursday considerable cloudiness is expected across the eastern portion of the area with a sunny to mostly sunny sky further west. Showers are possible under the higher cloud cover with a few thunderstorms possible across the south and southwest portions of the area as weather disturbances move in from the southwest. High temperatures are expected to range from the mid 60s to around 70 in the east due to cloud cover with mid 70s along the CO/KS border. Thursday night-Friday...showers/thunderstorms gradually decrease from west to east during the night with a low chance across the east during the day Friday. Low temperatures are expected to range from the mid 40s west to mid 50s east. High temperatures are expected to be in the upper 70s to low 80s. Friday night-Saturday...dry weather expected during the night with a small chance for showers/thunderstorms in the northeast Saturday near a cold frontal boundary. Low temperatures in the low to mid 50s. High temperatures in the low to upper 80s. .LONG TERM...(Saturday night through Wednesday) Issued at 116 PM MDT Wed May 20 2020 At the start of the extended the models are showing an upper-level ridge amplifying over the Great Lakes region and upper-level Trough digging in over the Rockies. By Monday and Tuesday the upper level flow will become more zonal over the local area with another trough passing over the northern High Plains by mid-week. On the surface, a cold front is anticipated to move across the region Saturday night. Showers and thunderstorms, some may be severe, associated with this front are possible. Behind the front, expect closer to normal temperature on Sunday and Monday before warming back into the 80s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, expect isolated showers and Thunderstorms during the first part of next week. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Thursday evening) Issued at 533 PM MDT Wed May 20 2020 GLD will see VFR conditions with gusty southeast winds continuing into the evening. After 09Z, MVFR conditions with intermittent IFR conditions between 11-14Z are expected with lower ceilings developing and winds subsiding. Conditions will remain MVFR through 18Z. After 18Z, VFR conditions return with lower clouds dissipating and winds turning northeasterly. MCK will hang on to gusty southeast winds through 09Z and will remain VFR through 12Z with a chance of thunderstorms after 09Z that may bring conditions down to MVFR due to lower ceilings. After 12Z, winds turn more easterly with MVFR conditions due mainly to lower ceilings, but also possibly due to lower visibilities with any rain showers and isolated thunderstorms that may persist through Thursday morning. Thunderstorms and rain showers will become more numerous after 18Z with MVFR conditions due mainly to lower ceilings continuing. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM...BW AVIATION...LOCKHART
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Goodland KS 1109 PM MDT Wed May 20 2020 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-211645- Yuma County-Kit Carson County-Cheyenne County-Cheyenne-Rawlins- Decatur-Norton-Sherman-Thomas-Sheridan-Graham-Wallace-Logan-Gove- Greeley-Wichita-Dundy-Hitchcock-Red Willow- 1109 PM MDT Wed May 20 2020 /1209 AM CDT Thu May 21 2020/ This hazardous weather outlook is for extreme southwest Nebraska... northwest Kansas and east central Colorado. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... Patchy fog may develop east of the eastern Colorado border after midnight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... Fog is possible east of the eastern Colorado border through mid morning on Thursday. There is a Marginal risk of severe thunderstorms across the majority of the area Thursday afternoon and evening with a Slight risk of severe thunderstorm south of a line from Cheyenne Wells, Colorado to Gove, Kansas. The main threats will be large hail and damaging wind gusts. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected tonight.
The Goodland radar (KGLD), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:14 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat burst occurred near Joes causing damage to an approximately 75 year old farm outbuilding, broken utility pole, and displaced hay bale. Winds estimated to 80 MPH based on damage.
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: 891715.