A slight severe risk for much of the CWA due to a cold front pushing in from the northwest. With ample enough shear over 30kts and low level moisture ahead of it, a number of storms developed along and ahead the boundary giving way to large hail close to 3 inches in diameter.
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 DDC wrote it up.
A slight severe risk for much of the CWA due to a cold front pushing in from the northwest. With ample enough shear over 30kts and low level moisture ahead of it, a number of storms developed along and ahead the boundary giving way to large hail close to 3 inches in diameter. The storms out of eastern Colorado well behind the front came with mainly damaging winds and flooding hazards being more of cluster and lines that moved through the far western counties of the CWA.
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 Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 21, 1:33 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Dodge City KS 233 PM CDT Thu May 21 2020 ...updated aviation section... .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Friday) Issued at 226 PM CDT Thu May 21 2020 MSAS showing weak surface low pressure centered over the western Oklahoma panhandle with attendant cold front from wet of Syracuse into southwest Nebraska this afternoon. Also a dryline and warmfront extended south from near LBL into the Texas Panhandle. Ahead and east of these features has been a stubborn field of stratus clouds that has created a large temperatures difference from the upper 60s to low 70s under the cloud cover and contrasted by low 80s over the Sunny Syracuse-Johnson-Elkhart area. Latest HRRR initiate these convective elements at 21 UTC along the cold front along the highway 25 corridor with organized elements reaching the highway 83 corridor by around 10 pm. In addition to a hail and 60-70 mph wind threat, a sizable area of 1 to 2 inch rain is likely with more localized areas of 3 and 4 inches just as likely. Increased Pops over the area as widespread trailing stratiform precipitation is likely beyond midnight even as the overall severe risk should be decreasing. Uncertainty with respect to and additional marginally elevated severe pulse hail storms in the southeast will revolve around mid level wave that will be moving into the area during the overnight hours. Lows are forecast from the mid 50s west to more mild summerlike 60s across south central Kansas. .LONG TERM...(Friday night through Thursday) Issued at 226 PM CDT Thu May 21 2020 Potential exists for thunderstorms to be ongoing early Friday morning across the eastern and especially south central Kansas counties as models show a mid level trough/weak pvu anomaly moving though the area with still conditionally unstable air. This should clear out though with sky becoming sunny area wide by afternoon resulting in temperatures warming into the 80s all the way to Hays. It will likely remain inactive later in the day Friday with respect to convection, however the 850 wind field transitions from weak easterly flow Friday to veering and increasing winds though Saturday, with stronger south winds, and better moisture transport ahead of a dryline for Saturday late afternoon and Saturday evening. As a result , convection is possible Saturday across the eastern counties. The southwest winds will make temperatures much warmer on Saturday, before a cold front tempers highs and focuses severe weather chances once again along a southward propagating cold front through Sunday night. This will setup Monday to likely be cooler and cloudy and perhaps showery with diurnal thunderstorms. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon) Issued at 1258 PM CDT Thu May 21 2020 Main impact to aviation will be the potential for convection, with heavy rain, and lowered ceilings going into the mid evening hours. A cold front over nw and far west central KS will be the likely initiation point for a few scattered thunderstorms as early as 21 UTC. The initial storms should quickly begin to develop additional cells on the outflow with a cold pool developing and driving an MCS east-southeast through the late evening hours and beyond midnight. There is good deep shear for initial rounds of large hail in excess of 2 inches and downdraft cape to support accelerating downbursts to 60 mph or more locally. More uncertainly however in potential for widespread damaging winds based on HRRR/HiRES model relatively low post gust front surface wind output. An upper wave will be rotating through the region during the early morning Friday which may translate into a continued , mainly low end severe risk in central Kansas early Friday morning. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 56 81 59 90 / 60 20 0 0 GCK 53 81 57 91 / 80 10 0 0 EHA 54 84 56 91 / 40 10 0 0 LBL 54 83 57 94 / 50 20 0 0 HYS 57 80 57 87 / 80 20 10 10 P28 61 81 63 88 / 70 60 10 10 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...Russell LONG TERM...Russell AVIATION...Russell
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Dodge City KS 345 AM CDT Thu May 21 2020 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-221000- Trego-Ellis-Scott-Lane-Ness-Rush-Hamilton-Kearny-Finney-Hodgeman- Pawnee-Stafford-Stanton-Grant-Haskell-Gray-Ford-Edwards-Kiowa- Pratt-Morton-Stevens-Seward-Meade-Clark-Comanche-Barber- 345 AM CDT Thu May 21 2020 /245 AM MDT Thu May 21 2020/ This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of central...south central...southwest and west central Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Day 1 Discussion ---------------- There will be a chance for severe thunderstorms late today and early tonight. The main hazards will be hail 2 inches and larger, strong damaging winds greater up to 70 mph and periods of heavy rainfall. An isolated tornado can not be ruled out. Day 1 Hazards ------------- * Tornado: Limited risk * Hail: Limited risk * Thunderstorm wind damage: Limited risk * Lightning: Significant risk * Non-thunderstorm wind: Limited risk .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Days 2-7 Discussion ------------------- There will be a chance for strong to severe thunderstorms Sunday night. Large hail and periods of heavy rainfall currently appear to be the main hazards from these storms. Days 2-7 Hazards ---------------- * Friday - Lightning: Elevated risk - Severe thunderstorm: Limited risk * Saturday - Lightning: Limited risk - Non thunderstorm wind: Limited risk - Fire weather: Elevated risk * Sunday - Lightning: Elevated risk - Non thunderstorm wind: Limited risk * Monday - Lightning: Limited risk * Tuesday - Lightning: Limited risk * Wednesday - Lightning: Limited risk .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be required after 4 pm, especially south of a Garden City to Dodge City line. && For more details visit our webpage https://weather.gov/crh/ghwo?sid=ddc
The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 163 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:38 UTC.
26 hail, 5 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
This was a brief landspout tornado.
This was one of two twin landspout tornadoes.
This was one of two twin landspout tornadoes.
This was another landspout tornado.
This was a slow moving elephant trunk tornado but there was nothing for the tornado to damage as it moved across sagebrush and pastures.
Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH.
Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2020Warnings in Kansas, 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: 899094, 899092, 899093, 899095, 899096, 899064, 899065, 899066, 899067, 899068, 899069, 899070, 899071, 899072, 899073, 899074, 899075, 899076, 899077, 899078, 899090, 899079, 899091, 899080, 899081, 899082, 899083, 899084, 899085, 899086, 899087, 899088, 899089.