A deep negatively tilted trough ejected into the central plains bringing a high wind event due to the sharp pressure gradient. Multiple reports of 70+ mph gusts were recorded and blowing dust reduced visibilities to below 1/4 miles in some areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 28 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 DDC wrote it up.
A deep negatively tilted trough ejected into the central plains bringing a high wind event due to the sharp pressure gradient. Multiple reports of 70+ mph gusts were recorded and blowing dust reduced visibilities to below 1/4 miles in some areas.
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 Mar 14, 1:00 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Dodge City KS 200 AM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - High Wind and Fire Weather event are imminent for southwest KS, with maximum wind gusts during the afternoon in the 55-70 mph range. - Cooler temperatures on Saturday, but a warming trend will quickly return temperatures across southwest KS to the 80s on Monday/Tuesday. - Ensembles continue to suggest another noteworthy weather system could take aim at southwest KS mid-next week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 200 AM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 Water vapor satellite imagery and RAP upper air analysis at 07Z Friday morning reveals a powerful, neutrally-tilted trough moving into the Four Corners region, with considerable lee cyclogenesis occurring in response across the western High Plains. As this significant wave ejects onto the central plains and becomes negatively-tilted daytime Friday, short range ensembles agree the surface low will deepen to around 976-mb, and track across northern KS. Proximity to this surface feature during the morning will save our area from an all-day, high-end gradient wind event as winds trend from southwesterly to northwesterly with the low passing to the north. However, with time, the compact pressure gradient/isallobaric response on the back side of the departing low will begin to overspread our area by early afternoon, resulting in a substantial increase in winds. This increase will be most pronounced along and west of US-283, where confidence in achieving High Wind Warning criteria is high (>90%) as northwesterly winds become sustained in the 35-45 mph range with gusts of 55-70 mph. Blowing dust will also likely accompany the strong winds given the prolonged dry conditions across the central and southern plains, which could impact visibility at times. Additionally, scattered showers are possible as HREF probability of QPF > 0.01" is in the 40-80% range favoring the western half of our CWA, but probabilities drop sharply with increasing threshold, so any precipitation will be minimal. After sunset, winds will begin to relax as boundary layer mixing ceases and the surface low advances further northeast, but will still remain elevated through the night. Daytime Saturday, northwesterly to northerly winds will again be quite strong as the significant low's influence reaches southwest KS, although they will be much more modest compared to Friday, sustained in the 20-30 mph range gusting to 40 mph. Otherwise, cold advection on the back of the strong winds will usher in much cooler temperatures, with afternoon highs in the mid to upper 50s. Early next week, medium range ensembles agree upper level low- amplitude ridging will pass over the western and central CONUS, bringing a warming trend and continued dry conditions to southwest KS. Towards the middle of next week, ensembles again suggest another powerful weather system will impact southwest KS, with strong winds and precipitation. That said, predictability at this range is severely limited, which precludes any discussion of details. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1245 AM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 VFR flying conditions this TAF cycle for all terminals. However, a high-end wind event will occur this afternoon across all of southwest KS. Ongoing southerly winds around 15-20 kts with gusts of 25-30 kts will begin to increase and turn clockwise shortly after sunrise, with peak winds out of the northwest during the early afternoon through early evening sustained in the 30-40 kt range gusting 45-55 kts. Some blowing dust concerns may exist as well, reducing visibility, but scattered showers are expected across the area which introduces some uncertainty, so visibility reductions were left out of the TAFs for now. Winds will begin to weaken around sunset, but will remain elevated through 06Z Saturday. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 200 AM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 Fire Weather conditions are again expected to develop across our far southeastern zones this afternoon. A powerful synoptic wave and its attendant surface cyclone will bring very strong southwesterly winds to south-central KS this afternoon, sustained in the 30-35 mph range with gusts of 45-55 mph. While temperatures will be much cooler during the afternoon and dewpoint temperatures will be on the rise, minimum relative humidity will still drop into the 15-25% range across our far southeastern zones. This combined with the anomalously strong winds, a Red Flag Warning remains in effect for Stafford, Pratt, Barber, and Comanche counties from 11 AM through 9 PM CDT. && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning from 11 AM CDT /10 AM MDT/ this morning to 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ this evening for KSZ043-061>063-074>076- 084>086. Red Flag Warning from 11 AM this morning to 9 PM CDT this evening for KSZ066-081-089-090. && DISCUSSION...Springer AVIATION...Springer FIRE WEATHER...Springer
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Dodge City KS 210 AM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-150715- 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- 210 AM CDT Fri Mar 14 2025 /110 AM MDT Fri Mar 14 2025/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Kansas, south central Kansas, southwest Kansas, and west central Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A High Wind event is ahead for southwest KS during the afternoon on Friday, as southwesterly winds turn northwesterly and increase into the 35-45 mph range gusting to 55-70 mph. The most favored corridor for these intense winds is along and west of US-283. In addition, a Red Flag Warning is in effect for our far southeastern zones. Despite minimum relative humidity likely remaining just above warning criteria, the anomalously strong winds will more than make up for marginal minimum relative humidity, prompting the issuance of the warning. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Another day of dangerous fire weather conditions is expected on Saturday as elevated northerly winds and dry air in the wake of the strong weather system overspread southwest KS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed. Springer
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
26 high wind, 2 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency manager reported numerous tree limbs and several trees down across Morton County. Time estimated with strongest winds via observations.
A mesonet site recorded a wind gust of 65 mph with public reports of 62 and 65 mph.
A 59 mph wind gust was measured by the PWS-KKSSAWE8 mesonet location.
AWOS station KEHA Elkhart Site recorded a wind gust of 67 mph.
AWOS station KJHN Johnson City recorded a wind gust of 72 mph.
ASOS station KP28 Medicine Lodge recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
Personal Weather Station - KKSULYSS6 recorded a 73 mph wind gust. Other nearby stations recorded gusts of 66 mph.
AWOS station K3K3 Syracuse recorded a wind gust of 69 mph.
US 50 @ MP 4.4 Syracuse, KS KSDOT recorded a wind gust of 80 mph. The same station recorded a 72 mph an hour earlier.
Law enforcement reported blowing dust was reducing visibility down to 50 yards.
AWOS station KHQG Hugoton recorded a wind gust of 59 mph.
AWOS station KLBL Liberal recorded a 61 mph wind gust.
Emergency manager reported a wind gust of 66 mph with near 0 mile visibilities.
AWOS station KULS Ulysses recorded a 61 mph wind gust.
AWOS station K36K 2 N Lakin recorded a 72 mph wind gust. The same station recorded 61 mph a few minutes earlier. Other nearby public stations recorded a 71, 62, and 60 mph wind gusts.
Personal Weather Station - Dirks Farm recorded a wind gust of 64 mph.
Mesonet station UR350 Kismws recorded a 64 mph wind gust. A nearby mesonet recorded a wind gust of 61 mph around the same time.
Personal Weather Station - KKSSCOTT4 recorded a 76 mph wind gust.
KAKE WeatherNow sensor recorded a 74 mph wind gusts with a nearby mesonet recording 72 mph.
Personal Weather Station - Smith Weather Station recorded a 60 mph wind gust.
ASOS station KGCK Garden City measured a 63 mph wind gust.
AWOS station KTQK Scott City recorded a wind gust of 66 mph.
Personal weather station - Prairie AG recorded a 83 mph gust. The same station recorded a 64 mph gust a few minutes earlier.
Emergency manager reported that a tree fell on gas line resulting in a brief gas leak.
Personal Weather Station - KKSDODGE57 recorded a 78 mph wind gust.
Personal Weather Station - KKSNESSC2 recorded a 61 mph wind gust.
Personal Weather Station - B-Hart Farm recorded a wind gust of 59 mph.
ASOS station KDDC Dodge City Regional Airport recorded a 60 mph wind gust.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, March 2025
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: 1240607, 1240587, 1240612, 1240605, 1240619, 1240585, 1240593, 1240596, 1240597, 1240615, 1240620, 1240616, 1240618, 1240592, 1240602, 1240603, 1240617, 1240614, 1240589, 1240595, 1240588, 1240613, 1240598, 1240594, 1240591, 1240611, 1240599, 1240590.