Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2011

EF0 tornado, Ingalls Muni Arpt, Kansas, May 24, 2011

This EF0 tornado ran 0.4 miles across Gray County on May 24, 2011, touching down at 3:34 PM CDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
May 24, 2011
Touchdown
3:34 PM CDT (20:34 UTC)
Lifted
3:36 PM CDT (20:36 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
0.4 miles (0.7 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Gray County
Touchdown point
37.923, -100.543
Lift-off point
37.928, -100.538
Record number
1105241434-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A vigorous upper level disturbance, jet streak dynamics and a strong dry line combined to produce numerous rotating thunderstorms. Large hail, flooding rains, and tornadoes were observed.

This was a brief and weak tornado.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

0 minutes of warning. NWS DDC issued a tornado warning for this county at 20:34 UTC, 0 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 21:15 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 18:27 UTC and running to 00:01 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
18:27 UTC00:01 UTCTornado WatchDDC
19:35 UTC20:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDC
20:13 UTC21:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDC
20:29 UTC21:15 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningDDC
20:34 UTC21:15 UTCTornado WarningDDC

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:44 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Dodge City, (KDDC), 12:00Z

8.6 hours before the tornado, 59 km from the path. May 24, 2011.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2011-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1043 joules per kilogram, CIN -263, lifted condensation level 625 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2011-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 221 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 50 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1043 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-263 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1148 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
625 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
221 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
248 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.5
0-3 km lapse rate
4.6 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Dodge City, (KDDC), 00:00Z

3.4 hours after it, 59 km from the path. May 25, 2011.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2011-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -76691, lifted condensation level 1979 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2011-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -482 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 80 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-76691 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1979 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
80 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-482 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-388 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.8 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Garden_city (GCK), 16 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
18:54 UTC7258100° 19 kt271000.3
19:54 UTC715930° 15 kt998.3TS
20:11 UTC69.860.8350° 25 kt29997-TSRA
20:19 UTC66.260.8290° 28 kt37999.3TSGRRA
20:22 UTC64.460.8320° 25 kt37999TSGRRA
20:29 UTC62.657.2320° 15 kt36999.3TSGRRA BR
20:32 UTC60.857.2340° 13 kt36999-TSRA BR
20:37 UTC60.855.410° 13 kt21998.6TS BR
20:46 UTC62.653.630° 14 kt998.6TS
20:54 UTC635440° 9 kt998.3
21:46 UTC62.650280° 27 kt40999.7SQ
21:54 UTC6048290° 32 kt431000
22:06 UTC57.248.2310° 28 kt391000.3TS

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 20:34 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
19:35 UTCHAIL 2.754 N CharlestonGray, KSTHE HAIL BROKE A HOLE THROUGH AN INSULATED, HEATED BIRD BATH. THE HOLE WAS LARGER THAN A FIST.
19:37 UTCHAIL 2.756 N CharlestonGray, KSMOST HAIL VARIED FROM THE SIZE OF PEAS TO QUARTERS. FUNNEL CLOUDS ALSO WERE OBSERVED.
20:05 UTCHAIL 1Garden CityFinney, KS
20:15 UTCHAIL 2.751 S PiercevilleFinney, KSTENNIS BALL TO BASEBALL SIZED HAIL REPORTED.
20:20 UTCHAIL 28 E Garden CityFinney, KSREPORTED FROM GARDEN CITY FAA TOWER PERSONNEL.
20:23 UTCHAIL 1.751 W PiercevilleFinney, KS
20:27 UTCHAIL 4.25PiercevilleFinney, KSBASEBALL TO SOFTBALL SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED.
20:35 UTCHAIL 2.754 N CharlestonGray, KSTHE HAIL BROKE A HOLE THROUGH AN INSULATED, HEATED BIRD BATH. THE HOLE WAS LARGER THAN A FIST.
20:35 UTCTORNADO1 Ne CharlestonGray, KS
20:37 UTCHAIL 2.756 N CharlestonGray, KSMOST HAIL VARIED FROM THE SIZE OF PEAS TO QUARTERS. FUNNEL CLOUDS ALSO WERE OBSERVED.
20:45 UTCTORNADO9 Wsw KalvestaFinney, KSA BRIEF TORNADO OCCURRED IN A WHEAT FIELD.
20:50 UTCHAIL 110 W KalvestaFinney, KS
20:55 UTCHAIL 0.7524 Nne Garden CityScott, KS
21:00 UTCHAIL 26 W KalvestaFinney, KS
21:10 UTCFUNNEL CLOUDKalvestaFinney, KSTHE FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED 3 TO 4 MILES MILES WEST OF KALVESTA.
21:10 UTCTSTM WND GST 606 S DightonLane, KS
22:32 UTCNON-TSTM WND GST 612 E Dodge CityFord, KSDDC ASOS 2252Z PK WND 28053KT.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2011 tornado in KansasEvery tornado in Kansas since 1950Warnings in force in Kansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 24, 2011

47 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 242:35 PM CDTEF0Haskell, KS0.550
May 242:10 PM MDTEF0Prowers, CO0.375
May 243:20 PM CDTEF3Blaine, OK13.288012
May 243:31 PM CDTEF3Caddo, OK8.6800
May 243:45 PM CDTEF0Finney, KS0.350
May 243:47 PM CDTEF0Major, OK0.780
May 243:50 PM CDTEF5El Reno–Piedmont tornado, OK63.11,7609181
May 244:55 PM EDTEF0Russell, VA4.250$30,000
May 244:37 PM CDTEF0Canadian, OK1.550
May 244:52 PM CDTEF2Stafford, KS11.850021
May 245:06 PM CDTEF4Chickasha tornado, OK33.3880148
May 245:09 PM CDTEF1Barton, KS5.1751$250,000
May 245:20 PM CDTEF0Rush, KS0.675
May 245:26 PM CDTEF4Goldsby tornado, OK23.188061
May 245:35 PM CDTEF0Rush, KS6.21,200
May 245:45 PM CDTEF0McClain, OK0.750
May 245:46 PM CDTEF0Montague, TX0.030
May 245:50 PM CDTEF2Payne, OK10.488018
May 246:01 PM CDTEF1Pawnee, KS4.7200$110,000
May 246:02 PM CDTEF1McClain, OK0.540
May 246:27 PM CDTEF0Rush, KS1.3150
May 246:36 PM CDTEF2Pottawatomie, OK2.05032
May 246:40 PM CDTEF0Montague, TX0.030
May 246:44 PM CDTEF1Osage, OK2.8440
May 246:49 PM CDTEF2Osage, OK17.0750$20,000
May 247:11 PM CDTEF0Barton, KS0.450
May 247:22 PM CDTEF0Barton, KS3.450
May 247:30 PM CDTEF1Johnston, OK5.51,200
May 247:34 PM CDTEF0Cooke, TX1.6100
May 247:38 PM CDTEF0Wise, TX0.030$2,000
May 247:38 PM CDTEF0Parker, TX0.440$10,000
May 247:45 PM CDTEF0Tarrant, TX1.750$1,000
May 247:50 PM CDTEF0Ellsworth, KS0.550
May 247:51 PM CDTEF2Denton, TX1.5220$750,000
May 248:23 PM CDTEF1Dallas, TX1.4500$150,000
May 248:42 PM CDTEF2Wagoner, OK10.2400$110,000
May 249:13 PM CDTEF2Wagoner, OK4.4450$400,000
May 249:48 PM CDTEF1Delaware, OK7.0150
May 249:48 PM CDTEF0Dallas, TX0.030
May 249:50 PM CDTEF1Latimer, OK2.5300
May 2410:06 PM CDTEF1Delaware, OK6.0150
May 2410:14 PM CDTEF0LeFlore, OK1.5100
May 2410:43 PM CDTEF0Kaufman, TX0.020
May 2410:44 PM CDTEF2LeFlore, OK12.01,760$100,000
May 2411:37 PM CDTEF1Crawford, OK to AR5.2800$50,000
May 2411:53 PM CDTEF4Etna–Centerpoint tornado, AR45.72,200427$9.1 million
May 2412:25 AM CDTEF3Johnson, AR29.01,43014$13 million

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.