Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2016

EF0 tornado, Dighton to Alamota, Kansas, May 27, 2016

Name: EF0 tornado, Dighton to Alamota, Kansas, May 27, 2016
Start: 2016-05-27T22:42:00.000Z
End: 2016-05-27T22:47:00.000Z
Location: Dighton to Alamota, Kansas

From Dighton to Alamota, this EF0 tornado ran 1.9 miles across Lane County on May 27, 2016, touching down at 5:42 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.

EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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 27, 2016
Touchdown: 5:42 PM CDT (22:42 UTC)
Lifted: 5:47 PM CDT (22:47 UTC)
On the ground: 5 minutes
Path length: 1.9 miles (3.0 km)
Path width: 50 yards (46 m)
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
County: Lane County
Touchdown point: 38.539, -100.444
Lift-off point: 38.564, -100.457
Record number: 1605271642-01

The damage survey

4 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS DDC, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF0.

Weak tornado ends at this location.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

Underneath a cold upper level low moving across an unstable atmosphere, there were numerous thunderstorms. A few became severe and a few produced weak tornadoes.

This was a weak tornado that moved west of due north.

This tornado was weak.

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

The warnings

9 minutes of warning. NWS DDC issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:33 UTC, 9 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 23:00 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 19:32 UTC and running to 01:27 UTC.

Issued (UTC)	Expired	Product	Office
19:32 UTC	01:27 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	DDC
21:11 UTC	22:15 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC
21:57 UTC	22:30 UTC	Tornado Warning	DDC
22:33 UTC	23:00 UTC	Tornado Warning	DDC
22:49 UTC	23:24 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC
23:31 UTC	23:49 UTC	Tornado Warning	DDC
23:52 UTC	00:34 UTC	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DDC

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 Slight Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 19:55 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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at May 27, 3:19 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 27, 3:19 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
319 PM CDT FRI MAY 27 2016

.SHORT TERM...(This evening through Saturday)
Issued at 258 PM CDT Fri May 27 2016

Immediate concern is the areal coverage and intensity of
convection the remainder of the afternoon into early evening. A
relatively cold upper low was moving into west central Kansas this
afternoon. It has developed a negative tilt as a speed max punches
around the southern periphery. Lightning has increased
dramatically under the cold pool across east central Colorado.
Farther east, the westerly boundary layer surge had moved into
my southeast counties. Across my northern counties an easterly
flow has developed with increasing theta-e air. With the cold
system moving east the likelihood of severe will continue into
the early evening hours.

Saturday should be a down day with the upper system far removed.

.LONG TERM...(Saturday night through Friday)
Issued at 258 PM CDT Fri May 27 2016

The upper flow becomes favorable again late in the weekend with
lowering heights again across the southwest. Deep boundary layer
moisture will be moving back into the high plains during the early
part of the period. All the deterministic models due indicate at
least a weak s/wv trough moving out late Sunday and these models
generate an MCS looking signal.

Additional chances for convection will exist until later in the
week as it appears a strong s/wv trough drops southeast out of the
northern branch of the westerlies. This should bring a fairly
strong cool front south into western Kansas by Wednesday. Details
beyond mid-week are uncertain.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday afternoon)
Issued at 258 PM CDT Fri May 27 2016

Beyond the late afternoon and evening thunderstorms, there is
uncertainty about stratus redeveloping overnight tonight.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DDC  53  80  58  82 /  40  10  10  50
GCK  51  81  56  83 /  40  10  10  30
EHA  51  81  54  84 /  20  10  10  30
LBL  53  81  57  84 /  20  10  10  40
HYS  55  77  57  81 /  40  10  10  30
P28  58  81  62  82 /  40  10  10  40

&&

.DDC Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
Severe Thunderstorm Watch 224 valid until 10 PM
&&

SHORT TERM...07
LONG TERM...07
AVIATION...07

Hazardous weather outlook, May 27, 4:20 AM CDT, 13 hours 22 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
420 AM CDT FRI MAY 27 2016

KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-280930-
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-
420 AM CDT FRI MAY 27 2016 /320 AM MDT FRI MAY 27 2016/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH
CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

DISCUSSION...

A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS
EVENING. A FEW STORMS ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS MAY
BECOME SEVERE WITH HAIL UP TO GOLF BALLS AND WINDS OVER 60 MPH
BEING THE MAIN CONCERN. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT.

WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED...

  LIMITED TORNADO RISK.
  ELEVATED HAIL RISK.
  ELEVATED THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE RISK.
  LIMITED FLOODING RISK.
  ELEVATED LIGHTNING RISK.
  ELEVATED FOG RISK.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

DISCUSSION...

CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. IT IS
TOO EARLY TO TELL IF ANY OF THESE STORMS WILL BE SEVERE.

HAZARDS WEATHER RISK...

  SATURDAY...
  NO HAZARDS.

  SUNDAY...
  LIMITED FLOODING RISK.
  LIMITED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK.

  MONDAY...
  LIMITED FLOODING RISK.
  ELEVATED LIGHTNING RISK.

  TUESDAY...
  LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK.

  WEDNESDAY...
  LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK.

  THURSDAY...
  LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT FOR
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

&&

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT OUR WEBPAGE HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC/EHWO

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 27, 5:35 PM CDT, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
535 PM CDT FRI MAY 27 2016

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0510 PM     HAIL             4 E SCOTT CITY          38.48N 100.83W
05/10/2016  M0.88 INCH       SCOTT              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

Local storm report, May 27, 5:37 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
537 PM CDT FRI MAY 27 2016

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0505 PM     HAIL             3 S HEALY               38.56N 100.63W
05/10/2016  M1.75 INCH       LANE               KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

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

10.7 hours before the tornado, 99 km from the path. May 27, 2016.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

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: 672 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -213 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 722 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 721 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 58 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 106 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 127 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3
0-3 km lapse rate: 5.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Dodge City, (KDDC), 00:00Z

1.3 hours after it, 99 km from the path. May 28, 2016.

Skew-T log-p

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.

Hodograph

Mixed-layer CAPE: 3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -23 J/kg
Surface CAPE: 486 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2763 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 14 kt
0-1 km bulk shear: 8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -18 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0
0-3 km lapse rate: 9.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Garden_city (GCK), 73 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)	Temp (°F)	Dew point (°F)	Wind	Gust (kt)	Pressure (mb)
20:45 UTC					1004.1
20:50 UTC			190° 13 kt		1004.1
20:54 UTC	74	43	180° 12 kt		1004.1
20:55 UTC			170° 12 kt		1004.1
21:00 UTC			180° 7 kt		1004.1
21:15 UTC			180° 13 kt		1003.7
21:20 UTC					1003.4
21:30 UTC			200° 13 kt		1003.4
21:40 UTC			180° 8 kt		1003.4
21:54 UTC	73	41	200° 15 kt	21	1003.4
22:05 UTC					1003.4
22:10 UTC					1003.4
22:15 UTC					1003.4
22:20 UTC			210° 14 kt		1003.4
22:25 UTC			210° 14 kt		1003.7
22:35 UTC			200° 14 kt		1003.7
22:40 UTC			200° 11 kt		1003.7
22:45 UTC			210° 8 kt		1003.7
22:50 UTC			200° 12 kt		1003.7
22:54 UTC	71	42	210° 14 kt		1003.7
22:55 UTC			210° 12 kt		1003.7
23:00 UTC			220° 10 kt	15	1003.4
23:10 UTC			200° 12 kt		1003.7
23:15 UTC			220° 14 kt		1003.7
23:30 UTC			210° 10 kt		1003.4
23:35 UTC			220° 8 kt		1003.4
23:54 UTC	68	45	260° 8 kt		1003.7
23:55 UTC			260° 7 kt		1003.7
00:00 UTC			250° 6 kt		1003.7
00:10 UTC			250° 4 kt		1003.7
00:15 UTC			250° 9 kt	14	1003.7
00:25 UTC					1003.7
00:30 UTC			270° 13 kt		1003.7
00:40 UTC					1003.7

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

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:39 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)	Report	Where	County	Remark
22:05 UTC	HAIL 1.75	3 Ssw Healy	Lane, KS	DELAYED REPORT.
22:56 UTC	HAIL 1	13 S Dighton	Lane, KS
23:26 UTC	TORNADO	2 E Ransom	Ness, KS
23:27 UTC	TORNADO	4 Ese Ransom	Ness, KS
23:29 UTC	HAIL 1	3 N Alamota	Lane, KS
23:29 UTC	HAIL 1	5 N Alamota	Lane, KS
23:29 UTC	TORNADO	2 E Ransom	Ness, KS

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

This ground now

The live radar over the track Every 2016 tornado in Kansas Every tornado in Kansas since 1950 Warnings in force in Kansas now The forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 27, 2016

14 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 27	1:28 PM CDT	EF0	Jasper, TX	0.1	50	$2,000
May 27	2:14 PM CDT	EF0	Red Lake, MN	0.1	50
May 27	2:57 PM CDT	EF0	Clay, MN	0.1	75
May 27	3:01 PM CDT	EF0	Clay, MN	0.1	50
May 27	2:43 PM MDT	Unrated	Kiowa, CO	0.1	50
May 27	2:51 PM MDT	EF0	Greeley, KS	0.1	25
May 27	2:55 PM MDT	Unrated	Kiowa, CO	1.0	100
May 27	3:04 PM MDT	Unrated	Kiowa, CO	0.2	75
May 27	3:12 PM MDT	EF0	Greeley, KS	0.1	25
May 27	4:13 PM CDT	EF0	Wichita, KS	0.9	25
May 27	5:26 PM CDT	EF0	Butler, KS	0.1	50
May 27	5:35 PM CDT	EF1	Fond du Lac, WI	4.5	330	$100,000
May 27	6:16 PM CDT	EF0	Lane, KS	1.3	50
May 27	6:21 PM CDT	EF0	Ness, KS	0.8	50

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.