Tornadoes · United States · Kansas · 2024

Unrated tornado, Sharon Spgs Arpt, Kansas, May 8, 2024

This Unrated tornado ran 0.1 miles across Wallace County on May 8, 2024, touching down at 12:53 PM MDT 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 mph

    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. Unratedthis tornado

    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
Unrated
Date
May 8, 2024
Touchdown
12:53 PM MDT (18:53 UTC)
Lifted
12:55 PM MDT (18:55 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
0.1 miles (0.1 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Wallace County
Touchdown point
38.779, -101.779
Lift-off point
38.779, -101.778
Record number
2405081253-01

The damage survey

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

  • Wallace County Deputies observed a landspout tornado south of Sharon Springs. Landspout lasted a couple of minutes before dissipating and did not move much.
  • Possible end point of reported landspout tornado. No damage reported.

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

A brief landspout tornado developed along a stationary boundary over southern Wallace County. No damage was found, so the tornado has been rated an EF-Unknown.

Wallace County Deputies reported a landspout tornado that lasted about two minutes and produced no damage.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

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 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

6.9 hours before the tornado, 199 km from the path. May 8, 2024.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2024-05-08Temperature 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 -99969, lifted condensation level 2991 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 12:00Z on 2024-05-08The 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 13 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 83 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
-99969 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2991 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
83 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
322 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
3.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Dodge City, (KDDC), 00:00Z

5.1 hours after it, 199 km from the path. May 9, 2024.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2024-05-09Temperature 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 -93801, lifted condensation level 3473 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 2024-05-09The 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 -41 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 49 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
-93801 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3473 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
9.4 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Goodland (GLD), 66 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
16:53 UTC6021330° 19 kt261005.8
16:55 UTC310° 15 kt1005.8
17:00 UTC310° 16 kt211005.8
17:05 UTC320° 16 kt
17:10 UTC310° 16 kt1006.1
17:15 UTC310° 15 kt1006.1
17:20 UTC320° 19 kt
17:25 UTC330° 11 kt
17:30 UTC330° 19 kt23
17:35 UTC330° 17 kt24
17:40 UTC310° 18 kt26
17:45 UTC330° 15 kt
17:50 UTC330° 13 kt
17:53 UTC6223340° 13 kt1006.4
17:55 UTC320° 15 kt21
18:00 UTC300° 17 kt23
18:05 UTC320° 15 kt23
18:10 UTC320° 14 kt
18:15 UTC310° 17 kt22
18:20 UTC320° 17 kt
18:25 UTC300° 13 kt
18:30 UTC310° 13 kt
18:35 UTC310° 16 kt22
18:40 UTC310° 11 kt18
18:45 UTC320° 13 kt28
18:50 UTC340° 11 kt
18:53 UTC6422310° 16 kt281006.8
18:55 UTC290° 14 kt
19:00 UTC310° 14 kt
19:05 UTC320° 11 kt1006.8
19:10 UTC330° 18 kt
19:15 UTC330° 14 kt211006.8
19:20 UTC300° 13 kt1006.8
19:25 UTC320° 19 kt27
19:30 UTC320° 18 kt22
19:35 UTC320° 16 kt
19:40 UTC300° 15 kt
19:45 UTC340° 11 kt
19:50 UTC
19:53 UTC6322340° 12 kt291007.1
19:55 UTC350° 14 kt
20:00 UTC320° 13 kt
20:05 UTC330° 11 kt
20:10 UTC340° 16 kt
20:20 UTC320° 11 kt
20:25 UTC310° 9 kt
20:30 UTC320° 16 kt22
20:35 UTC330° 14 kt
20:45 UTC340° 14 kt
20:50 UTC320° 19 kt23

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

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 18:54 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
18:53 UTCLANDSPOUT8 S Sharon SpringsWallace, KSLasted a couple minutes before ending. Picture of a developing landspout captured.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2024 tornado in KansasEvery tornado in Kansas since 1950Warnings in force in Kansas nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 8, 2024

52 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 83:09 AM EDTEF1Westmoreland, PA1.1200$100,000
May 810:58 AM CDTEF0Cape Girardeau, MO0.250$10,000
May 811:04 AM CDTEF1Crawford, MO2.275
May 812:01 PM CDTEF1Jackson, IL1.31001$75,000
May 83:00 PM EDTEF1Cleveland, NC21.3100
May 82:10 PM CDTUnratedOttawa, OK0.175
May 82:12 PM CDTUnratedOttawa, OK0.175
May 82:15 PM CDTEF1Ottawa, OK4.0450$50,000
May 83:40 PM EDTEF1Gaston, NC8.2602$200,000
May 82:43 PM CDTEF1Robertson, TN2.2400$250,000
May 82:51 PM CDTEF1Ottawa, OK0.360$30,000
May 83:10 PM CDTEF1Jackson, IL4.675$12,000
May 84:01 PM CDTUnratedMcCracken, KY0.250
May 84:04 PM CDTEF0Williamson, IL6.625$10,000
May 84:11 PM CDTEF1Saline, IL7.7150$80,000
May 84:25 PM CDTEF1Lawrence, MO10.8150$155,000
May 85:37 PM CDTEF3Columbia tornado, TN11.5900112$10 million
May 86:32 PM CDTEF0Rutherford, TN3.0100$100,000
May 87:40 PM CDTEF0Lamar, TX0.030
May 87:50 PM CDTEF2Giles, TN5.96001$4.0 million
May 88:11 PM CDTEF1Limestone, AL4.890
May 88:15 PM CDTEF1Lincoln, TN6.2160
May 88:23 PM CDTEF3Limestone, AL3.8228
May 88:27 PM CDTEF0Lamar, TX0.330$2,000
May 88:44 PM CDTEF1Reynolds, MO14.1150$10,000
May 88:45 PM CDTEF1Limestone, AL3.5225
May 88:49 PM CDTEF1Iron, MO2.6250
May 88:50 PM CDTEF0Iron, MO0.675
May 88:53 PM CDTEF1Iron, MO1.7150
May 89:01 PM CDTEF1Iron, MO4.1100
May 89:01 PM CDTEF1Iron, MO12.0150
May 89:02 PM CDTEF1Lincoln, TN1.4286
May 89:06 PM CDTEF0Madison, MO4.3334$50,000
May 89:07 PM CDTEF0Madison, AL1.795
May 89:28 PM CDTEF2Madison, AL9.5550
May 89:39 PM CDTEF0Daviess, KY2.750$55,000
May 89:41 PM CDTEF0Daviess, KY3.1300$45,000
May 89:49 PM CDTEF1Daviess, KY0.9100$30,000
May 810:13 PM CDTEF0Jackson, AL2.3106$53,000
May 811:26 PM EDTEF1Gilmer, GA0.8200
May 810:32 PM CDTEF0Madison, AL3.5145
May 810:34 PM CDTEF0Jackson, AL2.1200$1.4 million
May 810:40 PM CDTEF1Madison, AL4.3200
May 811:41 PM EDTEF1Cherokee, NC2.340
May 811:42 PM EDTEF1Gilmer, GA0.6150
May 811:46 PM EDTEF0Gilmer, GA1.0250
May 811:51 PM EDTEF0Gilmer, GA1.9200
May 810:57 PM CDTEF3Jackson, AL12.38807$4.5 million
May 812:14 AM EDTEF1Jackson, NC9.4400
May 812:16 AM EDTEF0Buncombe, NC2.330$100,000
May 812:23 AM EDTEF1Jackson, NC1.5200
May 812:02 AM CDTEF1DeKalb, AL2.0100

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.