Daily Archives: May 22, 2008

Tornado Watch through the overnight hours

May 22, 200810:10 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for nearly half of Kansas until 5 a.m. Friday.

The watch covers 50 counties in western, central and southcentral Kansas - including the Wichita metropolitan area. Here’s a list of the counties included in the watch:

Barber, Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Comanche, Cowley, Dickinson, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Ford, Geary, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Hodgeman, Jewell, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Marion, McPherson, Mitchell, Morris, Ness, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pratt, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Smith, Stafford, Sumner, Trego and Washington.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Tornadoes | Comments Off

Strong, fast tornadoes…

May 22, 20084:29 p.m.

The tornado that hit northern Colorado this afternoon was estimated to be a half-mile wide or more, and large tornadoes are expected in Kansas later tonight.

A tornado reported in Gove County this afternoon was moving north at more than 50 miles an hour. Now you know why meteorologists say it’s a bad idea to try to outrun a tornado in your car.

The SPC has upgraded most of the western half of Kansas to a moderate risk, and several counties in that zone to a high risk. The high risk zone includes such towns as Kinsley, Greensburg, Larned, Rozel, Ness City, Russell, Stockton, Logan and Jennings.

Given the speed at which the storms are developing - and tornadoes appear to be moving - people who live in the threatened areas should take shelter precautions immediately.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Tornadoes | Comments Off

Strong tornadoes a threat for central Kansas today

May 22, 20088:59 a.m.

The Storm Prediction Center has shifted the moderate risk zone for severe weather today just a bit west from overnight. The boundaries of the moderate extend from Stafford to Isabel to Aetna on the east to Garden City in the southwest, Brewster in the northwest and Smith Center in northcentral Kansas.

Larry Ruthi, meteorologist-in-charge of the Dodge City branch of the National Weather Service, said Ford, Hodgeman, Ness and Rush counties are particularly at risk for tornadoes tonight, along with Pawnee, Edwards and Kiowa counties. The storms are most likely to develop after 7 p.m., he said.

That means folks in Dodge City, Jetmore, Ness City, LaCrosse, Larned, Kinsley and Greensburg - yes, Greensburg - better be prepared to take shelter.

The Storm Prediction Center warns that strong, long-lived tornadoes are possible in that region today.

“This will be our best opportunity for tornadoes in southwest Kansas so far this year,” Ruthi said. “A lot of things are coming together.”

Large hail can be expected with supercells that develop, too.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Tornadoes | Comments Off