Tornado that hit southwest Kansas town ahead of snowstorm wasn’t obvious on radar

GARDEN CITY — Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Dodge City say the tornado that struck Garden City on Sunday afternoon wasn’t obvious on radar.

NWS Dodge City lead forecaster Bill Turner said the storm which spawned the tornado at 3:30 p.m. indicated embedded rotation on radar as it developed on the southeast side of the Dairy Farmers of America plant. A brief, weak tornado then formed and tracked north, causing damage consistent with an EF-0 or EF-1 rated twister.

“Most of the tornadoes we get, like in May, are more obvious,” Turner said. “This was not that. It was much weaker and formed in a more chaotic environment.”

The tornado swept along the ground for 2.5 miles, with peak winds estimated at 90 mph. After causing minor damage to the roofs and siding of several homes and businesses, the tornado dissipated around 3:55 p.m. near Garden City High School.

Numerous photos and videos of the storm were shared on social media. Turner said his colleagues used a video of the twister striking a car wash to determine the damage path.

“If this thing had happened five miles further east, between the (Garden City Regional) Airport and the city, nobody would’ve known about it,” Turner said. “It happened right where there’s a lot of stuff to hit. We usually don’t get damage indicators (for tornadic storms), but this time we got a lot.”

Finney County Emergency Management officials sounded the outdoor warning sirens in Garden City after receiving 911 calls regarding a tornado. Turner said those 911 calls, even from residents in rural areas, can make a difference when it comes to warning the public of a potential tornado.

“Cows make very poor storm spotters,” Turner said.

For two days, Garden City police and other first responders cordoned off the damaged neighborhood along Spruce Street on the eastern edge of the city. Garden City officials wrote on Facebook immediately after the tornado that public works crews would start clearing debris on Monday.

But on Monday, up to three inches of snow fell across southwest Kansas, while the northwest corner of the state experienced blizzard conditions with wind gusts over 40 mph.

Turner said the weather extremes — from a tornado to snow — were caused by a powerful extra-tropical cyclone that centered over southwest Kansas on Sunday. Behind the cyclone came an area of low pressure along the surface that pulled in more moisture as the cyclone moved out of the region. Turner said a large amount of cold air filled the void created by the surface low, in turn bringing frozen precipitation to Kansas.

“Most places never see something like that,” Turner said. “You get away from the Plains, and it’s near impossible to get a tornado and then snow a little while later.”

Turner said the Easter Sunday forecast looks much more hospitable across western Kansas. Temperatures will reach 80 degrees across much of the state on Sunday. Windy conditions will persist however, and with dried vegetation still present, Turner warned of an increased fire danger for the coming weekend.