Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Hastings, NE

May 10, 1986Buffalo County, Kearney County, Phelps County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at May 10, 1986, 6:04 PM CDT for Buffalo County, Kearney County, Phelps County, Nebraska. It was in force for 26 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 10, 1986, 6:04 PM CDT (23:04 UTC)
Expired
May 10, 1986, 6:30 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Buffalo County, NE, Kearney County, NE, Phelps County, NE

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 10, 6:15 PM CDTHail 1.5Kearney, NE

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 135 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 1986-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.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.
HodographHodograph, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 1986-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -2 square meters per square second.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.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2296 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
138 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KGRI 102304
TORGRI
NEC019-099-137-102330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
604 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...SOUTHERN BUFFALO...WESTERN KEARNEY AND 
 EASTERN PHELPS

AT 6PM  ... A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR 5 MILES SOUTH OF KEARNEY
NEBRASKA MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

PERSONS IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A BASEMENT IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.  CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY
TO SAVE YOUR LIVES.

STOKES

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 10, 5:03 PM CDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
500 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 1986

A LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO DEVELOP AND SPREAD
ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 45 MILES NORTH OF GRAND
ISLAND TO 25 MILES WEST OF GRAND ISLAND THEN TO JUST SOUTH OF KEARNEY
NEB.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 15 PM CDT FOR PERSONS IN
EASTERN BUFFALO COUNTY IN NEBRASKA.
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL 11 PM
CDT THIS SATURDAY EVENING.
THESE STORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR
NO ADVANCE WARNING.. BE ON THE LOOKOUT.
MLT
Special weather statement, May 10, 5:49 PM CDT, 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
545 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 1986

THE THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA HAS STARTED TO WEAKEN SOME
WHAT EXCEPT THE THUNDERSTORM LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF KEARNEY NEB.

THIS STORM HAS BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT FOR PERSONS IN EASTERN
BUFFALO COUNTY NEB.  THIS STORM CAN CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HAIL AND
VERY HEAVY RAINS.
MLT

The office that day

Everything else NWS Hastings, NE issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 3:27 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDBuffalo33 min
May 10, 3:35 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDKearney25 min
May 10, 4:06 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDBuffalo, Sherman34 min
May 10, 4:47 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDBuffalo28 min
May 10, 5:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo99 min
May 10, 6:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Phelps42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.