Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Hastings, NE

June 29, 1986Polk County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Jun 29, 1986, 9:08 PM CDT for Polk County, Nebraska. It was in force for 27 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
Jun 29, 1986, 9:08 PM CDT (02:08 UTC)
Expired
Jun 29, 1986, 9:35 PM CDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Polk 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
Jun 29, 9:12 PM CDTTornado F1Polk, 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 101 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1986-06-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1986-06-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 119 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
3623 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
119 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
262 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 300208
TORGRI
NEC143-300235-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
908 PM CDT SUN JUN 29 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 935 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

CENTRAL NEBRASKA...POLK

AT 905 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE 10 MILES WEST OF STROMBURG
NEBRASKA MOVING EAST AT 35 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.

DAfMAGE REPORTS OR OBSERVED SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD BE GIVEN TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

OEB

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, Jun 29, 3:46 PM CDT, 5 hours 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
330 PM CDT SUN JUN 29 1986

......TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 10 PM FOR PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTH
EASTERN NEBRASKA.....

AT 3 30PM CDT LARGE AND VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN
EXTREME NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM
NEAR AINSWORTH THEN NORTHEAST TO THE SOUTH DAKOTA STATE LINE. VERY
HEAVY RAIN...LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLE DAMAGING WIND IS POSSIBLE WITH
THESE THUNDERSTORMS. GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH SOME
OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS NOT AS INTENSE WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER PARTS
OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA JUST SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH OF NORTH PLATTE...
AND OVER SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA FROM JUST SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBUS TO
NORTH AND WEST OF BEATRICE AND NEAR FALLS CITY.

MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WAS EAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, Jun 29, 4:44 PM CDT, 4 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
430 PM CDT SUN JUN 29 1986

......TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 10 PM FOR PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTH
EASTERN NEBRASKA.....

AT 4 30PM CDT VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN WEST CENTRAL NEBRASKA.

IN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS NORTHEAST OF AINSWORTH EXTENDING ON NORTH
EAST INTO SOUTH DAKOTA.  A THUNDERSTORM WARMING HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR THAT
STORM IT MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 20 MILES EAST OF NORTH PLATTE MOVING EAST
AT 15 MPH.  STRONG GUSTY WIND VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL EXPCETED WITH
THIS STORM.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO DEVELOPING IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA.
OEB
Special weather statement, Jun 29, 5:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
430 PM CDT SUN JUN 29 1986

......TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 10 PM FOR PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTH
EASTERN NEBRASKA.....

AT 5 30PM CDT VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH NORTH
CENTRAL NEBRASKA.

THERE WERE IN A 40 MILES WIDE AREA THAT EXTENDED FROM NORTHEAST OF YANKTON
SOUTH DAKOTA TO 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AINSWORTH NEBRASKA. THEY WERE MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN..HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS.  WARNING ARE OUT FOR PORTION OF THAT AREA.

THERE WAS A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM NEAR OCONTO IN WEST CENTRAL NEBRASKA. IT
HAS WEAKENED..BUT SHOULD HAVE HEAVY RAIN AS IT MOV7ES EAST AT 20 MPH.

THERE WERE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS SCATTERED OVER SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA.
THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA HAVE DISIPATED.
OEB
Special weather statement, Jun 29, 6:41 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
630 PM CDT SUN JUN 29 1986

......TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 10 PM FOR PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTH
EASTERN NEBRASKA.....

AT 6 30PM CDT VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH NORTH
CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA.

THERE WERE IN A 50 MILES WIDE AREA THAT EXTENDED FROM 30 MILES NORTH OF
SIOUX CITY IOWA SOUTHWEST THROUGH ONEILL TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF AINSWORTH.
VERY HEAVY RAIN..HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED THE THIS AREA.
THEY WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDELY SCATTERED OVER SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND
NORTHWEST KANSAS. IN NEBRASKA HAEY WERE SLOWInNG DISIPATING..BUT IN NORTH
WEST KANSAS THEY WERE GETTING A LITTLE STRONGER.  THEY WERE MOVING EAST
AT 20 MPH.
OEB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 29, 7:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHamilton, Polk, York65 min
Jun 29, 7:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHoward, Merrick65 min
Jun 29, 8:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPolk64 min
Jun 29, 11:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFillmore55 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.