Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 33, NWS Hastings, NE

September 18, 1986Hamilton County, Merrick County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Sep 18, 1986, 11:54 PM CDT for Hamilton County, Merrick County, Nebraska. It was in force for 21 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 18, 1986, 11:54 PM CDT (04:54 UTC)
Expired
Sep 19, 1986, 12:15 AM CDT
In force
21 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Hamilton County, NE, Merrick County, NE

The radar

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

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 143 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 1986-09-19Temperature 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, Omaha, NE at 00:00Z on 1986-09-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 46 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3587 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
46 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
278 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 190457 COR
TORGRI
NEC081-121-190515-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
1154 PM CDT THU SEP 18 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST HAMILTON AND SOUTHWEST MERRICK

AT 1150 PM A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR JUST NORTH OF PHILLIPS
AND WAS MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND TOWARD CHAPMAN
NEBRASKA.

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.

THIS WARNING REPLACES THE WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST
CLAY AND SOUTHERN HAMILTON COUNTY.

DER/DGS

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, Sep 18, 7:56 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
745PM CDT THU SEP 18 1986

AT 745 PM INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAD FORMED RAPIDLY OVER EXTREME
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA.

THEY WERE IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST NUCKOLLS AND SOUTHWEST THAYER COUNTY TO
THE EAST OF SUPERIOR AND SOUTHWEST OF HEBRON.  THEY CONTAINED INTENSE
RAIN ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF HAIL.  THEY WERE MOVING NORTH NORTH
EAST AT 25M)PH.

ANOTHER AREA OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM JUST WEST OF BEATRICE..
EAST ACROSS THE BEATRICE AREA TO ABOUT 25 MILES EAST OF THAT CITY.
THEY WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25MPH.
DER
Local storm report, Sep 18, 8:51 PM CDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
850 PM CDT THU SEP 18 1986

AT 850 PM A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED JUST EAST OF CHESTER NEBRASKA
IN THAYER COUNTY.
DGS
Local storm report, Sep 18, 9:12 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
911 PM CDT THU SEP 18 1986

AT 910 PM A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED 3 MILES EAST OF STOCKHAM NEBR.
WHICH IS IN THE SOUTHEAST TIP OF HAMILTON COUNTY.
DGCS
Local storm report, Sep 18, 10:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND ISLAND NE
1030 PM CDT THU SEP 18 1986

A TORNADO STRUCK THE SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA TOWN OF HARDY APPROX 810 PM
THURSDAY EVENING.  HARDY IS IN THE SOUTHEAST TIP OF NUCKOLLS COUNTY.

THE TORNADO WENT DOWN THE MAIN STREET... SEVERAL HOUSES AND BUSINESS
WERE DAMAGED AS WERE POWER LINES.  THE TORNADO THEN TURNED SOUTHEAST
AND WENT INTO KANSAS WHERE IT STRUCK A FARM CAUSING DAMAGE.

ONE INJURY WAS REPORTED IN HARDY.

1032 PM CDT ADAMS COUNTY CD REPORTS HAIL UP TO GOLFBALL SIZE AT HOLSTEIN
AND MOST OF ADAMS COUNTY REPORTING MARBLE SIZE HAIL.

WIND GUSTS 35 TO 40 MPH EAST OF HASTINGS AT 1020 PM.
DGS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 18, 8:07 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDNuckolls, Thayer28 min
Sep 18, 8:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHamilton, York62 min
Sep 18, 8:39 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDNuckolls, Thayer36 min
Sep 18, 9:09 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDHamilton, York26 min
Sep 18, 9:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDAdams, Clay56 min
Sep 18, 10:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDAdams, Clay, Hall, Hamilton60 min
Sep 18, 11:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Hall, Howard58 min
Sep 18, 11:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDSherman58 min
Sep 18, 11:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDAdams, Clay, Hamilton61 min
Sep 18, 11:30 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDClay, Hamilton30 min
Sep 19, 1:00 AM CDTTornado WarningGIDMerrick, Polk30 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.