Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 15, NWS North Platte, NE

June 21, 1986Custer County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this tornado warning at Jun 21, 1986, 9:26 PM CDT for Custer County, Nebraska. It was in force for 24 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 21, 1986, 9:26 PM CDT (02:26 UTC)
Expired
Jun 21, 1986, 9:50 PM CDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Custer 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

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 79 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 00:00Z on 1986-06-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2243 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 1986-06-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 45 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
2243 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-91 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2007 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
45 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
8.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLBF 220226
TORLBF
NEC041-220250-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
926 PM CDT SAT JUN 21 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 950 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

CENTRAL NEBRASKA...CENTRAL CUSTER

AT 920 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF
CALLAWAY NEBRASKA MOVING EAST.

IF YOU ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...YOU SHOULD GO TO A
BASEMENT SHELTER IF AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE GO TO A CENTRAL ROOM ON
THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A
REINFORCED BUILDING.

REPORTS OF TORNADOS OR TORNADO DAMAGE SHOULD BE GIVEN TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

MEYER 0226Z

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 21, 6:59 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
755 PM CDT SAT JUN 21 1986

THUNDERSTROMS HAD DEVELOPED ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL NEBRASKA
THIS EVENING.

A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 5 MILES NORTH OF ARTHUR NEBRASKA IN
ARTHUR COUNTY OF WEST CENTRAL NEBRASKA WHICH IS ABOUT 55 MILES
NORTHWEST OF NORTH PLATTE NEBRASKA.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST
AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT SOME HAIL..
HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WIND AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

MEYER
Special weather statement, Jun 21, 7:03 PM CDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION FOR THE TIME...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
755 PM CDT SAT JUN 21 1986

THUNDERSTROMS HAD DEVELOPED ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL NEBRASKA
THIS EVENING.

AT 755 PM CDT A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 5 MILES NORTH OF ARTHUR
NEBRASKA IN ARTHUR COUNTY OF WEST CENTRAL NEBRASKA WHICH IS ABOUT 55
MILES NORTHWEST OF NORTH PLATTE NEBRASKA.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT SOME HAIL..
HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WIND AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

MEYER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 21, 7:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFArthur, Grant65 min
Jun 21, 7:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith65 min
Jun 21, 8:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLincoln, McPherson73 min
Jun 21, 8:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFHooker73 min
Jun 21, 8:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith29 min
Jun 21, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFThomas44 min
Jun 21, 8:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLincoln54 min
Jun 21, 9:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCuster57 min
Jun 21, 9:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFBlaine, Brown, Loup, Rock39 min
Jun 21, 10:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFWheeler24 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.