Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS North Platte, NE

July 17, 19884 counties in Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 17, 1988, 12:45 AM CDT for 4 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 45 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 17, 1988, 12:45 AM CDT (05:45 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 1988, 1:30 AM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Antelope County, NE, Cedar County, NE, Knox County, NE, Pierce 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, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 165 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 1988-07-17Temperature 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 1988-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 38 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
3630 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
7 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 KOFK 170545
SVROFK
NEC003-107-139-027-170645-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK NE
1245 AM CDT SUN JUL 17 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 145 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF NEBRASKA
      ANTELOPE...KNOX...PIERCE...CEDAR

AT 1350 AM CDT RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 55 MILES
NORTH WEST OF NORFOLK.. MOVING THOUGH KNOX AND ANTELOPE COUNTIES.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY
LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN THAT CAN QUICKLY FLOOD A LOW LYING
AREA.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN ALSO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH LITTLE
OR NO WARNING.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG
BUILDING.  FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS QUICKLY FLOOD
ROADWAYS...DO NOT DRIVE INTO WATER COVERED ROADWAYS.

 SMITH

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Jul 16, 9:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
950 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO NORTHERN GRANT COUNTY AND NORTHERN
HOOKER COUNTY OF NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

AT 945 PM CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL
NERBASKA.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF
WHITMAN OR 57 MILES EAST OF ALLIANCE IN EXTREME SOUTHERN CHERRY
COUNTY AND ANOTHER 15 MILES NORTH OF MULLEN OR 43 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHWEST OF VALENTINE IN SOUTHERN CHERRY COUNTY.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
OVER NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA SOME OF WHICH EARLIER THIS EVENING
PRODUCED SEVERE WEATHER.  NO SEVERE WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED FROM THESE
TWO THUNDERSTORMS AS OF NOW BUT GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR
ALONG WITH SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAINS ARE LIKELY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN
HOUR.

MONSON
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 11:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
1130 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS GRANT COUNTY AND NORTHERN HOOKER
COUNTY AND NORTHERN THOMAS COUNTY OF NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

AT 1130 PM CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL
NERBASKA.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE ACROSS ASHBY AND HYANNIS
OR 45 MILES EAST OF ALLIANCE. ANOTHER STRONG  THUNDERSTORM WAS NEAR
THWDFORD IN NORTHERN THOMAS COUNTY OR 51 MILE NORTH OF NORTH PLATTE.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN..STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN
HOUR.

HETZKE

MONSON
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 12:31 AM CDT, 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
1230 AM CDT SUN JUL 17 1988

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS GRANT COUNTY AND ARTHUR COUNTY
OF NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

AT 1230 AM CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER NORTH CENTRAL
NERBASKA.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WERE NEAR ARTHUR IN ARTHUR
COUNTY OR 52 MILES WEST NORTH WEST OF NORTH PLATTE TO SOUTH OF HYANNIS
IN GRANT COUNTY OR 46 MILES EAST OF ALLIANCE.

THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCEING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN..STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN
HOUR.

HETZKE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 16, 7:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCherry, Sheridan68 min
Jul 16, 8:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCherry, Sheridan58 min
Jul 16, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFBrown, Keya Paha56 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 1988Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

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.