Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 7, NWS North Platte, NE

July 14, 1988Hayes County, Hitchcock County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this tornado warning at Jul 14, 1988, 9:42 PM CDT for Hayes County, Hitchcock County, Nebraska. It was in force for 33 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 14, 1988, 9:42 PM CDT (02:42 UTC)
Expired
Jul 14, 1988, 10:15 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Hayes County, NE, Hitchcock 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, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 95 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 1988-07-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1556 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1988-07-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -22 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1556 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2669 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
31 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 KLBF 150242
TORLBF
NEC085-087-150315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
942 PM CDT THU JUL 14 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF NEBRASKA
      SOUTHERN HAYES...NORTHERN HITCHCOCK

AT 935 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY THE PALISADE FIRE CHIEF
JUST NORTHWEST OF PALISADE ABOUT 25 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF
MCCOOK IN SOUTH HAYES COUNTY MOVING EAST.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...FIND SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...TAKE SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH...
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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, Jul 14, 5:43 PM CDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
541 PM CDT THU JUL 14 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHWEST PORTION OF NEBRASKA...

AT 538 PM CDT AN AREA OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER HITCHCOCK AND
HAYES COUNTIES IN NEBRASKA...THE STRONGEST STORM WAS OVER HAYES CENTER
WHICH IS 26 MILES NORTHWEST OF MCCOOK NEBRASKA. AT THIS TIME THE STORM
HAS LITTLE MOVEMENT TO IT.

THIS AREA OF STORMS COULD PRODUCES LOCAL HEAV%Y RAINFALL...STRONG WINDS
...AND SMALL HAIL.

HORN
Special weather statement, Jul 14, 7:05 PM CDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
700 PM CDT THU JUL 14 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHWEST PORTION OF NEBRASKA...

AT 653 PM CDT MCCOOK POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH HAIL
AT PALISADE NEBRASKA IN HAYES COUNTY...WHICH IS 25 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST
OF MCCOOK NEBRASKA...ALSO REPORTED HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG WINDS.
STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS STORMS MAY PRODUCES LOCAL HEAVY R{AINFALL...STRONG WINDS...
AND SMALL HAIL.

HORN
Special weather statement, Jul 14, 7:06 PM CDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
700 PM CDT THU JUL 14 1988

...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTHWEST PORTION OF NEBRASKA...

AT 653 PM CDT MCCOOK POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH HAIL
AT PALISADE NEBRASKA IN HAYES COUNTY...WHICH IS 25 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST
OF MCCOOK NEBRASKA...ALSO REPORTED HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG WINDS.
STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS STORM MAY PRODUCES LOCAL HEAV|Y RAINFALL...STRONG WINDS...
AND SMALL HAIL.

HORN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 14, 9:35 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLBFChase, Dundy, Hayes115 min
Jul 14, 9:35 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLBFHitchcock, Red Willow115 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes 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.