Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 7, NWS North Platte, NE

May 21, 1989Chase County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 21, 1989, 2:21 AM MDT for Chase County, Nebraska. It was in force for 69 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 21, 1989, 2:21 AM MDT (08:21 UTC)
Expired: May 21, 1989, 3:30 AM MDT
In force: 69 min
Issued by: NWS North Platte, NE
Area: Whole counties

County Chase 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, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 114 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2939 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 75 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 210821
SVRLBF
NEC029-210930-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
221 AM MDT SUN MAY 21 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 AM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY

   IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF NEBRASKA
      CHASE

AT 214 AM MDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 15 MILES
WEST OF IMPERIAL NEBRASKA MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM...GO TO A REINFORCED
SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR STRONG DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY
HEAVY RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.  IF OUTDOORS...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS.  MOVE INDOOR IF POSSIBLE.  WHEN
INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING
TELEPHONES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...
LARGE HAIL GREATER THAN 3/4 INCH IN DIAMETER...DEADLY LIGHTNING
AND VERY HEAVY RAIN THAT CAN FLOOD A LOW LYING AREA QUICKLY.

REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER OR DAMAGE CAN BE GIVEN TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

 HETZKE 0821ZER

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, May 21, 12:57 AM MDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
155 AM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST AND
WEST NEBRASKA UNTIL 7 AM CDT...

THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED RAPIDLY IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA EARLY THIS
SUNDAY MORNING.

AT 130 AM CDT NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WERE SCATTERED
ACROSS SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA.  ONE OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WAS 10
MILES NORTHEAST OF GRANT NEBRASKA OR 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NORTH
PLATTE NEBRASKA...IN PERKINS COUNTY.  ALL THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS
WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HAIL...HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS CAN BE
EXPECTED IF YOU LIVE IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKAR...FOR MUCH OF THIS
MORNING.

IF YOU LIVE IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF
SHELTER IF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP.

MEYER

Special weather statement, May 21, 2:02 AM MDT, 19 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
300 AM CDT SUN MAY 21 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST AND
WEST NEBRASKA UNTIL 7 AM CDT...

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED ACROSS SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA EARLY THIS MORNING.

AT 230 AM CDT NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS REMAINED SCATTERED
ACROSS SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA WAS 15 MILES EAST OF GRANT NEBRASKA OR 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
NORTH PLATTE NEBRASKA...IN EAST PERKINS COUNTY.  THIS THUNDERSTORM
WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM IN EXTREME NORTHEAST COLORADO WAS MOVING EAST
AT 30 MILES AN HOUR WHICH MEANS IT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWEST CHASE OR
SOUTHWEST PERKINS COUNTIES IN NEBRASKA AROUND 230 AM MDT.  EARLIER
THIS MORNING THIS THUNDERSTORM DROPPED 3/4 INCH DIAMETER HAIL IN
COLORADO.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE VICINITY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS...BE PREPARED TO
MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF NECESSARY.

THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO AND ACROSS SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA MAY
PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN ADDITION TO BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

MEYER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 21, 3:16 AM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Dundy	29 min
May 21, 4:16 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Boyd, Holt, Keya Paha, Rock	29 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 1989 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989

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.