Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Omaha, NE

August 2, 1990Washington County, Nebraska; Harrison County, Iowa

NWS Omaha, NE issued this tornado warning at Aug 2, 1990, 5:25 PM CDT for Washington County, Nebraska; Harrison County, Iowa. It was in force for 35 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 2, 1990, 5:25 PM CDT (22:25 UTC)
Expired
Aug 2, 1990, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Omaha, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Harrison County, IA, Washington 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 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 43 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 12:00Z on 1990-08-02Temperature 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 12:00Z on 1990-08-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 142 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
3607 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
142 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
151 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 KOMA 022225
TOROMA
NEC177-IAC085-022300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
525 PM CDT THU AUG 2 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF NEBRASKA
      WASHINGTON...

   IN THE WEST CENTRAL PART OF IOWA
      WESTERN HARRISON...

AT 525 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY A SPOTTER 1 MILES
NORTH OF BLAIR NEBRASKA...20 MILES NORTH OF OMAHA.  THE TORNADO
AND ASSOCIATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST
AT 15 TO 20 MPH.

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.

DAMAGE REPORTS OR OBSERVED SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD BE GIVEN TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...BUT
A SAFE PLACE IS YOUR FIRST CONCERN.  DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN A
TORNADO WITH YOUR CAR.

IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.  GET
TO YOUR BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM SHELTER.  RAVOID WINDOWS AND
PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

BYRD

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, Aug 2, 3:21 PM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
NEZ010-015-020-IAZ009-022130-

WEATHER UPDATE AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
305 PM CDT THU AUG 2 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA...

AT 300 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHEAST
NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE OVER
NORTHEAST YORK COUNTY ABOUT 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF LINCOLN.
MORE THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING NEAR INTERSTATE 29 ABOUT
20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF OMAHA.

MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON.  SOME
OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL
...STRONG WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

PEOPLE IN SEOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA SHOULD MONITOR THE
WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON.  YOU SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SAFE SHELTER
IF THREATENING WEATHER IS OBSERVED OR IF A WARNING IS ISSUED.

JOHNSON
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 4:11 PM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
NEZ010-022230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
405 PM CDT THU AUG 2 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA...

AT 355 PM CDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH EASTERN
NEBRASKA.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER EASTERN DODGE AND
NORTHWEST WASHINGTON COUNTIES ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF OMAHA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN BURT COUNTY INCLUDING
THE CITY OF TEKAMAH WHICH IS 35 MILES NORTH OF OMAHA BY 5 PM.  IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS...YOU CAN EXPECT STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.  YOU SHOULD MOVE
TO A REINFORCED SHELTER UNTIL AFTER THE STORMS PASS.

THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON.
DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS...VERY HEAVY RAIN CAN BE
EXPECTED.  SMALL STREAMS MAY RISE QUICKLY AND THE HEAVY RAIN
RAIN WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADS.

JOHNSON
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 4:14 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
NEZ003-004-007-008-009-030025

WEATHER UPDATE AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK NE
415 PM CDT THU AUG 2 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR THE SOUTHERN
PARTS OF NORTHCENTRAL AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...

AT 415 PM THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOPE TO THE EAST AND SOUTH
OF NORFOLK FROM EAST OF COLUMBUS TO WESTPOINT.  THOSE STORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH LIKELY REACHING THE MISSOURI RIVER BY 5 PM CDT.
SOME HAIL IS POSSIBLE AS THE STORMS PASS OVER WEST POINT AROUND 430PM.
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE REGION
INTO THE EVENING HOURS...WITH THE STRONGEST POSSIBLY PRODUCING HAIL
...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS.
TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE MID 70S BY 8 PM.

THE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS AT THE SITE OF THE ANTELOPE COUNTY FAIR
IN NELIGH WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.
MILLER
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 4:38 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
NEZ015-022135-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN NE
435 PM CDT THU AUG 02 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR
MUCH OF SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA.  A LINE OF VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDS SOUTHWEST FROM SOUTHEAST SEWARD COUNTY TO NORTHWEST SALINE
COUNTY MOVING SLOWLY SOUTHEAST.  THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS IN EXCESS OF
2 INCHES OF RAIN IN AN HOUR ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS.  PERSONS
IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY
RAIN AND RUNOFF IN LOW LYING AREAS...UNDERPASSES AND OTHER AREAS PRONE
TO QUICK RUNOFF.  PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST LANCASTER AND NORTHWEST SALINE
COUNTIES SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY AWARE OF THIS HAZARD AS THE HEAVIEST
THUNDERSTORM CELLS ARE CONCENTRATED OVER THESE AREAS.
DEMUTH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 2, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXWashington60 min
Aug 2, 4:55 PM CDTTornado WarningOAXWashington35 min
Aug 2, 6:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXWashington58 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1990Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes in 1990

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.