Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Omaha, NE

March 13, 1990Seward County, Nebraska

NWS Omaha, NE issued this tornado warning at Mar 13, 1990, 8:24 PM CST for Seward County, Nebraska. It was in force for 36 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Mar 13, 1990, 8:24 PM CST (02:24 UTC)
Expired: Mar 13, 1990, 9:00 PM CST
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Omaha, NE
Area: Whole counties

County Seward County, NE

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 13, 8:35 PM CST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Seward, NE
Mar 13, 9:00 PM CST	Hail 1.75	Seward, NE

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 81 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: 3595 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 87 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 98 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 KLNK 140224
TORLNK
NEC159-140300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN NE
824 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF NEBRASKA
      SEWARD...CITY OF SEWARD

AT 820 PM CST RADAR AND SPOTTERS INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
POSSIBLY PRODUCING TORNADOES.  THE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 18
MILES WEST SOUTH WEST OF LINCOLN OR JUST SOUTH OF THE CITY OF
SEWARD.  MOVEMENT IS TO THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 40 MPH AND WILL
MOVE INTO SEWARD WITHIN THE NEXT 10 TO 15 MIN.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES...
TAKE COVER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

 DAVIS

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, Mar 13, 6:20 PM CST, 2 hours 4 minutes before

NEZ001-005-011-140300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
615 PM MST TUE MAR 13 1990

...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE PANHANDLE TONIGHT...
...A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
FOR LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...

AN INTENSE STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES PRODUCING SNOW IN THE PANHANDLE OF
NEBRASKA.  AS OF 5 PM MST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN THE PANHANDLE INCLUDED
7 INCHES AT CHADRON...4 INCHES AT SCOTTSBLUFF...AND 3 INCHES AT
ALLIANCE.  SOME SNOW ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 10 INCHES ARE LIKELY
TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALONG THE WYOMING BORDER.

TRAVEL IN THE PANHANDLE WILL BE DIFFICULT TONIGHT.  MOTORISTS
SHOULD EXPECT TO ENCOUNTER DELAYS DUE TO SNOW.  WITH PARTICULARLY
HEAVY SNOW IN THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE...STAY HOME IF YOU CAN.

FREEZING RAIN HAD SPREAD INTO NORTHWEST NEBRASKA JUST EAST OF
THE PANHANDLE.  AT 5 PM MST MULLEN REPORTED FREEZING RAIN BEGINNING
TO COAT SURFACES.  VALENTINE CONTINUED TO RECEIVE LIGHT RAIN WITH
A TEMPERATURE OF 34 DEGREES.

DRIVING CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO DETERIORATE IN NORTHWEST
NEBRASKA JUST EAST OF THE PANHANDLE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS.
A WINTER STORM WATCH IS STILL IN EFFECT FOR LATER TONIGHT.

POLLACK

Local storm report, Mar 13, 7:04 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
700 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

500 PM CST...WIND DAMAGE TO BARN 6 NE OF VOUNCIL BLUFFS IA...REPORTED
            BY CD DIRECTOR POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.
515 PM CSZT..7 WEST OF UNDERWOOD IA...WESTERN POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY...
            GARAGE DAMAGED...SEVERAL ROOFS OFF OF BARNS...TREE DAMAGE
            POWER OUTAGES...BUT NO INJURIES.

BYRD

Special weather statement, Mar 13, 7:23 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute before

NEZ010-140300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
730 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA.  THESE
STORMS HAVE ALREADY CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE IN THE KEARNEY...GRAND
ISLAND...AND HASTINGS AREAS AND HAVE JUST MOVED THROUGH THE YORK AREA.
THE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 75 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST FOR
MUCH OF EASTERN NEBRASKA.

RESIDENTS OF SAUNDERS AND DODGE COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
SIGNS OF DANGEROUS WEATHER DURING THE NEXT HOUR.  LISTEN FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIApTELY IF SEVERE WEATHER
APPROACHES!
WATTERS

Local storm report, Mar 13, 7:48 PM CST, 36 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN NEBRASKA
745 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

AT 730 PM CST DAVID CITY CIVIL DEFENSE DIRECTOR REPORTED TORNADO MOVING
       THROUGH THAT CITY...34 MILES NORTHWEST OF LINCOLN.  SPOTTER AND
       DEPUTIES VEHICLES TURNED OVER.  SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.  NO INFO
       ON INJURIES YET.
DAVIS

Special weather statement, Mar 13, 8:09 PM CST, 15 minutes before

NEZALL-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
810 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

IN NEBRASKA SEVERE TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 75 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
<
ZONE 4...NORTHEAST
ANTELOPE...KNOX.
<
ZONE 9...NORTHEAST
BOONE.
<
ZONE 14...CENTRAL
BUFFALO...HALL...HAMILTON...HOWARD...MERRICK...NANCE...SHERMAN.
<
ZONE 18...SOUTH CENTRAL
ADAMS...CLAY...FRANKLIN...KEARNEY...NUCKOLLS...WEBSTER.
<

POLLACK

Special weather statement, Mar 13, 8:14 PM CST, 10 minutes before

NEZALL-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
815 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

IN NEBRASKA TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 75 IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
<
ZONE 4...NORTHEAST
ANTELOPE...KNOX.
<
ZONE 9...NORTHEAST
BOONE.
<
ZONE 14...CENTRAL
BUFFALO...HALL...HAMILTON...HOWARD...MERRICK...NANCE...SHERMAN.
<
ZONE 18...SOUTH CENTRAL
ADAMS...CLAY...FRANKLIN...KEARNEY...NUCKOLLS...WEBSTER.
<

POLLACK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 13, 7:03 PM CST	Tornado Warning	OAX	Butler	27 min
Mar 13, 7:33 PM CST	Tornado Warning	OAX	Butler	27 min
Mar 13, 7:49 PM CST	Tornado Warning	OAX	Dodge, Saunders	46 min
Mar 13, 8:04 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Jefferson, Saline, Seward	56 min
Mar 13, 8:06 PM CST	Tornado Warning	OAX	Butler	24 min
Mar 13, 9:11 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Lancaster	64 min
Mar 13, 9:37 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Cass, Sarpy, Saunders	68 min
Mar 13, 10:23 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Washington	52 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1990 Every tornado warning in 1990 Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.