Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Hastings, NE

May 5, 1994Hamilton County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at May 5, 1994, 7:50 PM CDT for Hamilton County, Nebraska. It was in force for 40 min. 3 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
May 5, 1994, 7:50 PM CDT (00:50 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1994, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Hamilton County, NE

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 5, 8:15 PM CDTTornado F0Henderson, NEA small tornado overturned two pivot irrigation units southwest of Henderson.
May 5, 8:30 PM CDTTornado F0Murphy, NEA small tornado briefly touched down near Murphy.
May 5, 8:35 PM CDTTornado F0Phillips, NEA small tornado briefly touched down near Phillips.

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, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 1994-05-06Temperature 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 1994-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 107 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
2291 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
238 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 KGRI 060054
TORGRI
NEC081-060130-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
750 PM CDT THU MAY 5 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS NE  HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
 
   ...EASTERN HAMILTON COUNTY
 
AT 755 PM CDT STORM SPOTTERS REPORTED A POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD 3 MILES
WEST OF AURORA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL MOVE
INTO THE AURORA AREA BY 810 PM.
 
PEOPLE IN AURORA TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE YOUR LIVES.
 
 
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.
 
 
APFEL

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, May 5, 6:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-060030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
640 PM CDT THU MAY 05 1994

...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL MIDNIGHT...

AT 635 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA.  ONE STORM WAS ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH
OF GRAND ISLAND NEAR ST LIBORY...WHILE ANOTHER WAS 15 MILES NORTHEAST
OF GRAND ISLAND NEAR PALMER.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND VERY
HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.  THEY WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES
AN HOUR...AND WILL BE MOVING OVER THE TOWNS OF CENTRAL CITY AND
CHAPMAN...OR TO THE NORTHEAST OF GRAND ISLAND.

NIETFELD
Special weather statement, May 5, 6:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-060030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
640 PM CDT THU MAY 05 1994

...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL MIDNIGHT...

AT 635 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA.  ONE STORM WAS ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH
OF GRAND ISLAND NEAR ST LIBORY...WHILE ANOTHER WAS 15 MILES NORTHEAST
OF GRAND ISLAND NEAR PALMER.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND VERY
HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.  THEY WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES
AN HOUR...AND WILL BE MOVING OVER THE TOWNS OF CENTRAL CITY AND
CHAPMAN...OR TO THE NORTHEAST OF GRAND ISLAND.

NIETFELD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHoward30 min
May 5, 7:26 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDHamilton34 min
May 5, 7:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPolk, York55 min
May 5, 8:04 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDFillmore56 min
May 5, 8:16 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDClay, York44 min
May 5, 8:31 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDHamilton44 min
May 5, 8:58 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDClay, Fillmore, York47 min
May 5, 9:38 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDClay, Fillmore52 min
May 5, 9:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDNuckolls, Thayer32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.