Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Hastings, NE
NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at May 5, 1994, 8:31 PM CDT for Hamilton County, Nebraska. It was in force for 44 min. 1 report 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, 8:31 PM CDT (01:31 UTC)
- Expired
- May 5, 1994, 9:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 44 min
- Issued by
- NWS Hastings, NE
- Area
- Whole counties
County Hamilton County, NE
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 8:35 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Phillips, NE | A 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, 1.5 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.
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KGRI 060136 TORGRI NEC081-060215- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 831 PM CDT THU MAY 5 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS NE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA ...HAMILTON COUNTY AT 830 PM CDT SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO BETWEEN PHILIPS AND MURPHY...ABOUT 6 MILES WEST OF AURORA OR 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GRAND ISLAND. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. T 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 51 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 49 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 7:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Howard | 30 min |
| May 5, 7:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Hamilton | 34 min |
| May 5, 7:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Polk, York | 55 min |
| May 5, 7:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Hamilton | 40 min |
| May 5, 8:04 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Fillmore | 56 min |
| May 5, 8:16 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Clay, York | 44 min |
| May 5, 8:58 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Clay, Fillmore, York | 47 min |
| May 5, 9:38 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Clay, Fillmore | 52 min |
| May 5, 9:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Nuckolls, Thayer | 32 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.