Alert archive / Nevada / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Reno, NV
NWS Reno, NV issued this tornado warning at May 5, 1994, 4:30 PM PDT for Lander County, Nevada. It was in force for 30 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, 4:30 PM PDT (23:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 5, 1994, 5:00 PM PDT
- In force
- 30 min
- Issued by
- NWS Reno, NV
- Area
- Whole counties
County Lander County, NV
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 4:30 PM PDT | Tornado F1 | Lander County, NV | A tornado a few miles south of Battle Mountain destroyed several ranch buildings and blew out the windows of several vehicles at the ranch. The tornado had several witnesses and was also photographed. A few minutes later, severe thunderstorms produced golf b |
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
Winnemucca Muni, NV (KWMC), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 125 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
- 1570 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 12 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -8 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 KRNO 052332 TORRNO NVC015-060000- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 430 PM PDT THU MAY 5 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RENO HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM PDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH CENTRAL NEVADA ...NORTHERN LANDER COUNTY A TORNADO HAS BEEN REPORTED BY THE BLM OFFICE IN BATTLE MOUNTAIN AT 430 PM PDT. IT WAS REPORTED JUST A FEW MILES SOUTH OF BATTLE MOUNTAIN. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO, THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE, SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS, PILLOWS, OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
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, 3:15 PM PDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
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
Special weather statement, May 5, 3:17 PM PDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
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
Special weather statement, May 5, 4:10 PM PDT, 20 minutes before
NVZ-004-060200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 410 PM PDT THU MAY 5 1994 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTH INTO LOVELOCK AREA NEXT HOUR... RADAR AND SATELLITE REPORTS SHOW A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CELL 10 TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF LOVELOCK AT 400 PM PDT. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING NORTH. PEOPLE IN PERSHING COUNTY SHOULD EXPECT STRONG GUSTY WINDS, HAIL, AND POSSIBLE HEAVY RAIN DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. TAKE COVER IN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. DF/2309Z
Special weather statement, May 5, 4:10 PM PDT, 20 minutes before
NVZ-004-060200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 410 PM PDT THU MAY 5 1994 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTH INTO LOVELOCK AREA NEXT HOUR... RADAR AND SATELLITE REPORTS SHOW A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CELL 10 TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF LOVELOCK AT 400 PM PDT. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING NORTH. PEOPLE IN PERSHING COUNTY SHOULD EXPECT STRONG GUSTY WINDS, HAIL, AND POSSIBLE HEAVY RAIN DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. TAKE COVER IN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. DF/2309Z
The office that day
Everything else NWS Reno, NV issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 4:58 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | REV | Lander | 62 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Nevada, 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.