Alert archive / Wyoming / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Cheyenne, WY

July 28, 1996Laramie County, Wyoming

NWS Cheyenne, WY issued this tornado warning at Jul 28, 1996, 3:22 PM MDT for Laramie County, Wyoming. It was in force for 38 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
Jul 28, 1996, 3:22 PM MDT (21:22 UTC)
Expired
Jul 28, 1996, 4:00 PM MDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Cheyenne, WY
Area
Whole counties

County Laramie County, WY

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 28, 3:50 PM MDTHail 1Cheyenne, WY

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.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 202 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1996-07-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 186 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1996-07-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 57 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
186 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-515 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1824 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 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 KCYS 282127
TORCYS
WYC021-282200-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
322 PM MDT SUN JUL 28 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHEYENNE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  400 PM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING
 
   ...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST LARAMIE COUNTY
 
AT 323 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 15 TO 20
MILES NORTH OF CHEYENNE.  THERE WAS STRONG ROTATION INDICATED WITH THIS
STORM 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHEYENNE OR ABOUT 6 MILES EAST OF HORSE
CREEK.
 
THIS STROM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY MOMENT!
PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY OF THIS STORM SHOULD MOVE TO THE LOWES
T FLOOR.
 
AS A LAST RESTORT...GET IN A DITCH.
 
WCJIN-WYSE
 
MOORE

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, Jul 28, 10:08 AM MDT, 5 hours 14 minutes before
WYZ059>070-NEZ001>003-019>021-054-055-282300-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1000 AM MDT SUN JUL 28 1996

THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL IN THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE CHEYENNE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IS MEDIUM THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...MAINLY IN THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 25 IN
WYOMING.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY.

DISCUSSION...AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER DISTURBANCE TRACKING SOUTHEAST OUT
OF EASTERN MONTANA IS EXPECTED PROVIDE THE ENERGY NECESSARY TO SET OFF
THUNDERSTORMS IN EASTERN WYOMING AND THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THIS WEATHER DISTURBANCE...IN COMBINATION WITH
WEAK UPSLOPE SURFACE WINDS...AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...AND AN
INCREASING SUPPLY OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE FROM THE WEST...WILL LIKELY
GENERATE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINS.

THE WIND PATTERN THROUGH THE LOWEST 20 THOUSAND FEET OF THE ATMOSPHERE
IS ALSO CONDUCIVE TO DEVELOPING SOME STORM-SCALE CIRCULATION WHICH WILL
AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER.

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING AND
THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE:

WY...ALBANY   CARBON   CONVERSE   JGOSHEN   LARAMIE   NIOBRARA   PLATTE
NE...BANNER   BOX BUTTE   CHEYENNE   DAWES   KIMBALL   MORRILL   SIOUX
     SCOTTS BLUFF

WCJIN-WYSE-WYNE
JBS
Special weather statement, Jul 28, 12:06 PM MDT, 3 hours 16 minutes before
WYZ064>070-281900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1205 PM MDT SUN JUL 28 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING...

AT NOON MDT A SINGLE THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED 25 MILES SOUTH OF
DOUGLAS...OR 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF WHEATLAND. THIS STORM WAS MOVING
TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. IF THIS STORM CONTINUES IN THIS MANNER IT
SHOULD AFFECT THE COMMUNITY OF WHEATLAND BY 115 PM.

THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
SMALL HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS
STORM TAKE COVER IN A STURDY BUILDING.

WCJIN-WYSE-WYNE
LRE
Special weather statement, Jul 28, 1:09 PM MDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
NEZ001>003-281930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
108 PM MDT SUN JUL 28 1996

...THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING IN THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF NEBRASKA...

AT 105 PM MDT...A THUNDERSTORM WITH HEAVY RAINFALL AND LIKELY SMALL HAIL
HAD DEVELOPED IN NORTHERN SIOUX COUNTY...ABOUT 35 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST
OF CHADRON...OR ABOUT 8 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF HARRISON.

THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.  THIS STORM WILL CROSS &OVER
HIGHWAY 20 IN THE VICINITY OF FORT ROBISON AND CRAWFORD AROUND 120 PM
MDT.

MOORE
Special weather statement, Jul 28, 1:24 PM MDT, 1 hour 58 minutes before
WYZ061>069-282000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
122 PM MDT SUN JUL 28 1996

...THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING IN THE SOUTHEAST WYOMING...

AT 120 PM MDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY RAINFALL AND
SMALL HAIL...WERE DEVELOPING IN A 50 MILE WIDE AREA THAT EXTENDED FROM
NEAR WHEATLAND WEST TO 25 MILES NORTH OF RAWLINS.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WHEATLAND ON
HIGHWAY 34 AND 15 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF WHEATLAND.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE DEVELOPING ACROSS SOUTHEAST WYOMING.
SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND HAIL.

PEOPLE IN SOUTHtEAST WYOMING SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THUNDERSTORMS
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER SHOULD THEY
APPROACH.

WCJIN-WYNE-WYSE

MOORE
Special weather statement, Jul 28, 2:04 PM MDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
WYZ067-282030-

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION TO TITLE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
202 PM MDT SUN JUL 28 1996

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN PLATTE
COUNTY UNTIL 215 PM MDT...

AT 200 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHERN PLATTE COUNTY.  THE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED
FROM 5 MILES WEST OF CHUGWATER TO 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHUGWATER.

THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTH SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND SHOULD REMAIN TO
THE WEST OF I-25 IN SOUTHERN PLATTE COUNTY.

PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN PLATTE COUNTY...ESPECIALLY TO THE WEST CHUGWATER
SHOULD TAKE SHELTER NOW.

WCJIN-WYNE-WYSE

MOORE
Special weather statement, Jul 28, 2:23 PM MDT, 59 minutes before
NEZ002-003-282045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
221 PM MDT SUN JUL 28 1996

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN DAWES COUNTY HAS
BEEN CANCELLED...

AT 215 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM IN EXTREME
NORTHWESTERN BOX BUTTE COUNTY.  THIS THUNDERSTOM HAD WEAKEND SOME AND
IS NO LONGER THOUGHT TO BE SEVERE.

SINCE THIS STORM MOVED OUT OF DAWES COUNTY...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN DAWES COUNTY WAS CANCELLED. HOWEVER...
PEOPLE IN BOX BUTTE COUNTY...SHOULD MOVE TO SHELTER.  THIS STORM WAS
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND MOVE THROUGH MOST OF THE COUNTY AND
THROUGH 300 PM MDT.  THIS STORM STILL HAS THE POTENTIAL TOZ PRODUCE VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.

MOORE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Cheyenne, WY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 28, 1:33 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSPlatte42 min
Jul 28, 2:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSLaramie36 min
Jul 28, 3:02 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSLaramie58 min
Jul 28, 3:37 PM MDTTornado WarningCYSLaramie33 min
Jul 28, 3:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSLaramie46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wyoming, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996

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.