Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 34, NWS Cheyenne, WY

August 15, 1996Cheyenne County, Kimball County, Nebraska

NWS Cheyenne, WY issued this tornado warning at Aug 15, 1996, 4:50 PM MDT for Cheyenne County, Kimball County, Nebraska. It was in force for 40 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 15, 1996, 4:50 PM MDT (22:50 UTC)
Expired
Aug 15, 1996, 5:30 PM MDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Cheyenne, WY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cheyenne County, NE, Kimball County, NE

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 149 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 1996-08-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 44 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 1996-08-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 96 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
44 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-377 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2307 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
87 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 152250
TORCYS
NEC033-105-152330-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
450 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHEYENNE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  530 PM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE
 
   ...WESTERN CHEYENNE COUNTY...EASTERN KIMBALL COUNTY
 
AT 447 PM MDT DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A TORNADO OVER EASTERN KIMBALL COUNTY. THE
STRONGEST PORTION OF THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER DIX MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
 
THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT THE TOWNS OF DIX AND POTTER THROUGH
530 PM.
 
DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED STRONG ROTATION IN THIS STORM.  IT HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY MOMENT!
 
LRE

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, Aug 15, 12:24 PM MDT, 4 hours 26 minutes before
WYZ059-060-064-065-066-067-068-069-070-151930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1225 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING...

AT 1220 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN
NORTHWEST ALBANY COUNTY 50 MILES NORTH OF LARAMIE...AND IN NORTHWEST
PLATTE COUNTY 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF WHEATLAND.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON.  SOME STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING.

WCJIN-WYSE-WYNE

ROBINSON
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 12:54 PM MDT, 3 hours 56 minutes before
WYZ059-060-064-065-066-067-068-069-070-152000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
1254 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE RUMBLING OVER SOUTHEAST AND EAST
CENTRAL WYOMING...

AT 1252 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WYOMING.  THE STRONGEST STORM
WAS IN SOUTHWEST NIOBRARA COUNTY...20 MILES WEST OF LUSK.  THE STORMS
WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

AREAL COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST HOUR.  SOME
STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY
WINDS...HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING.

WCJIN-WYSE-WYNE

ROBINSON
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 1:34 PM MDT, 3 hours 16 minutes before
WYZ059-060-064-065-066-067-068-069-070-152030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
133 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OVER SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WYOMING...

AT 130 PM MDT...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST AND
EAST CENTRAL WYOMING.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE IN SOUTHWEST NIOBRARA
COUNTY 15 MILES WEST OF LUSK...AND NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF ALBANY...
CONVERSE...AND PLATTE COUNTIES.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20
MPH.

SMALL HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS FROM THESE STORMS.  STAY INDOORS WHEN
STORMS ARE IN YOUR AREA AND REMAIN AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

WCJIN-WYSE-WYNE

ROBINSON
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 1:41 PM MDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before
NEZ002-152045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
140 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAS DEVELOPED OVER SOUTHERN DAWES COUNTY IN THE
NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...

AT 138 PM MDT...CHEYENNE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHERN DAWES COUNTY...20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHADRON.
THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL BE IN WESTERN SHERIDAN
COUNTY BY 220 PM MDT.

HEAVY RAIN....GUSTY WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND SOME SMALL HAIL WILL BE
NOTED IN SOUTHERN DAWES COUNTY UNTIL 215 PM MDT.

ROBINSON
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 2:14 PM MDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
WYZ059-060-064-065-066-067-068-069-070-NEZ001-002-003-019-020-021-
054-055-152115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
213 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS MARCHING ACROSS SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WYOMING INTO
THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...

AT 209 PM MDT...CHEYENNE WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SEVERAL STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WYOMING...AS WELL AS SIOUX
AND DAWES COUNTIES IN THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE REMAINDER OF THE
NEBRASKA PANHANDLE BY 400 PM MDT.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.  IF YOU AR
E IN THE PATH OF A STORM TAKE
COVER INDOORS AND REMAIN AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

WCJIN-WYSE-WYNE

ROBINSON
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 2:59 PM MDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
WYZ060-066>070-152200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
255 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST WYOMING...

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR LARAMIE...GOSHEN...PLATTE AND SOUTHERN
NIOBRARA COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING UNTIL 8 PM MDT.  A MOIST AND
UNSTABLE AIRMASS COMBINED WITH AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE
WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO SOUTHEAST WYOMING
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  DUE TO A FAVORABLE WIND SHEAR ENVIRONMENT
...THESE STORMS COULD ALSO SPAWN TORNADOES.

AT 250 PM DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHWEST
NIOBRARA COUNTY SOUTH TO THE COLORADO BORDER NEAR CHEYENNE.  SEVERAL
STRONG STORMS WERE WITHIN THIS LINE.

PEOPLE IN SOUTHEAST WYOMING SHOULD BE ALERT TO APPROACHING STORMS AND
BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL
RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER WARNIN,GS AND STATEMENTS.

HARRISON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 14, 6:31 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSBanner44 min
Aug 14, 6:54 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSScotts Bluff51 min
Aug 14, 7:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSScotts Bluff45 min
Aug 15, 3:21 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSDawes39 min
Aug 15, 3:48 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSKimball42 min
Aug 15, 3:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSDawes50 min
Aug 15, 3:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSBox Butte46 min
Aug 15, 4:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSCheyenne42 min
Aug 15, 4:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSKimball34 min
Aug 15, 4:32 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSBox Butte43 min
Aug 15, 4:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSDawes44 min
Aug 15, 4:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSMorrill50 min
Aug 15, 5:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSMorrill30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.