Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 84, NWS Cheyenne, WY

July 12, 1997Box Butte County, Nebraska

NWS Cheyenne, WY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 1997, 7:11 PM MDT for Box Butte 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
Jul 12, 1997, 7:11 PM MDT (01:11 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 1997, 7:55 PM MDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Cheyenne, WY
Area
Whole counties

County Box Butte County, NE

The radar

The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 186 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:14 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 12, 7:45 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 65Alliance, NERoofs torn off 1 mobile home and 1 apartment complex; at least 2 cars damaged by fallen limbs; power lines downed; 1 camper flipped; trees uprooted; 3' diameter maple tree thrown onto roof of house; 6' wooden fence downed.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 12, 2:00 PM MDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Rapid City, SD (KUNR), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 206 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, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 1997-07-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 536 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, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 1997-07-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 130 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
536 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1632 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
130 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
175 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KCYS 130111 RRA
SVRCYS
NEC013-130155-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
711 PM MDT SAT JUL 12 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  SOUTHEASTERN BOX BUTTE COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE

* UNTIL 755 PM MDT

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  ALLIANCE                             BY 730 PM MDT
  BEREA                                BY 740 PM MDT

* AT 708 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY DOPPLER
  RADAR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ALLIANCE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM MDT.  SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES.
 
AT 708 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERS
TORM 8 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF ALLIANCE.  THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 15 MPH.
 
LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.  SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A STURDY
BUILDING AWAY FROM ALL WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM PASSES.

JLH

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 12, 2:00 PM MDT, 5 hours 11 minutes before
WYZ059-060-067-068-NEZ001>003-019>021-130200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
200 PM MDT SAT JUL 12 1997

...A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF EAST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST WYOMING AND THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...

THE TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS SATURDAY EVENING AND
INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES.

IN EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WYOMING...CONVERSE...NIOBRARA...PLATTE AND
GOSHEN COUNTIES INCLUDING THE CITIES OF DOUGLAS...LUSK...WHEATLAND AND
TORRINGTON.

COUNTIES IN THE PANHANDLE IN THE WATCH ARE SIOUX...DAWES...SCOTTS BLUFF
...BANNER...BOX BUTTE AND MORRILL INCLUDING THE CITIES OF HARRISON...
CHADRON...ALLIANCE...SCOTTSBLUFF...BRIDGEPORT AND HARRISBURG.

A MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSHPHERE IS IN PLACE OVER MUCH OF EASTERN
WYOMING AND THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE.  A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
APPROACHING FROM THE WEST WILL CAUSE THIS AIR TO LIFT AND FORM STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS.  SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME VERY STRONG AND
PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND EVEN TORNADOES THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT TO APPROACHING STORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A STURDY BUILDING.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR
LATER STATMENTS AND WARNINGS.

WCJIN-WYNE-WYSE
JMH
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 6:00 PM MDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
WYZ054>060-067-068-NEZ001>003-019>021-130200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
600 PM MDT SAT JUL 12 1997

...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EASTERN WYOMING AND FAR
WEST PARTS OF THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EASTERN WYOMING AND FAR WEST
PARTS OF THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE.   THE TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR DAWES...BOX BUTTE AND MORRILL COUNTIES OF NEBRASKA UNTIL 8 PM MDT
THIS SATURDAY EVENING.

THE TORNADO WATCH STILL INCLUDES THE CITIES OF CHADRON...ALLIANCE...
AND BRIDGEPORT.

AT 600 PM MDT THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN DAWES...BOX BUTTE AND MORRILL
COUNTIES OF NEBRASKA.  OVER EASTERN WYOMING AND FAR WEST PARTS OF THE
NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...THUNDERSTORMS WERE DECREASING AND ARE NO LONGER
EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN.

PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT TO APPROACHING STORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A STURDY BUILDING.
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.

WCJIN-WYNE-WYSE
BAKER
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 6:03 PM MDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
WYZ054>060-067-068-NEZ001>003-019>021-130200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
600 PM MDT SAT JUL 12 1997

...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EASTERN WYOMING AND FAR
WEST PARTS OF THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...

THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EASTERN WYOMING AND FAR WEST
PARTS OF THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE.   THE TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR DAWES...BOX BUTTE AND MORRILL COUNTIES OF NEBRASKA UNTIL 8 PM MDT
THIS SATURDAY EVENING.

THE TORNADO WATCH STILL INCLUDES THE CITIES OF CHADRON...ALLIANCE...
AND BRIDGEPORT.

AT 600 PM MDT THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN DAWES...BOX BUTTE AND MORRILL
COUNTIES OF NEBRASKA.  OVER EASTERN WYOMING AND FAR WEST PARTS OF THE
NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...THUNDERSTORMS WERE DECREASING AND ARE NO LONGER
EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN.

PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ALERT TO APPROACHING STORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OF A STURDY BUILDING.L
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS.

WCJIN-WYNE-WYSE
BAKER

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.