Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Hastings, NE

June 20, 1997Dawson County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Jun 20, 1997, 9:42 PM CDT for Dawson County, Nebraska. It was in force for 48 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
Jun 20, 1997, 9:42 PM CDT (02:42 UTC)
Expired
Jun 20, 1997, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Dawson County, NE

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 131 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:45 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 20, 3:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr
Jun 20, 8:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 72 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 1997-06-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3148 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 1997-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 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
3148 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-74 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1727 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
109 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGRI 210242 RRA
TORGRI
NEC047-210330-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
942 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS NE  HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
 
   ...DAWSON COUNTY
 
...PERSONS IN RURAL NORTHWEST DAWSON...MAINLY NORTH OF GOTHENBURG AND
COZAD...SHOULD MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR TORNADO SHELTER NOW. A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WITH A DEVELOPING TORNADO WAS HEADED YOUR WAY.
 
AT 940 PM...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A DEVELOPING TORNADO ALONG HIGHWAY 47
ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF GOTHENBURG.  THIS STORM IS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
25 MPH.  AREAS NORTH OF GOTHENBURG AND COZAD ARE IN THE DIRECT PATH OF T
SSTORM.  THE TOWN OF EDDYVILLE WILL BE EFFECTED BY THIS STORM BY 1015
PM.
 
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS OVER 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL DAWSON COUNTY AS WELL.
 
IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.  TAKE COVER NOW.
 
MORITZ

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.

NWS Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jun 20, 1:00 PM CDT, 8 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 20, 1:00 PM CDT, 8 hours 42 minutes before
CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
100 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

ONCE AGAIN...TSTMS AND TEMPS ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES.

WILL MAKE THIS A QUICK ONE WITH ANTICIPATED STORMS THIS AFTN.
WILL FOLLOW ETA AS IT...AT THIS POINT...HAS PERFORMED VERY WELL
WITH POSITION OF FRONT AND SFC LO PRES...AND ALSO WITH THE AMT
OF LL MOISTURE THAT HAS ADVECTED NORTH INTO AREA TODAY.

AT 17Z...SFC LO WAS DEEPENING AROUND GLD WITH STATIONARY FRONT
SNAKING NORTH THRU THE MIDDLE OF NEB. OUTFLOW BOUNDARY EVIDENT
FROM GRI/HSI SE TO THE SOUTH OF LNK AT 16Z STILL THERE...BUT
TOUGHER TO SEE IN SFC OBS. THE BEGINNING OF A WARM FRONT ALSO
TAKING SHAPE FROM SFC LO EAST ACROSS EXTREME NRN KS.

TEMPS IN THE 80S/90S...AND DWPTS INTO THE LOW/MID 70S MAKING FOR
VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS THIS AFTN. JUST WAITING FOR THE CAP TO
BREAK LATE THIS AFTN AS TROF EVIDENT WITH PROFILERS OVER THE HI
PLAINS MOVES EAST INTO THIS JUICY ATMOS.

SCT TRWS TO FIRE LATE AFTN INTO THE EVENING. SVR STORMS LIKELY.
AN MCS ALSO FCST TO FORM FROM CONVECTION THAT FIRES WEST OF US.
THIS WORKS INTO CWA OVERNIGHT. WITH ALL THIS JUICE...WILL LEAVE
MENTION OF HEAVY RAIN IN FCST. GIVEN LOWS THIS AM...AND ALL THE
CLDS AND PRECIP EXPECTED TONIGHT...WILL BUMP LOWS TO ABOUT 70
SRN PART OF NEB...MID 60S NW. 70/75 KS. GENERAL S WIND 10/20
SHIFTING TO NE...GUSTY/VARIABLE WITH STORMS.

TOMR...GOOD CHC STORMS LEFTOVER IN AM AND AGAIN LATE IN DAY FROM
EXTREME SRN NEB INTO NCNTRL KS. SOME CHC TO THE NORTH AS WELL
TEMPS RANGING FROM MID 80S NORTH OF FRONT IN NEB...TO 90/95 KS.
NORTHEAST WIND 5/15 NEB.

TOMR NIGHT...PRETTY QUITE AFTER EVENING STORMS FROM NEB/KS BORDER
SOUTH. NEXT SYS ALSO BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE WEST ON HI PLAINS...BUT
WILL LIKELY NOT MAKE IT INTO CNTRL NEB JUST YET. LOWS ABIT COOLER
WITH 65ISH TEMPS MORE WIDESPREAD IN NEB...ABOUT 70 IN KS.

INTO SUNDAY...CHC TRWS AGAIN LATE IN DAY AS NEXT SYSTEM TAKES
SHAPE VERY WARM TEMPS AGAIN AS SOUTHERLY FLOW REALLY PICKS UP.
WOULD PUT INTO THE 90S AGAIN IN MANY AREAS...AND WELL INTO THE 90S
KS. 30% AFTN POPS...ALLOW THEY MAY HOLD OFF TIL EVENING.

GRI BU 070/085/065/092 6303
ODX BU 065/082/060/091 6303
LXN BU 065/084/060/093 6303
HBR BB 072/087/067/092 6433
BEL BB 075/092/069/094 6443

GURNEY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 20, 8:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
NEZ075-061-076-060-077-084-082-072-040-062-063-083-047-074-048-
041-086-073-049-046-087-039-085-064-210300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
800 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 489 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM...

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 491 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM...

A TORNADO WATCH...NUMBER 489...IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM.  THIS WATCH
COVERS THE AREA WEST OF A LINE FROM LEXINGTON TO HOLDREGE TO ALMA. SOME
ADDITIONAL CITIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH ARE ELWOOD AND BEAVER CITY.

ANOTHER TORNADO WATCH...NUMBER 491...IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM.  THIS
WATCH COVERS THAT AREA IN SOUTH-CENTRAL NEBRASKA EAST OF A LINE FROM
ORD TO KEARNEY TO FRANKLIN.  ADDITIONAL CITIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH
ARE...GRAND ISLAND...HASTINGS...SUPERIOR...AND YORK.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT.  BE READY TO TAKE
QUICK ACTION AS SECONDS MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE.

KISNER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Hastings, NE issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 20, 7:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHoward, Merrick, Nance45 min
Jun 20, 8:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDGreeley51 min
Jun 20, 8:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHoward, Merrick, Nance46 min
Jun 20, 9:00 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDMerrick45 min
Jun 20, 9:45 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDMerrick, Polk30 min
Jun 20, 9:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHoward39 min
Jun 20, 10:04 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDHoward41 min
Jun 20, 10:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDValley47 min
Jun 20, 10:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDNance45 min
Jun 20, 10:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Sherman49 min
Jun 20, 10:31 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDDawson44 min
Jun 20, 10:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDGreeley, Howard32 min
Jun 20, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDMerrick, Nance45 min
Jun 20, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHall45 min
Jun 20, 11:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDAdams, Kearney39 min
Jun 20, 11:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDClay, Hamilton50 min
Jun 20, 11:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPolk50 min
Jun 20, 11:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo37 min
Jun 20, 11:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFillmore, York41 min
Jun 21, 12:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDClay, Fillmore41 min
Jun 21, 1:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDGosper39 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.