Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1997
Tornado Warning 14, NWS Hastings, NE
NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Jun 20, 1997, 10:04 PM CDT for Howard County, Nebraska. It was in force for 41 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
- Jun 20, 1997, 10:04 PM CDT (03:04 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 20, 1997, 10:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 41 min
- Issued by
- NWS Hastings, NE
- Area
- Whole counties
County Howard County, NE
The radar
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:08 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 10:40 PM CDT | Hail 1.5 | Cushing, NE |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 175 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KGRI 210304 RRA TORGRI NEC093-210345- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 1004 PM CDT FRI JUN 20 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS NE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA ...NORTHERN HOWARD COUNTY THOSE IN ELBA AND COTESFIELD AND FARWELL SHOULD TAKE COVER NOW. AT 10 PM RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 30 NORTHWEST OF GRAND ISLAND OR TO THE NORTH OF FARWELL. THIS STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 10 MPH. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF STORM MOVE TO SHELTER NOW. PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO SHOULD TAKE COVER IN A REINFORCED SHELTER. KISNEFR
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, 9 hours 4 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 20, 1:00 PM CDT, 9 hours 4 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, 2 hours 4 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 7:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Howard, Merrick, Nance | 45 min |
| Jun 20, 8:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Greeley | 51 min |
| Jun 20, 8:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Howard, Merrick, Nance | 46 min |
| Jun 20, 9:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Merrick | 45 min |
| Jun 20, 9:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Dawson | 48 min |
| Jun 20, 9:45 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Merrick, Polk | 30 min |
| Jun 20, 9:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Howard | 39 min |
| Jun 20, 10:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Valley | 47 min |
| Jun 20, 10:15 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Nance | 45 min |
| Jun 20, 10:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Buffalo, Sherman | 49 min |
| Jun 20, 10:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | GID | Dawson | 44 min |
| Jun 20, 10:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Greeley, Howard | 32 min |
| Jun 20, 11:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Merrick, Nance | 45 min |
| Jun 20, 11:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Hall | 45 min |
| Jun 20, 11:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Adams, Kearney | 39 min |
| Jun 20, 11:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Clay, Hamilton | 50 min |
| Jun 20, 11:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Polk | 50 min |
| Jun 20, 11:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Buffalo | 37 min |
| Jun 20, 11:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Fillmore, York | 41 min |
| Jun 21, 12:19 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Clay, Fillmore | 41 min |
| Jun 21, 1:06 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Gosper | 39 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.