Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 127, NWS North Platte, NE

July 21, 1997Sheridan County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 21, 1997, 4:39 AM MDT for Sheridan County, Nebraska. It was in force for 66 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
Jul 21, 1997, 4:39 AM MDT (10:39 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 1997, 5:45 AM MDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Sheridan County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 163 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:42 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 nearest sounding before it

Rapid City, SD (KUNR), launched 00:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 178 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 1997-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1157 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1997-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 13 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1157 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
750 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
1.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLBF 211041 RRA
SVRLBF
NEC161-211145-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
539 AM CDT (439 AM MDT) MON JUL 21 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTH PLATTE NE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 545 AM MDT (645 AM CDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE

   ...NORTHERN SHERIDAN COUNTY
 
AT 438 AM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY NORTH PLATTE
DOPPLER RADAR 16 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF CHADRON OR 9 MILES WEST
SOUTHWEST OF WHITE CLAY MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

DAMAGING HAIL AND/OR DESTRUCTIVE WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR...
  WHITE CLAY                   BY 500 AM MDT
 
SEVER6E THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.  FOR YOUR
PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS.

M. MUTCHLER

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.

NWS North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 21, 1:41 AM MDT, 2 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 1:41 AM MDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
240 AM CDT MON JUL 21 1997

ONCE AGAIN...THUNDERSTORMS ARE THE MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE WITH THIS
MORNING'S ISSUANCE...

NGM AND AVN ARE SIMILAR TO 48 HOURS WITH MOST FEATURES. HOWEVER...THE
AVN IS CONSISTENT WITH THE PREVIOUS THREE RUNS. SO...WHEREVER THE NGM
AND AVN DON'T AGREE...PREFER THE AVN BECAUSE OF ITS CONSISTENCY WITH
THE PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS. TEMPERATURE OUTPUT FROM THE NGM HAS BEEN ON
TARGET THE PAST THREE DAYS...BUT THE AIRMASS HAS CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY
SINCE LATE LAST WEEK. THUS THE RECORD MAY NOT CONTINUE. IN FACT...THE
AVN 1000-500MB THICKNESS FORECASTS ARE 60M LOWER THAN THOSE FROM THE
NGM. SINCE THE OVERALL PATTERN HAS CHANGED (TEMPORARILY ANYWAY)...
PREFER THE MORE CONSERVATIVE AVN TEMPERATURES FOR THIS FORECAST.

RETURNING TO THE THUNDERSTORM CHALLENGE...THE AVN KEEPS A THETA-E
RIDGE AT 700MB IN WESTERN NEBRASKA INTO TONIGHT AS WELL AS INSTABILITY
(SFC LI'S ARE FORECAST TO BE -2 TO -4 IN WESTERN NEBRASKA THIS EVENING
AND ZERO TO -2 INTO TONIGHT. AT 07Z...ADAP SURFACE MOISTURE CONVERGENCE
CHART POINTS TO THE INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN THE NEBRASKA
PANHANDLE AND IN THE EASTERN THIRD OF NEBRASKA. THESE ARE THE AREAS
THAT THE AVN IS BUILDING LOBES OF THE 700MB THETA-E RIDGE. OF
COURSE...WITHOUT SUFFICIENT LIFT...NONE OF THE ABOVE REALLY MATTERS.
QUASI-G FORCING IS EXPECTED BY THE AVN TO BE WEAK ON THE HIGH PLAINS.
HOWEVER...THE CIRCULATION AROUND THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE IN NORTHEAST
COLORADO WILL PROVIDE SOME FORCING UPSLOPE. ALSO THE WEAK SURFACE FRONT
IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS WILL HELP FOCUS CONVECTION
IN THAT AREA AS WELL.

THE NEXT QUESTION IS TEMPERATURES. AVN THICKNESS PROGS PROVIDE NO
CHANGE TODAY OR TUESDAY FROM YESTERDAY. SO TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS WILL
DEPEND EXCLUSIVELY ON THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER. A LACK OF LIFT IN THE
NORTH CENTRAL ZONES SHOULD KEEP CLOUDS OUT OF THAT AREA. HOWEVER...IN
THE SOUTHWEST ALONG THE SURFACE FRONT...CLOUDS WILL PROBABLY DOMINATE.
SO TEMPERATURES TODAY IN THE SOUTHWEST ZONES WILL PROBABLY HAVE SOME
DIFFICULTY REACHING THE UPPER 80S THAT WERE OBSERVED YESTERDAY. IN THE
NORTH CENTRAL ZONES...HOWEVER...HIGHS NEAR 90 WOULD NOT BE A BIG
SURPRISE. WITH A LITTLE LESS CLOUDINESS ON TUESDAY...UPPER 80S TO
LOWER 90S SHOULD FIT OVER NEARLY ALL OF THE NORTH PLATTE AREA.

RECOMMENDED FORECAST

NEZ005-022>025-212115-
CHERRY-GRANT-HOOKER-THOMAS-
INCLUDING THE COMMUNITIES OF VALENTINE...MULLEN
400 AM CDT MON JUL 21 1997

.TODAY...MOSTLY SUNNY.  HIGH 85 TO 90.  NORTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.
.TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
LOW IN THE UPPER 50S.  WIND BECOMING NEARLY CALM.
.TUESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY.  HIGH AROUND 90.  EAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

NEZ006>010-026-029-038-212115-
KEYA PAHA-BOYD-BROWN-ROCK-HOLT-BLAINE-LOUP-GARFIELD-WHEELER-CUSTER-
INCLUDING THE COMMUNITIES OF AINSWORTH...O NEILL...BURWELL...BROKEN BOW
400 AM CDT MON JUL 21 1997

.TODAY...MOSTLY SUNNY.  HIGH 85 TO 90.  NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR.  LOW IN THE LOWER 60S.  WIND BECOMING NEARLY
CALM.
TUESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY.  HIGH 85 TO 90.  EAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

NEZ004-022-056-212115-
SHERIDAN-GARDEN-DEUEL-
INCLUDING THE COMMUNITIES OF GORDON...OSHKOSH...CHAPPEL
400 AM CDT MON JUL 21 1997

.TODAY...MOSTLY SUNNY.  HIGH 85 TO 90.  NORTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.
.TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
LOW IN THE MID 50S.  WIND ECOMING NEARLY CALM.
.TUESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY.  HIGH AROUND 90.  NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

NEZ035>037-056>059-069>071-212115-
ARTHUR-MCPHERSON-LOGAN-DEUEL-KEITH-PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF OGALLALA...NORTH PLATTE...IMPERIAL
400 AM CDT MON JUL 21 1997

.TODAY...PARTLY CLOUDY.  HIGH IN THE MID 80S.  NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10
MPH.
.TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
LOW 55 TO 60.  WIND BECOMING NEARLY CALM.
.TUESDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY.  HIGH 85 TO 90.  NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

VTN UU 087/057 091/058 091 49020
ANW UU 087/062 088/060 090 49000
ONL UU 086/063 088/062 088 49000
BBW UU 085/061 088/059 090 49010
LBF BU 086/056 089/0|58 090 49030
OGA BU 085/057 089/060 091 49030
IML BU 086/058 090/061 092 49030

SPRINGER

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.