Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 79, NWS North Platte, NE

June 25, 1997Keith County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 25, 1997, 2:56 PM MDT for Keith County, Nebraska. It was in force for 64 min. 4 reports 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 25, 1997, 2:56 PM MDT (20:56 UTC)
Expired
Jun 25, 1997, 4:00 PM MDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Keith County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:56 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
Jun 25, 3:10 PM MDTHail 1Brule, NE
Jun 25, 3:22 PM MDTHail 1Ogallala, NE
Jun 25, 3:25 PM MDTTornado F0Ogallala, NEBrief tornado touchdown reported by highway patrol.
Jun 25, 3:37 PM MDTHail 0.75Ogallala, 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 nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 89 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 12:00Z on 1997-06-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 51 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 12:00Z on 1997-06-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -48 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
51 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-154 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
945 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
84 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

360 
WUUS1 KLBF 252058 RRA
SVRLBF
NEC101-252200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
356 PM CDT (256 PM MDT) WED JUN 25 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTH PLATTE NE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 400 PM MDT (500 PM CDT)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA

   ...NORTHERN KEITH COUNTY
 
AT 254 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY NORTH PLATTE
DOPPLER RADAR 21 MILES NORTHWEST OF OGALLALA OR 10 MILES WEST
NORTHWEST OF LEMOYNE MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NEAR AND JUST NORTH OF LAKE
MCCONAUGHY THROUGH 4 PM MDT.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM
YOU SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING AND GO TO THE LOWEST FLOOR
POSSIBLE.




FS/SP

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 Jun 25, 2:08 PM MDT, 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 25, 2:08 PM MDT, 48 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
304 PM CDT WED JUN 25 1997

...FORECAST PROBLEM WILL BE PRECIP CHANCES TONIGHT...

MODELS ALL SIMILAR IN CONTINUING TO SHEAR 500 TROUGH FROM CENTRAL
CANADA WITH BEST DYNAMICS AND PVA REMAINING OVER THE DAKOTAS. NORTHERN
NEBRASKA GETS SOME CHANNELIZED VORTICITY FROM THIS SYSTEM. THIS
CHANNELIZED VORTICITY BECOMES A VORT LOBE ON THE ETA AT 12Z OVER
WESTERN PART OF CWA WITH NGM A LITTLE SLOWER WITH VORT LOBE OVER
EASTERN WYOMING AND WESTERN NEBRASKA. THIS WEAK VORT LOBE IS ACROSS
CENTRAL NEBRASKA AT 36 HOURS BY NGM AND ETA HAS WEAK VORT MAX OVER
EXTREME SOUTHERN NEBRASKA AT THAT TIME. AVN IS COMPROMISE OF NGM/ETA.

THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES ARE A PROBLEM FOR TONIGHT. RRQ OF JET HELPED TO
KICK THE THUNDERSTORM AREA OVER NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA THIS MORNING AND
LOOKING AT VISIBLE SATELITE THERE WAS A LITTLE TWIST IN THE CLOUDS OVER
EASTERN WYOMING WHICH WOULD DEPICT A SMALL VORT MAX THAT WAS NOT PICKED
UP BY ANY OF THE MODELS. THIS VORT MAX APPEARS TO BE HEADED EAST
SOUTHEAST AND IS NOW IN WESTERN NEBRASKA. THIS WILL HELP TO CONTINUE TO
KICK OFF THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING ALONG WITH RRQ OF JET AND SOME
SMALL BOUNDARIES ARE ALSO SHOWN ON SATELITE. AIRMASS OVER PANHANDLE IS
PROGGED TO BE VERY UNSTABLE WITH -6 LIFTED PROGGED BY 00Z OVER THIS
AREA WITH -2 TO -4 OVER REST OF CWA. 700 AND 850 THTE RIDGES OVER
WESTERN NEBRASKA AND NORTHEAST COLORADO BY 00Z TONIGHT AND UPSLOPE FLOW
WILL CONTINUE WHICH WOULD TEND TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY. CAPES PROGGED TO BE IN 1200-1800 CATEGORY BY 00Z TONIGHT OVER
SOUTHWEST HALF OF CWA AND 850 COVERGENCE...250 DIVERGENCE AND SFC
MOISTURE FLUX CONVERGENCE ALSO OVER
SOUTHWEST HALF OF CWA ALSO AT 00Z. THESE ALL POINT TO THUNDERSTORMS
CONTINUING INTO THE EVENING OVER SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA. AGREE ALSO WITH
SELS DISCUSSION ABOUT POSSIBLE MCS OVER WESTERN NEBRASKA TONIGHT.

AFTER TONIGHT...TOMORROW LOOKS GOOD FOR THUNDERSTORMS ALSO AS 700 AND
850 THTE RIDGES MOVE CLOSER TO CWA WITH 850 THTE HAVING BULLSEYE NEAR
NORTH PLATTE WITH HIGH THTE AIR OVER NORTH PLATTE. LIFTED INDEXES IN -2
TO -4 RANGE WITH CAPES ACROSS CWA OF 15-2100 AT 00Z TOMMORROW NIGHT.
PRETTY MUCH THE SAME WEATHER REGIME TOMORROW AS TODAY. 700 TEMPS DO
WARM TOMORROW TO 9 TO 9.5 BY 00Z SO CAP WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE AFTER
TONIGHT.

RECOMMEND 40 POPS FOR MHN GROUP TONIGHT FOR ONGOING CONVECTION AND
POSSIBLE MCS AMD 50 POPS FOR LBF ZONE FOR BETTER CHANCES THUNDERSTORMS
AND 40 FOR BBW ZONE. ALSO POPS RECOMMENDED FOR VTN ZONE. SEE CCF FOR
POPS AND TEMP IDEAS.

CCF
LBF BB 057/085 061/092 061 705320  ANW BB 057/085 062/092 061 702110
OGA BB 057/085 062/092 062 705320  ONL BB 058/086 064/092 064 701111
IML BB 058/085 062/093 062 705320  BBW BB 056/084 060/091 060 704310
VTN BB 053/086 062/092 061 704210

MICHELS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 25, 9:43 AM MDT, 5 hours 13 minutes before
NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-261200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
1043 AM CDT WED JUN 25 1997

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING NEBRASKA COUNTIES...

ARTHUR     BLAINE     BOYD       BROWN      CHASE      CHERRY
CUSTER     DEUEL      FRONTIER   GARDEN     GARFIELD   GRANT
HAYES      HOLT       HOOKER     KEITH      KEYA PAHA  LINCOLN
LOGAN      LOUP       MCPHERSON  PERKINS    ROCK       SHERIDAN
THOMAS     WHEELER

...STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN
PART OF THE EASTERN PANHANDLE...

ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER MOST OF WESTERN NEBRASKA
TODAY...THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER EXCEPT
POSSIBLY IN DEUEL AND GARDEN COUNTIES IN THE EASTERN PANHANDLE OF
NEBRASKA.

EASTERLY FLOW OF AIR OR AIR FLOWING UP IN ELEVATION WILL HELP TO
TRIGGER THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. THE AIR WILL BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO
HEATING. THE MOST UNSTABLE AIR WILL BE OVER DEUEL AND GARDEN COUNTIES
WITH THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLY BECOMING SEVERE IN THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING HOURS THERE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WOULD BE LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

MICHELS
Special weather statement, Jun 25, 9:44 AM MDT, 5 hours 12 minutes before
NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-261200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
1043 AM CDT WED JUN 25 1997

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING NEBRASKA COUNTIES...

ARTHUR     BLAINE     BOYD       BROWN      CHASE      CHERRY
CUSTER     DEUEL      FRONTIER   GARDEN     GARFIELD   GRANT
HAYES      HOLT       HOOKER     KEITH      KEYA PAHA  LINCOLN
LOGAN      LOUP       MCPHERSON  PERKINS    ROCK       SHERIDAN
THOMAS     WHEELER

...STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN
PART OF THE EASTERN PANHANDLE...

ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER MOST OF WESTERN NEBRASKA
TODAY...THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER EXCEPT
POSSIBLY IN DEUEL AND GARDEN COUNTIES IN THE EASTERN PANHANDLE OF
NEBRASKA.

EASTERLY FLOW OF AIR OR AIR FLOWING UP IN ELEVATION WILL HELP TO
TRIGGER THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. THE AIR WILL BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO
HEATING. THE MOST UNSTABLE AIR WILL BE OVER DEUEL AND GARDEN COUNTIES
WITH THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLY BECOMING SEVERE IN THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING HOURS THERE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WOULD BE LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

MICHELS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 25, 2:10 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFGarden65 min
Jun 25, 3:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFGarden66 min
Jun 25, 3:27 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFKeith33 min
Jun 25, 3:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFDeuel62 min
Jun 25, 3:58 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFDeuel32 min
Jun 25, 4:03 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFKeith, Perkins62 min
Jun 25, 4:11 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFLincoln64 min
Jun 25, 5:07 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFPerkins63 min
Jun 25, 5:13 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFHayes62 min
Jun 25, 5:15 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFLincoln65 min
Jun 25, 5:32 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFFrontier63 min

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.