Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Watches in 1997
Tornado Watch 215
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 29, 1997, 4:00 PM CDT for 10 counties in Kansas; 12 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 29, 1997, 4:00 PM CDT (21:00 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 29, 1997, 10:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 22 counties
Decatur County, KS, Graham County, KS, Norton County, KS, Osborne County, KS, Phillips County, KS, Rawlins County, KS, Rooks County, KS, Sheridan County, KS, Smith County, KS, Thomas County, KS, Buffalo County, NE, Dawson County, NE, Franklin County, NE, Frontier County, NE, Furnas County, NE, Gosper County, NE, Harlan County, NE, Hayes County, NE, Hitchcock County, NE, Kearney County, NE, Phelps County, NE, Red Willow County, NE
The radar
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 147 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:02 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.
Warnings issued inside it
2 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 4:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GLD | Decatur, Rawlins | 47 min |
| Apr 29, 4:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GID | Dawson | 39 min |
The nearest sounding before it
N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 118 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1270 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 48 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 149 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 195 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
036
WWUS9 KMKC 292019
SEL5
MKC WW 292019
KSZ000-NEZ000-300300-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 215
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
319 PM CDT TUE APR 29 1997
THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR ALL OR PORTIONS OF
PART OF NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRL KANSAS
PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 400 PM UNTIL 1000
PM CDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 75 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MCCOOK NEBRASKA TO 40
MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF KEARNEY NEBRASKA.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
DISCUSSION...TSTM ACTVTY BGNG TO DVLP ON DRY LINE E OF GLD. PRIND
ACTVTY WILL CONT TO INCRS WITH TIME AND MOV EWD ACRS LO LVL MOIST
AXIS EXTNDG FM HLC NWD TO NR MCK. SFC BASED LI VALUES OF -4 TO -6
AND SIG SHEAR PROFILE SUG SUPERCELL DVLPMT LIKELY.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 3/4 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25035.
...JOHNS
403,1010 410,0984 391,0984 385,1010Nearby
Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 1997Tornado Watches in Kansas, 1997Every tornado watch 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.