Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 681

August 13, 199741 counties in Nebraska

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Aug 13, 1997, 3:15 PM CDT for 41 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 7 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 13, 1997, 3:15 PM CDT (20:15 UTC)
Expired
Aug 13, 1997, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 41 counties

Adams County, NE, Arthur County, NE, Blaine County, NE, Boyd County, NE, Brown County, NE, Buffalo County, NE, Chase County, NE, Cherry County, NE, Custer County, NE, Dawson County, NE, Dundy County, NE, Franklin County, NE, Frontier County, NE, Furnas County, NE, Garfield County, NE, Gosper County, NE, Grant County, NE, Greeley County, NE, Hall County, NE, Harlan County, NE, Hayes County, NE, Hitchcock County, NE, Holt County, NE, Hooker County, NE, Howard County, NE, Kearney County, NE, Keith County, NE, Keya Paha County, NE, Lincoln County, NE, Logan County, NE, Loup County, NE, McPherson County, NE, Perkins County, NE, Phelps County, NE, Red Willow County, NE, Rock County, NE, Sherman County, NE, Thomas County, NE, Valley County, NE, Webster County, NE, Wheeler County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:15 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

12 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 13, 3:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCuster61 min
Aug 13, 4:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLoup48 min
Aug 13, 4:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCuster60 min
Aug 13, 5:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFGarfield, Loup64 min
Aug 13, 5:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDValley67 min
Aug 13, 5:53 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFCuster32 min
Aug 13, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo64 min
Aug 13, 6:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDGreeley64 min
Aug 13, 7:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLincoln61 min
Aug 13, 8:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFPerkins48 min
Aug 13, 8:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLincoln50 min
Aug 13, 9:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFHayes35 min

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 1997-08-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 95 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 1997-08-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 177 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
95 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-89 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
834 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
177 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
206 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

442 
WWUS9 KMKC 131944
SEL1  
MKC WW 131944
NEZ000-140300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 681
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
244 PM CDT WED AUG 13 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   WESTERN AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA                           

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 315 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 100 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF VALENTINE NEBRASKA TO 30
MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF MCCOOK 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...THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING IN WARM SECTOR OF SURFACE 
TROF EXTENDING THROUGH WESTERN NEBRASKA WHERE CAPES FROM 2000 TO
3000 J/KG. MID LEVEL FLOW ALREADY 40 KT AND WILL INCREASE AS UPPER
VORT AXIS APPROACHES. LOW LEVEL JET ALSO FORECAST TO INCREASE WITH
SHEAR FAVORABLE FOR A FEW TORNADOES. 

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 3/4 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27035.


...ROGASH

425,0980 400,0980 400,1015 425,1020

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 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.