Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Cheyenne, WY

June 22, 1998Box Butte County, Morrill County, Nebraska

NWS Cheyenne, WY issued this tornado warning at Jun 22, 1998, 8:27 PM MDT for Box Butte County, Morrill County, Nebraska. It was in force for 18 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 22, 1998, 8:27 PM MDT (02:27 UTC)
Expired
Jun 22, 1998, 8:45 PM MDT
In force
18 min
Issued by
NWS Cheyenne, WY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Box Butte County, NE, Morrill County, NE

The radar

The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 172 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:30 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 22, 8:30 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 52Alliance, NEStrong thunderstorm winds up to 62 mph knocked down 2 power poles 8 miles south-southwest of Alliance. The poles were broke off at ground level and caused a brief power outage for customers in the immediate area.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 22, 7:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 2.5 hours before the alert went out and 224 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 00:00Z on 1998-06-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1134 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 1998-06-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 71 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1134 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1509 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
6.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

906 
WFUS1 KCYS 230228 RRA
TORCYS
NEC013-123-230245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
827 PM MDT MON JUN 22 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHEYENNE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN BOX BUTTE COUNTY IN THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE
  NORTHWESTERN MORRILL COUNTY IN THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE

* UNTIL 845 PM MDT

* AT 823 PM... SPOTTERS INDICATED A TORNADO 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  ALLIANCE... MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  THE STORM WILL REMAIN OVER OPEN COUNTRY.

GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR

JAD

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 22, 5:57 PM MDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
WYZ059-060-064-066>070-230115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION TO TIMES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
557 PM MDT MON JUN 22 1998

...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 8 PM FOR MUCH OF EASTERN WYOMING...

RADAR AT 545 PM SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM ABOUT 25 MILES
NORTH OF TORRINGTON TO ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WHEATLAND.
NONE OF THESE STORMS HAD PRODUCED ANY SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH 545 PM.

THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT REPORT SO FAR HAS BEEN PEA SIZE HAIL AND SOME
ROTATION IN THE CLOUDS IN THE LINGLE AREA BETWEEN 530 TO 545 PM...
SOME 10 TO 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF TORRINGTON.

OTHER STORMS IN EAST CENTRAL WYOMING HAVE MOVED INTO THE NORTHERN
PARTS OF CONVERSE AND NIOBRARA COUNTIES.  ONLY ISOLATED WEAK STORMS
WERE OVER FAR SOUTHEAST WYOMING IN THE LARAMIE AND CHEYENNE AREAS.

THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG POSSIBLY SEVERE STORMS CONTINUES UNTIL 8 PM.
PLATTE AND GOSHEN COUNTIES REMAIN THE MAIN AREA OF CONCERN AT THIS
TIME.

WCJIN-WYSE-WYNE

JAD
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 6:02 PM MDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
NEZ001>003-019>021-054-055-230115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
602 PM MDT MON JUN 22 1998

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM...

AT 555 PM...RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF STORMS MOVING INTO THE WESTERN
PART OF SIOUX COUNTY.  NONE OF THE STORMS APPEARED TO BE SEVERE AT
THIS TIME.  A FEW OTHER WEAK STORMS WERE MOVING INTO WESTERN BANNER
COUNTY.  ALL STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 15 TO 20 MPH.

THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG POSSIBLY SEVERE STORMS CONTINUES IN THE
PANHANDLE UNTIL 8 PM.  STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION.

JAD
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 6:02 PM MDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
NEZ001>003-019>021-054-055-230115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
602 PM MDT MON JUN 22 1998

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM...

AT 555 PM...RADAR SHOWED A BAND OF STORMS MOVING INTO THE WESTERN
PART OF SIOUX COUNTY.  NONE OF THE STORMS APPEARED TO BE SEVERE AT
THIS TIME.  A FEW OTHER WEAK STORMS WERE MOVING INTO WESTERN BANNER
COUNTY.  ALL STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 15 TO 20 MPH.

THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG POSSIBLY SEVERE STORMS CONTINUES IN THE
PANHANDLE UNTIL 8 PM.  STAY TUNED TO THIS STATION FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION.

JAD
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 8:16 PM MDT, 11 minutes before
WYZ059-064>067-069-070-230245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
816 PM MDT MON JUN 22 1998

..THE TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF EASTERN WYOMING EXPIRED AT 8 PM...

STORMS HAVE MOVED NORTH AND EAST OF THE WATCH AREA AT 8 PM...SO THE
TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO END.  ONLY A FEW STORMS POPPED UP
FROM LARAMIE AND CHEYENNE NORTH INTO THE DOUGLAS AREA DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

ABOUT THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER REPORTED WAS SOME MARBLE SIZE HAIL
IN THE WHEATLAND AREA AROUND 645 TO 700 PM.

WCJIN-WYSE

JAD
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 8:16 PM MDT, 11 minutes before
WYZ059-064>067-069-070-230245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
816 PM MDT MON JUN 22 1998

..THE TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF EASTERN WYOMING EXPIRED AT 8 PM...

STORMS HAVE MOVED NORTH AND EAST OF THE WATCH AREA AT 8 PM...SO THE
TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO END.  ONLY A FEW STORMS POPPED UP
FROM LARAMIE AND CHEYENNE NORTH INTO THE DOUGLAS AREA DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

ABOUT THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER REPORTED WAS SOME MARBLE SIZE HAIL
IN THE WHEATLAND AREA AROUND 645 TO 700 PM.

WCJIN-WYSE

JAD
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 8:22 PM MDT, 5 minutes before
NEZ001>003-019>021-054-055-WYZ060-068-230305-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY
822 PM MDT MON JUN 22 1998

...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM...

AT 820 PM...STRONG STORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL GOSHEN
COUNTY IN WYOMING EAST INTO SIOUX AND SCOTTS BLUFF COUNTIES IN
NEBRASKA.

THE POTENTIAL STILL EXISTS FOR THESE STORMS TO BE NEAR SEVERE
LEVELS FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS...SO A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
IN NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM FOR FAR EASTERN WYOMING AND MOST OF
THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE.

THE BIGGEST THREAT AREA THROUGH 10 PM WILL BE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART
OF THE PANHANDLE FROM TORRINGTON TO SCOTTSBLUFF AND EASTWARD.

PEOPLE IN FAR EASTERN WYOMING AND THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE SHOULD
REMAIN ALERT TO STORMS MOVING INTO YOUR AREA...AND BE READY TO MOVE
INDOORS IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

JAD

The office that day

Everything else NWS Cheyenne, WY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 22, 7:08 PM MDTTornado WarningCYSScotts Bluff, Sioux17 min
Jun 22, 7:29 PM MDTTornado WarningCYSScotts Bluff, Sioux36 min
Jun 22, 8:08 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSScotts Bluff, Sioux32 min
Jun 22, 8:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSScotts Bluff, Sioux30 min
Jun 23, 4:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSMorrill49 min
Jun 23, 5:37 PM MDTTornado WarningCYSMorrill33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998

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.