Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Hastings, NE

May 15, 1998Polk County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at May 15, 1998, 12:32 PM CDT for Polk County, Nebraska. It was in force for 43 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
May 15, 1998, 12:32 PM CDT (17:32 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1998, 1:15 PM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Polk County, NE

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 15, 1:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 65Shelby, 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 101 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, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 1998-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1194 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, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 1998-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -76 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
1194 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-370 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1627 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-76 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
26 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

440 
WFUS1 KGRI 151734 RRA
TORGRI
NEC143-151820-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1232 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR PEOPLE IN...
  POLK COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 115 PM CDT

* AT 1230 PM CDT... DOPPLER RADAR AND SPOTTER REPORTS INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 10 MILES NORTH OF YORK...OR NEAR BENEDICT...
  MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE AFFECT...
  STROMSBURG AROUND 1240 PM
  OSCEOLA AROUND 1245 PM

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

DDN


&

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.

NWS Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 15, 1:20 AM CDT, 11 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 15, 1:20 AM CDT, 11 hours 12 minutes before
CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
120 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998

...TROUBLE CONFINED TO THE 1ST 12 HRS OF FCST W/ TSRA CHCS AS RATHER
   IMPRESSIVE TROF SWINGS OUT OVER AREA TODAY...

WILL KEEP THIS BRIEF W/ THREAT FOR CONVECTION INCREASING ACROSS SRN
PARTS OF THE CWA ATT. SAT PIX EARLY THIS AM HAD MAIN SPIN LOCATED OVER
NRN NM. ONE AREA OF SHRA/TSRA WORKING THRU CNTRL KS. ECHOES NOT ALL
THAT IMPRESSIVE LOOKING...BUT ICT HAVING FUN W/ 70+ MPH WINDS OUT OF
THEM. NEXT ROUND OF STORMS FIRING IN TX PNDHL IN ASSOC W/ MAIN SYS.
SFC CHART SHOWED COLD FRONT FROM AROUND ANW SOUTH TO MCK/GLD AND ON
SW INTO SRN CO. GOOD NW FLOW BEHIND IT INDICATING A GOOD PUSH IN THIS
DIRECTION OCCURING. DRY LINE EXTENDS SOUTH FROM MCK TO THE WEST OF GCK.
IT HAS BACKED TO THE WEST...BUT WILL ROAR EASTWARD AGAIN AS SYS COMES
OUT OVER NEXT 12 HRS.

WILL KEEP THIS EVENING UPDATED FCST BASICALLY INTACT...FOCUSING MAIN
STORM THREAT THRU 18Z...AT WHICH TIME...AXIS OF TROF SHOULD BE SWEEPING
THRU. WILL GIVE SE 1/2 OF CWA THE BEST CHC...AND HOLD PRECIP CHCS INTO
THE EARLY AFTN...OUT WEST...SCT POPS IN AM...P SUNNY DURING THE AFTN.
WINDY THIS AM W/ SOUTH WINDS 20/30...BECMG NW 15/25 MIDDAY. TEMPS WILL
BE HELD DOWN SOME BY CLDS TODAY...GENERALLY THE MID 70S.

TONITE...WILL GO CLEAR WITH TEMPS FROM THE MID 40S WEST TO AROUND 50
EAST.

TOMR...M SUNNY. HIGH 80 EAST TO LOWER 80S WEST...MAYBE EVEN MID 80S IN
WRN KS COUNTIES.

GRI TU 077/050/081 600
HBR TU 076/051/080 600
ODX TU 077/046/082 400
BLT TU 077/053/083 600
LXN TU 078/045/083 400

GURNEY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 15, 11:33 AM CDT, 59 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-160500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1133 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PART OF
   NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

SPOTTER ACTION...SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON FOR
AREAS TO THE EAST OF HASTINGS AND GRAND ISLAND.

SYNOPSIS...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH OR NORTHEAST
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON OUT OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND INTO SOUTH
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA.  A FEW OF THESE MAY BE RATHER STRONG
FROM HASTINGS TO HEBRON AND AREAS TO THE NORTH...INCLUDING YORK AND
FULLERTON.

COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE UNSTABLE...AND A
STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL HELP TRIGGER ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

THESE STORMS SHOULD MOVE NORTH OUT OF THE AREA BY MID
AFTERNOON...HOWEVER UNTIL THEN THERE WILL BE THE THREAT OF HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER SOURCES OF WEATHER
INFORMATION FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

DDN
Special weather statement, May 15, 11:33 AM CDT, 59 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-160500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1133 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PART OF
   NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

SPOTTER ACTION...SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON FOR
AREAS TO THE EAST OF HASTINGS AND GRAND ISLAND.

SYNOPSIS...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH OR NORTHEAST
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON OUT OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND INTO SOUTH
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA.  A FEW OF THESE MAY BE RATHER STRONG
FROM HASTINGS TO HEBRON AND AREAS TO THE NORTH...INCLUDING YORK AND
FULLERTON.

COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE UNSTABLE...AND A
STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL HELP TRIGGER ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

THESE STORMS SHOULD MOVE NORTH OUT OF THE AREA BY MID
AFTERNOON...HOWEVER UNTIL THEN THERE WILL BE THE THREAT OF HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER SOURCES OF WEATHER
INFORMATION FOR LATER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

DDN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 2:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Furnas, Gosper, Phelps48 min
May 15, 2:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDSherman47 min
May 15, 3:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDValley45 min
May 15, 3:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDGreeley48 min
May 15, 11:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFillmore43 min
May 15, 11:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDYork49 min
May 15, 12:03 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDFillmore, York62 min
May 15, 12:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHamilton37 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.