Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 31, NWS Hastings, NE

May 21, 1998Kearney County, Phelps County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1998, 11:57 PM CDT for Kearney County, Phelps County, Nebraska. It was in force for 48 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 21, 1998, 11:57 PM CDT (04:57 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 1998, 12:45 AM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Kearney County, NE, Phelps County, NE

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 22, 12:07 AM CDTHail 0.75Funk, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 21, 8:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 5.0 hours before the alert went out and 138 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 1998-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 685 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 00:00Z on 1998-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 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
685 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
548 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 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.

377 
WFUS1 KGRI 220456 RRA
TORGRI
NEC099-137-220545-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1157 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR PEOPLE IN...
  KEARNEY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
  PHELPS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 1245 AM CDT

* AT 1155 AM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 5 MILES WEST OF
  HOLDREGE... MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  HOLDREGE NOW
  FUNK AROUND 1205 AM
  WILCOX AROUND 1210 AM
  MINDEN AROUND 1230 AM

ABANDON MOBILE HOMES GO IN A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING. AS A LAST
RESORT LIE FLAT IN A DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD.

JAB

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 21, 2:40 PM CDT, 9 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 21, 2:40 PM CDT, 9 hours 17 minutes before
CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
240 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

...MAIN FOCUS WILL BE PERIODS OF CONVECTION OVER THE NEXT FEW
   DAYS...

THIS MORNINGS 12Z RUNS SHOWING SOME INTERESTING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
THE ETA AND NGM. BOTH SHOW TROF INCR NEG TILT WITH TIME INTO THE REGION
WHICH WILL HELP ENHANCE CONVECTION ACROSS THE HSI CWA. A SERIES OF SHORT
WAVES WILL AFFECT OUR CWA ALLOWING FOR A CHANCE OF PCPN THRU THE ENTIRE
FCST PERIODS. ONCE AGAIN THE NGM SEEMS TOO FAR NORTH WITH SURFACE FEATURES.
WITH NGM SHOWING ITS TYPICAL BIASES AGAIN...ETA SEEMS TO BE MODEL OF CHOICE.
T-SEC SHOWING STRONG UVV BOTH LATE TONITE & SAT MORNING...THEREFORE HIGHER
POPS DURING THESE PERIODS ARE PROBABLY WARRANTED. WINDS LOOK TO REMAIN FOR
THE MOST OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST 10-20 THRU SAT.

GRI CC 058/085/057/078 535
HEB CC 060/084/057/077 535
ODX CC 058/082/056/075 535
LXN CC 060/085/055/077 634
BEL CC 062/087/059/080 646

DEE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 21, 9:01 PM CDT, 2 hours 56 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-220305-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
901 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED...

THE NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS PORTION OF TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 387 ISSUED
EARLIER THIS EVENING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  THE WATCH INCLUDED
ROOKS...PHILLIPS...SMITH AND OSBORNE COUNTIES.  NO SEVERE WEATHER
WATCHES WERE IN EFFECT IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AT 9 PM.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 392 REPLACED NUMBER 387 AND. IS IN EFFECT FOR A
LARGE PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL 2 AM.

SCHURR
Special weather statement, May 21, 9:01 PM CDT, 2 hours 56 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-220305-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
901 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED...

THE NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS PORTION OF TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 387 ISSUED
EARLIER THIS EVENING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  THE WATCH INCLUDED
ROOKS...PHILLIPS...SMITH AND OSBORNE COUNTIES.  NO SEVERE WEATHER
WATCHES WERE IN EFFECT IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AT 9 PM.

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 392 REPLACED NUMBER 387 AND. IS IN EFFECT FOR A
LARGE PART OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL 2 AM.

SCHURR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 7:22 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDPhelps38 min
May 21, 7:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDGosper33 min
May 21, 7:32 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDGosper28 min
May 21, 7:40 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDKearney50 min
May 21, 7:59 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDFurnas, Gosper, Phelps31 min
May 21, 8:30 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDKearney, Phelps30 min
May 21, 9:01 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDAdams, Kearney29 min
May 21, 9:01 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDPhelps29 min
May 21, 9:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDKearney28 min
May 21, 9:42 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDKearney33 min
May 21, 10:14 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDAdams, Kearney31 min
May 21, 10:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHall43 min
May 21, 10:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPolk, York37 min
May 21, 10:30 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDGosper45 min
May 21, 10:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDAdams43 min
May 21, 11:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHall, Hamilton, Merrick43 min
May 21, 11:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo43 min
May 21, 11:17 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDGosper, Phelps43 min
May 21, 11:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPolk, York39 min
May 21, 11:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDClay36 min
May 21, 11:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo35 min
May 21, 11:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHall, Hamilton46 min
May 22, 12:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDClay, Fillmore, York49 min
May 22, 12:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFillmore33 min
May 22, 12:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDAdams, Franklin, Kearney, Webster47 min
May 22, 2:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDThayer29 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.