Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Goodland, KS

May 22, 1998Hitchcock County, Nebraska

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at May 22, 1998, 9:00 PM CDT for Hitchcock County, Nebraska. It was in force for 50 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 22, 1998, 9:00 PM CDT (02:00 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 1998, 9:50 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Hitchcock County, NE

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 106 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:03 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
May 22, 9:05 PM CDTHail 0.75Stratton, 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 22, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 112 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 1998-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 26 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 1998-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 14 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
26 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-128 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
728 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
130 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGLD 230200 RRA
TORGLD
NEC087-230250-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
800 PM MDT (900 PM CDT) FRI MAY 22 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN HITCHCOCK COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 950 PM CDT (850 PM MDT)

* AT 858 PM CDT... GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING
  TORNADO 14 MILES EAST OF BENKELMAN OR 6 MILES SOUTH OF STRATTON
  MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF STRATTON               AROUND 905 PM CDT

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

VJN/KPL

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 Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at May 22, 3:10 PM CDT, 5 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 3:10 PM CDT, 5 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
210 PM MDT (310 PM CDT) FRI MAY 22 1998

...MAIN FCST CHALLENGE IS CONVECTION TONIGHT...

ETA AND AVN INITIALIZED WELL...BOTH WERE EXCELLENT AT 5H. ETA/AVN
WERE BOTH GOOD AT SFC...WHILE NGM WAS TOO DEEP ON THE LOW OVER KS AT
12Z. BY 18Z ETA WAS BEST AT SFC AS IT INDICATED DEVELOPING LOW OVER
EASTERN COLORADO. WILL FOLLOW ETA THIS PACKAGE.

WV SATELLITE SHOWS A VORT MAX MOVING INTO CENTRAL CO WHICH IS FIRING
TRW ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. THIS FIRST WAVE WILL TRIGGER CONVECTION
OVER WESTERN SECTIONS OF FA BEGINNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
THE EVENING. WITH SFC LOW DEEPENING OVER EASTERN CO LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...MOIST UPSLOPE FLOW WILL PRODUCE BEST MOISTURE
CONVERGENCE FROM NE CO ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF FA.
Q VECTOR ANALYSIS SHOWS STRONGEST CONVERGENCE OVER THETA E RIDGE
ACROSS EASTERN FA BY 00Z. WENT HIGHEST POPS NRN AND ERN FA FOR THESE
REASONS.

UPSLOPE FLOW CONTINUES FOR MOST OF THE NIGHT. THIS COMBINED WITH
SOME OUTFLOW COOLED AIR OVER FA...SO EXPECT AREAS OF FOG TO DEVELOP
OVER ALL BUT FAR SRN ZONES. WITH CLOUDS AND E WINDS MOST OF THE
NIGHT...TEMPERATURES SHOULD STAY ABOVE FWC/FAN NUMBERS.

UPPER LEVEL LOW KICKS OFF TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS ON SAT...DRAGGING
THE SFC LOW INTO EASTERN KS. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS FA
EARLY SAT MORNING. ALTHOUGH Q VECTOR ANALYSIS INDICATES BEST FORCING
OVER EASTERN KS BY 12Z...THINK THAT WRAP AROUND MOISTURE WILL
CONTINUE WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY SAT MORNING OVER
EASTERN ZONES.

PRECIPITATION ENDS BY SAT AFTERNOON WITH DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE REST
OF THE PERIODS. CAA BEHIND SFC LOW KEEPS 850/700 THICKNESSES 30M
LOWER THROUGH SUN AFTERNOON PER ETA/AVN. PREFER FAN NUMBERS OVER
SLIGHTLY WARMER FWC.

.GLD...NONE

MLC/TURNER

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 22, 8:07 PM CDT, 53 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
707 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0505 PM    9 N ST FRANCIS            KS   1 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   CHEYENNE

0650 PM    13 SSW WRAY               CO   .75 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   YUMA                           ALSO 60 MPH WIND.

0655 PM    7 NE IDALIA               CO   1.88 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   YUMA                           1 7/8 INCH HAIL

0704 PM    BENKELMAN                 NE   .75 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   DUNDY
Local storm report, May 22, 8:10 PM CDT, 50 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
710 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0709 PM    9 N ST FRANCIS            KS   3 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   CHEYENNE
Local storm report, May 22, 8:13 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
713 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0711 PM    16 NW ST FRANCIS          KS   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   CHEYENNE
Local storm report, May 22, 8:40 PM CDT, 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
740 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0530 PM    10 N BIRD CITY            KS   1.5 INCH HAIL
05/22/98   CHEYENNE

0736 PM    ST FRANCIS                KS   60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/22/98   CHEYENNE                       SPOTTER REPORT
Local storm report, May 22, 8:42 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
742 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0735 PM    BENKELMAN                 NE   FLOODING
05/22/98   DUNDY                          WATER OVER CURBS. LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT  STRANDED.

0844 PM    14 S ST FRANCIS           KS   TORNADO
05/22/98   CHEYENNE                       OBSERVED FROM NWS OFFICE
Local storm report, May 22, 8:42 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KANSAS
742 PM MDT FRI MAY 22 1998

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0735 PM    BENKELMAN                 NE   FLOODING
05/22/98   DUNDY                          WATER OVER CURBS. LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT  STRANDED.

0844 PM    14 S ST FRANCIS           KS   TORNADO
05/22/98   CHEYENNE                       OBSERVED FROM NWS OFFICE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Goodland, KS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 22, 7:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDundy62 min
May 22, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDHitchcock65 min
May 22, 8:36 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningGLDDundy4 hr
May 22, 8:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDDundy32 min
May 22, 9:34 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningGLDHitchcock2 hr
May 22, 9:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRed Willow63 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.