Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Omaha, NE

April 12, 1998Washington County, Nebraska

NWS Omaha, NE issued this tornado warning at Apr 12, 1998, 6:31 PM CDT for Washington County, Nebraska. It was in force for 34 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
Apr 12, 1998, 6:31 PM CDT (23:31 UTC)
Expired
Apr 12, 1998, 7:05 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Omaha, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Washington County, NE

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 12, 6:47 PM CDTHail 1Blair, 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
Apr 12, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 27 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 1998-04-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1998-04-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 487 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1568 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
487 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
522 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 KOMA 122331 RRA
TOROMA
NEC177-130005-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
631 PM CDT SUN APR 12 1998

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 705 PM CDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  SPIKER                       BY AROUND 630 PM CDT
  ORUM                         BY AROUND 635 PM CDT
  BLAIR                        BY AROUND 645 PM CDT

* AT 630 PM CDT...A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY DOPPLER RADAR
  AND SPOTTER REPORTS 31 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN OMAHA OR 3 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF SPIKER MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
 
PERSONS IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A BASEMENT IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHE
RWISE GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.  CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED.

GW

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, Apr 12, 12:40 PM CDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
NEZ007-010-028-029-121900-

WIND ADVISORY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
1240 PM CDT SUN APR 12 1998

...WIND ADVISORY CANCELLED FOR REMAINDER OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

THE WIND ADVISORY THAT HAS BEEN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHCENTRAL
NEBRASKA THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  THE VERY STRONG
SOUTHERLY WINDS THAT HAD BEEN OCCURRING OVER THE AREA HAVE PUSHED OFF
TO THE EAST.  WESTERLY WINDS HAVE MOVED INTO THE AREA...AND ALTHOUGH
THESE WINDS ARE AVERAGING 20 TO 30 MPH WITH A FEW HIGHER GUSTS...THIS
IS BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS.

A WIND ADVISORY CONTINUES THROUGH THE AFTERNOON FOR EASTERN PORTIONS OF
THE STATE.  WINDSPEEDS THERE ARE EXPECTED TO EXCEED 35 MPH FOR MUCH OF
THE AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTS NEAR 50 MPH POSSIBLE.  PERSONS TRAVELING TO
THE EAST SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG WINDS.

SPARKER
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 5:35 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-
IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-131200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
535 PM CDT SUN APR 12 1998

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA...

SPOTTER ACTION...
STORM SPOTTERS MAY CONTINUE TO BE REQUIRED ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING.  A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR A LARGE PART OF
THIS AREA.

DISCUSSION...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN A POSSIBILITY ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING.  THUNDERSTORMS
MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS.  DRIER AIR
HAS MOVED INTO MUCH OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND FURTHER SEVERE WEATHER IS
UNLIKELY THERE.

POWERS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 5:35 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-
IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-131200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
535 PM CDT SUN APR 12 1998

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA...

SPOTTER ACTION...
STORM SPOTTERS MAY CONTINUE TO BE REQUIRED ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING.  A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR A LARGE PART OF
THIS AREA.

DISCUSSION...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN A POSSIBILITY ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING.  THUNDERSTORMS
MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS.  DRIER AIR
HAS MOVED INTO MUCH OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND FURTHER SEVERE WEATHER IS
UNLIKELY THERE.

POWERS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 5:54 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
IAZ043-055-056-069-079-090-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-
050>053-065>068-078-088>093-130200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
554 PM CDT SUN APR 12 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELLED IN PARTS OF NORTHEAST
NEBRASKA...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 201...ISSUED AROUND 3 PM CDT THIS SUNDAY
EVENING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF
NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...

KNOX...CEDAR...ANTELOPE...PIERCE...WAYNE...BOONE...MADISON AND
STANTON.

THIS IS ROUGHLY THE AREA NORTHWEST OF A SIOUX CITY TO
NORFOLK TO ALBION LINE.  THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED EAST OF THIS AREA
AND SEVERE WEATHER IS NOW UNLIKELY.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 201 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR
PLATTE...COLFAX...CUMING...BURT...DODGE...WASHINGTON...BURT...
SAUNDERS...DOUGLAS...SARPY...SEWARD...LANCASTER...CASS...OTOE...
SALINE...JEFFERSON...GAGE...JOHNSON...NEMAHA...PAWNEE AND RICHARDSON
COUNTIES OF EASTERN NEBRASKA...AS WELL AS MONONA...HARRISON...
SHELBY...POTTAWATTAMIE...MILLS AND FREMONT COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST
IOWA.

THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE STILL
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

POWERS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 12, 3:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXAntelope, Pierce45 min
Apr 12, 4:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXCedar, Pierce45 min
Apr 12, 5:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXDodge32 min
Apr 12, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXBurt, Washington45 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.