Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Omaha, NE

April 14, 1998Gage County, Pawnee County, Nebraska

NWS Omaha, NE issued this tornado warning at Apr 14, 1998, 5:44 PM CDT for Gage County, Pawnee County, Nebraska. It was in force for 31 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 14, 1998, 5:44 PM CDT (22:44 UTC)
Expired
Apr 14, 1998, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Omaha, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Gage County, NE, Pawnee County, NE

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:47 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 14, 3:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 125 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 1998-04-14Temperature 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 1998-04-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -19 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
1729 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-55 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 142244 RRA
TOROMA
NEC067-133-142315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
544 PM CDT TUE APR 14 1998

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  SOUTHERN GAGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA
  PAWNEE COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  BURCHARD                     BY AROUND 550 PM CDT
  STEINAUER                    BY AROUND 605 PM CDT

* AT 542 PM CDT...A DEVELOPING TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY DOPPLER
  RADAR 43 MILES WEST OF FALLS CITY OR 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BURCHARD
  MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
 
PERSONS IN THE WARNED AREA SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IN A BASEMENT IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE 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 14, 2:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-
IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-151200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
250 PM CDT TUE APR 14 1998

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

...SPOTTER ACTION...
SPOTTERS SHOULD MAINTAIN A HIGH STATE OF READINESS IN SOUTHEASTERN
NEBRASKA THROUGH THE EVENING.  A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN NEBRASKA UNTIL 9 PM CDT.  SOME STORMS
COULD ALSO BECOME SEVERE IN THE AREA JUST NORTH AND EAST OF THE WATCH.

DISCUSSION...
A WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTH INTO THE AREA...PROVIDING
A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  A STRONG UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BE MOVING IN FROM THE WEST...WHILE LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE INCREASES FROM THE SOUTH.  THE AMOUNT OF WIND SHEAR
INDICATES POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS WITH TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

MILLER
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 2:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-
IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-151200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
250 PM CDT TUE APR 14 1998

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

...SPOTTER ACTION...
SPOTTERS SHOULD MAINTAIN A HIGH STATE OF READINESS IN SOUTHEASTERN
NEBRASKA THROUGH THE EVENING.  A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN NEBRASKA UNTIL 9 PM CDT.  SOME STORMS
COULD ALSO BECOME SEVERE IN THE AREA JUST NORTH AND EAST OF THE WATCH.

DISCUSSION...
A WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTH INTO THE AREA...PROVIDING
A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  A STRONG UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BE MOVING IN FROM THE WEST...WHILE LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE INCREASES FROM THE SOUTH.  THE AMOUNT OF WIND SHEAR
INDICATES POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS WITH TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

MILLER
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 5:06 PM CDT, 38 minutes before
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-
IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-151200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
250 PM CDT TUE APR 14 1998

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

...SPOTTER ACTION...
SPOTTERS SHOULD CONTINUE IN A HIGH STATE OF READINESS IN SOUTHEASTERN
NEBRASKA THROUGH THE EVENING.  A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN NEBRASKA UNTIL 9 PM CDT.  SOME STORMS
COULD ALSO BECOME SEVERE IN THE AREA JUST NORTH AND EAST OF THE WATCH.

DISCUSSION...
A WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTH INTO THE AREA...PROVIDING
A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  A STRONG UPPER
LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BE MOVING IN FROM THE WEST...WHILE LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE INCREASES FROM THE SOUTH.  THE AMOUNT OF WIND SHEAR
INDICATES POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS WITH TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

MILLER
Special weather statement, Apr 14, 5:18 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-
IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-151200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
518 PM CDT TUE APR 14 1998

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

...SPOTTER ACTION...
SPOTTERS SHOULD CONTINUE IN A HIGH STATE OF READINESS IN SOUTHEASTERN
NEBRASKA THROUGH THE EVENING.  A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN
AND EASTERN NEBRASKA UNTIL 9 PM CDT.  SOME STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE
IN THE AREA JUST NORTH AND EAST OF THE WATCH LATER.  SPOTTERS IN
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA IN COUNTIES SUCH AS GAGE...PAWNEE AND JOHNSON
COUNTIES SHOULD BE DEPLOYED.

DISCUSSION...
A WARM FRONT CONTINUES TO LIFT NORTH INTO THE AREA...PROVIDING
A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  THE FRONT AT 5 PM
WAS ALONG THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA BORDER. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEGUN TO
DEVELOP ALONG THE WARM FRONT AND THE DRY LINE THAT TRAILS SOUTH OF THE
WARM FRONT ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS. AS THE WARM FRONT MOVES NORTH AND A
STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES IN FROM THE WEST...STORMS MAY
BECOME SEVERE AND MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. THE AMOUNT OF WIND
SHEAR INDICATES SUPERCELLS ARE LIKELY WITH TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.  IN ADDITION OTHER STORMS NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT MAY
ALSO BECOME SEVERE WITH THE MAIN THREAT LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

SMITH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 14, 6:19 PM CDTTornado WarningOAXJohnson31 min
Apr 14, 6:39 PM CDTTornado WarningOAXSeward31 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.