Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Hastings, NE

April 21, 1999Howard County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Apr 21, 1999, 11:56 AM CDT for Howard County, Nebraska. It was in force for 49 min. 2 reports 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 21, 1999, 11:56 AM CDT (16:56 UTC)
Expired
Apr 21, 1999, 12:45 PM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Howard County, NE

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:58 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
Apr 21, 12:15 PM CDTTornado F0St Paul, NE
Apr 21, 12:28 PM CDTHail 0.75St Paul, 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

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 4.9 hours before the alert went out and 175 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 12:00Z on 1999-04-21Temperature 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 1999-04-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 195 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
1875 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
195 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
291 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.

999 
WFUS1 KGRI 211658 RRA
TORGRI
NEC093-211745-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1156 AM CDT WED APR 21 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR PEOPLE IN...
  HOWARD COUNTY IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 1245 PM CDT

* AT 1156 AM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO 17
  MILES NORTHWEST OF GRAND ISLAND...OR OVER DANNEBROG...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  ST PAUL AT 1215 PM 
  CUSHING AT 1220 PM
 
TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IN A BASEMENT OR GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM
ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET UNDER A STURDY PIECE OF FURNITURE AND COVER
YOUR HEAD WITH A BLANKET OR PILLOW. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&
EWALD

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 Apr 21, 2:38 AM CDT, 9 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 2:38 AM CDT, 9 hours 18 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
238 AM CDT WED APR 21 1999

PRECIPITATION TIMING DIFFICULTIES HIGHLIGHT CURRENT FORECAST QUANDRY.

SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED MAIN FRONTAL BOUNDARY PARKED E/W ACROSS
SOUTHERN KANSAS AT 06Z.  A SUBTLE TROUGH BISSECTED CWA CONNECTING
LOW PRESSURE OVER CO TO WEAK LOW IN SIOUXLAND AREA.  BOUNDARY OF
COOLER AIR ACROSS SDAK.  MOISTURE BECOMING ADEQUATE ACROSS AREA TO
SUSTAIN CONVECTION.  850 DEW POINTS IN THE POSITIVE SIGITS.  SFC DEW
POINTS STILL IN THE 40S BUT 50S KNOCKING AT THE DOOR AND AVAILABE TO
OVERRUN SOUTHERN BOUNDARY.  MEANWHILE...PROFS/SAT SHOW A COUPLE OF
SHORT WAVES APPROACHING.  FIRST RIGHT ALONG FRONT RANGE WITH ANOTHER
CLOSE BEHIND.  MAIN COOL CORE ALOFT OVER PACIFIC NW WITH JET DIVING
ALONG PAC COAST.

MODELS HAVE THEIR DIFFERENCES BUT IN ESSENCE SLIDE S/W ENERGY ACROSS
AREA TODAY WITH PATTERN BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFLUENT ALOFT.
NORTHERN AREAS IN BEST SATURATION AND SHOWERS/SOME THUNDER LIKELY.
BEST INSTABILITY/MOISTURE CONTENT FOR TSTMS ACROSS SE.
OVERALL...NGM MOST REASONABLE.  SEE NATIONAL DISCUSSIONS FOR
HIGHLIGHTS OF SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES.

IT WOULD SEEM THAT AFTER POSSIBILTY OF LEFTOVER CONVECTION EARLY TONIGHT
THAT RAIN CHANCES DECREASE OVERNIGHT AS FLOW BECOMES NORTHERLY
BEHIND SHORT WAVE.  MODELS BRING ANOTHER SHORT WAVE ON THE NOSE OF
THE JET AROUND THE BASE OF THE EVOLVING SW US TROUGH ONTO THE PLAINS
THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT.  THIS TIMING IS STILL VERY MUCH IN DOUBT
BUT POTENTIAL SHOULD BE SETTING UP FOR ROUND OF FAIRLY HEAVY RAIN
OVER CWA AT THAT TIME.  WILL ATTEMPT TO BETTER TIME RAIN IN TEXT
WITH LEAST EMPHASIS ON LATE TONIGHT/THURSDAY MORNING.

GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES SEEM TO HAVE GOOD HANDLE ON SITUATION.

.GID...NONE

DROZD

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 21, 11:21 AM CDT, 35 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-221200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1121 AM CDT WED APR 21 1999

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

SPOTTER ACTION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SYNOPSIS...

LOW PRESSURE OVER KANSAS WILL INTENSIFY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
ALONG A STATIONARY FRONT WHICH WAS DRAPED THROUGH CENTRAL KANSAS...
THEN EASTWARD INTO MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL
BECOME SUFFICIENTLY UNSTABLE AS STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THIS
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PULLS WARM...MOIST AIR UP FROM THE GULF INTO
THE REGION...ALLOWING FOR SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.
SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT.

&&

DEE
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 11:21 AM CDT, 35 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-221200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1121 AM CDT WED APR 21 1999

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

SPOTTER ACTION...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SYNOPSIS...

LOW PRESSURE OVER KANSAS WILL INTENSIFY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
ALONG A STATIONARY FRONT WHICH WAS DRAPED THROUGH CENTRAL KANSAS...
THEN EASTWARD INTO MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL
BECOME SUFFICIENTLY UNSTABLE AS STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THIS
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PULLS WARM...MOIST AIR UP FROM THE GULF INTO
THE REGION...ALLOWING FOR SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.
SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT.

&&

DEE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 21, 9:03 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhelps42 min
Apr 21, 9:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDDawson66 min
Apr 21, 9:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo61 min
Apr 21, 10:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo29 min
Apr 21, 11:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Sherman50 min
Apr 21, 11:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHoward54 min
Apr 21, 12:12 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDGreeley48 min
Apr 21, 12:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDNance47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes in 1999

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.