Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 52, NWS North Platte, NE

July 19, 1999Keith County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this tornado warning at Jul 19, 1999, 6:08 PM MDT for Keith County, Nebraska. It was in force for 62 min. 4 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
Jul 19, 1999, 6:08 PM MDT (00:08 UTC)
Expired
Jul 19, 1999, 7:10 PM MDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Whole counties

County Keith County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:11 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
Jul 19, 6:10 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 60Roscoe, NE
Jul 19, 6:18 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 60Keystone, NE
Jul 19, 6:18 PM MDTHail 0.75Ogallala, NE
Jul 19, 7:15 PM MDTHail 0.88Paxton, 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
Jul 19, 3:15 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Rapid City, SD (KUNR), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 334 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, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 1999-07-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 99 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 1999-07-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -49 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
99 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-99 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
856 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-39 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 KLBF 200007 RRA
TORLBF
NEC101-200110-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
708 PM CDT (608 PM MDT) MON JUL 19 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTH PLATTE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  KEITH COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 710 PM MDT (810 PM CDT)

* AT 606 PM MDT... NORTH PLATTE DOPPLER RADAR AND LAW
  ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS INDICATED A TORNADO IN THE NORTH PART OF
  OGALLALA... MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  ROSCOE                       BY 635 PM MDT
  KEYSTONE                     BY 640 PM MDT

A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND! GO TO THE BASEMENT! IF A BASEMENT IS
NOT AVAILABLE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR!

DLS

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 North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jul 19, 1:54 PM MDT, 4 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 19, 1:54 PM MDT, 4 hours 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
254 PM CDT MON JUL 19 1999

...FORECAST CHALLENGE IS THUNDERSTORM CHANCES AND HEAVY RAINFALL
POTENTIAL TONIGHT...

AT 19Z KLNX 88D SHOWED RAPIDLY DEVELOPING CONVECTION FILLING IN ALONG
BOUNDARY THAT STRETCHED FROM NW OF SNY THROUGH MHN TO OFK. THIS
APPEARS TO BE THE MAIN BOUNDARY THAT WAS PUSHED SOUTHWARD BY
CONVECTION LAST NIGHT AND IS APPARENT ON VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY.
ANOTHER BOUNDARY...LIKELY CREATED BY OUTFLOW...EXTENDS FROM SURFACE
LOW NEAR GLD EAST ALONG KS/NEB BORDER INTO SE NEB AT 18Z. INITIAL
FOCUS WILL BE ON CONVECTION DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT IN NORTHERN
HALF OF CWFA THIS AFTERNOON WHICH WILL PERSIST THIS EVENING.

PLENTY OF MOISTURE TO FUEL STORMS WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE 60S TO AROUND
70 AND 850 MB DEWPOINTS IN THE 12 TO 14 DEG C RANGE. THINK INITIAL
TSRA THIS EVENING WILL BE FOCUSED ON THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY WITH
FURTHER DEVELOPMENT FROM NEAR SNY TO GLD AS SHORTWAVE MOVES OUT OF
WY AND CO...WHERE 88D ALREADY SHOWING SOME DEVELOPMENT. THIS SHOULD
ALSO TRIGGER TSRA ALONG CONVERGENCE BOUNDARY ALONG SOUTHERN BORDER.

PREFER NGM HANDLING OF SHORTWAVE...AS ETA THIS RUN TOO FAST AND
STRONG. NGM ALSO PERFORMED BETTER WITH SURFACE BOUNDARIES AND LOW
POSITION FROM 12 TO 18Z AND THUS FAVORED. THE SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE
INTO PANHANDLE OVERNIGHT WITH FRONT SHOWN TO LINGER FROM AXIS FROM
NEAR SNY TO OFK. LOW LEVEL JET AND SURFACE UPSLOPE WINDS WILL AID IN
SUSTAINING THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE NIGHT. WITH HIGHEST DEWPOINTS
IN THE NORTHEAST...CONVERGENCE ALONG FRONT...HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER
VALUES...AND LOWEST FF GUIDANCE WILL ISSUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR OVERNIGHT
FOR KEYA PAHA...BOYD...ROCK...AND HOLT COUNTIES IN MY NORTHEAST
ZONES PER COORD WITH FSD...RAP AND OAX. OVER REST OF CWFA WILL HAVE
LIKELY POPS FOR TONIGHT WITH MENTION OF HEAVY RAINFALL FOR ALL BUT
SW ZONES.

FOR TUESDAY...SHOULD SEE SOME LINGERING CONVECTION NEAR BOUNDARY
SIMILAR TO THIS MORNING IN THE EAST WITH WEAK SHORTWAVE AND OMEGA TO
IMPACT NORTH CENTRAL THROUGH 18Z. WILL HAVE LOW SCATTERED POPS AND
TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO GUIDANCE AND SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN TODAY AS
WARM FRONT SHOULD BE NORTH OF AREA. WILL HAVE SOME ISOLATED
LINGERING CONVECTION TUESDAY EVENING...BUT SHORTWAVE RIDGING SHOULD
THEN KEEP DRY CONDITIONS FOR OVERNIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. GUIDANCE
VALUES CLOSE TO PERSISTENCE AND LOOK REASONABLE. IN EXTENDED...WILL
STICK WITH DRY FORECAST AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE DOMINATES WITH HIGHS IN
90S AND LOWS IN 60S.

.LBF...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT NEZ006-007-009-010

SHEETS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 19, 1:53 PM MDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-192045-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
253 PM CDT MON JUL 19 1999

...STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS PARTS OF WESTERN INTO
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MOST OF THE
OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...WITH THE GREATEST THREAT
THIS AFTERNOON WEST OF A LINE FROM CURTIS TO LAKESIDE...AND ALSO EAST OF
A LINE FROM AINSWORTH TO BROKEN BOW. ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER MAY BE
POSSIBLE THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT ACROSS ALL OF THE OUTLOOK AREA.

PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS AS IS
EVIDENT BY THE HUMID CONDITIONS ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG A STATIONARY FRONT THAT
EXTENDS FROM SOUTHERN HOLT COUNTY WESTWARD INTO THE EASTERN PANHANDLE.
ONE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO EXIT THE EASTERN HALF OF THE
OUTLOOK AREA BY THIS EVENING AND WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG THE BOUDARY THROUGH SUNSET. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS
WILL BE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...BUT DAMAGING WINDS AND SOME HAIL ARE
POSSIBLE AS WELL.

FURTHER WEST...A VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS
SOUTHWEST AND WESTERN NEBRASKA INTO THE EVENING HOURS. AS A SECOND
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE EASTERN PANHANDLE THIS
AFTERNOON...THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN THE EASTERN
PANHANDLE...AND WILL HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS...ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT WILL THEN BE POSSIBLE ALONG A WARM FRONT IN SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING.

AFTER SUNSET...THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS. PERSONS PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
THIS EVENING SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JWS
Special weather statement, Jul 19, 1:53 PM MDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-192045-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
253 PM CDT MON JUL 19 1999

...STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS PARTS OF WESTERN INTO
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MOST OF THE
OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...WITH THE GREATEST THREAT
THIS AFTERNOON WEST OF A LINE FROM CURTIS TO LAKESIDE...AND ALSO EAST OF
A LINE FROM AINSWORTH TO BROKEN BOW. ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER MAY BE
POSSIBLE THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT ACROSS ALL OF THE OUTLOOK AREA.

PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS AS IS
EVIDENT BY THE HUMID CONDITIONS ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG A STATIONARY FRONT THAT
EXTENDS FROM SOUTHERN HOLT COUNTY WESTWARD INTO THE EASTERN PANHANDLE.
ONE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO EXIT THE EASTERN HALF OF THE
OUTLOOK AREA BY THIS EVENING AND WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG THE BOUDARY THROUGH SUNSET. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS
WILL BE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...BUT DAMAGING WINDS AND SOME HAIL ARE
POSSIBLE AS WELL.

FURTHER WEST...A VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS
SOUTHWEST AND WESTERN NEBRASKA INTO THE EVENING HOURS. AS A SECOND
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE EASTERN PANHANDLE THIS
AFTERNOON...THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN THE EASTERN
PANHANDLE...AND WILL HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS...ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT WILL THEN BE POSSIBLE ALONG A WARM FRONT IN SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING.

AFTER SUNSET...THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY
HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS. PERSONS PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
THIS EVENING SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JWS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 19, 6:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith65 min
Jul 19, 6:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCherry51 min
Jul 19, 6:33 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFArthur62 min
Jul 19, 7:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith, Lincoln63 min
Jul 19, 7:25 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLoup45 min
Jul 19, 7:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFHooker47 min
Jul 19, 7:51 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLincoln34 min
Jul 19, 8:06 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFThomas64 min
Jul 19, 8:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCuster65 min
Jul 19, 9:52 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningLBFBoyd, Holt, Keya Paha, Rock6 hr

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.