Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 57, NWS North Platte, NE

August 17, 1999Chase County, Perkins County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this tornado warning at Aug 17, 1999, 5:32 PM MDT for Chase County, Perkins County, Nebraska. It was in force for 63 min. 5 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
Aug 17, 1999, 5:32 PM MDT (23:32 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 1999, 6:35 PM MDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Chase County, NE, Perkins County, NE

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 147 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:32 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
Aug 17, 5:45 PM MDTHail 1.75Grant, NE
Aug 17, 5:55 PM MDTHail 0.75Imperial, NE
Aug 17, 5:59 PM MDTHail 4.5Imperial, NE
Aug 17, 6:13 PM MDTHail 0.75Enders, NE
Aug 17, 6:30 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 72Wauneta, NEA severe thunderstorm moved through Chase County. The storm was accompanied by very large hail, damaging wind, and several reports of funnel clouds. Bean and corn crops north and west of Imperial were damaged extensively. In Imperial, numerous trees were uproo

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
Aug 17, 2:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr
Aug 17, 4:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 103 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 1999-08-17Temperature 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 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 1999-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2024 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-9 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.

946 
WFUS1 KLBF 172334 RRA
TORLBF
NEC029-135-180035-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
632 PM CDT (532 PM MDT) TUE AUG 17 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTH PLATTE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN CHASE COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA
  SOUTHEASTERN PERKINS COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 635 PM MDT (735 PM CDT)

* AT 532 PM MDT... NORTH PLATTE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO
  14 MILES NORTHEAST OF IMPERIAL OR 9 MILES SOUTH OF MADRID...
  MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN RURAL AREAS SOUTH OF MADRID
AND ELSIE.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHWEST PERKINS COUNTY HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING TORNADOES AS WELL. THIS
REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR
BOTH CHASE AND PERKINS COUNTIES.

IF YOU ARE IN A CAR...GO IN A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING AS A LAST
RESORT LIE FLAT IN A DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD.

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 Aug 17, 12:37 PM MDT, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 12:37 PM MDT, 4 hours 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
137 PM CDT TUE AUG 17 1999

...FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL BE COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...

ETA AND NGM CONTINUE TO AGREE ON VORT CHANNEL TOPPING THE RIDGE BY THIS
EVENING AND MOVING ESE ACROSS SRN NE/NRN KS TONIGHT.  OTHER FACTORS
INCLUDE A SFC FRONT ACROSS NC KS PROGGED TO LIFT NORTHEAST INTO CENTRAL
NEBRASKA THIS EVENING.  DWPTS ABOVE 70 ALSO WILL POOL IN VCNTY OF THIS
FRONT TONIGHT. PREFER ETA WITH MOVEMENT OF VORT CHANNEL AND ASSOC 700
UVV OVER NGM...ALTHOUGH GENERAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO INCREASES
CONFIDENCE OF AN MCS DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT.

250 MB DIV WILL SET UP NICELY FROM NW KS INTO EC NEBR BY 06Z WED...AS
RR QUAD OF JET SUPPORTS THIS.  850 CONV ALSO WILL SET UP IN ERN CO BY
00Z TONIGHT AND SPREAD EASTWARD ACROSS NRN KS/SRN NE OVERNIGHT.

A THETA E RIDGE DEVELOPS BY 00Z TONIGHT FROM WRN KS INTO WRN NE AND
ORIENTS INTSELF EAST-WEST ALONG THE NE/KS BORDER OVERNIGHT.  SOME HEAVY
RAINFALL POSSIBLE AS PWS TO NEAR 1.5 INCHES SOUTH AND EAST OF LBF. ALSO
EVENING WILL SUPPORT CHC OF SVR...MAINLY SOUTH OF I-80.  RATHER QUICK
MOVEMENT OF SYSTEM WILL LIMIT ANY SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AMOUNTS HOWEVER.
WILL INCLUDE LIKELY POPS ACROSS THE SRN HALF OF CWA TONIGHT...AND LOWER
POPS TO THE NORTH.

UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD WESTWARD THROUGH 48HRS.  ON WEDNESDAY GOOD
SUBSIDENCE BEHIND SYSTEM.  WINDS WILL ONCE AGAIN TURN TO THE NORTH AS
SFC HIGH MOVES SOUTHEAST.  APPROACH OF NRN STREAM SHORTWAVE WILL
PRODUCE AS SFC TROUGH FROM MONTANA INTO ERN WY BY THU MORNING. DRY FCST
WED AND THR.

FAN AND FWC TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE CLOSE WITH LOWER AND MID 80S WED...
WARMING SLIGHTLY INTO THE MID/UPPER 80S THR.

IN THE EXTENDED...CHC OF THUNDERSTORMS FRI.  DRY SAT AND SUN AS UPPER
RIDGE KEEPS MOST OF ENERGY WELL TO THE NORTH OF CWA. HIGHS IN THE MID
AND UPPER 80S IN NE COUNTIES WHILE AROUND 90 ELSEWHERE.  LOWS AROUND
60.

.LBF...NONE.

ROBERG

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 17, 3:31 PM MDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  NORTH PLATTE NE
431 PM CDT TUE AUG 17 1999

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

0350 PM    15 SSW OSHKOSH            NE   TORNADO
08/17/99   GARDEN                         2 TORNADOES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

0355 PM    5 W LEWELLEN              NE   TORNADO
08/17/99   GARDEN                         2 TORNADOES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

0402 PM    5 SE LEWELLEN             NE   TORNADO
08/17/99   GARDEN                         REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0411 PM    3 N BIG SPRINGS           NE   TORNADO
08/17/99   DEUEL                          TORNADO REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

FWM
Local storm report, Aug 17, 3:31 PM MDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  NORTH PLATTE NE
431 PM CDT TUE AUG 17 1999

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

0350 PM    15 SSW OSHKOSH            NE   TORNADO
08/17/99   GARDEN                         2 TORNADOES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

0355 PM    5 W LEWELLEN              NE   TORNADO
08/17/99   GARDEN                         2 TORNADOES REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

0402 PM    5 SE LEWELLEN             NE   TORNADO
08/17/99   GARDEN                         REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0411 PM    3 N BIG SPRINGS           NE   TORNADO
08/17/99   DEUEL                          TORNADO REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS

FWM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 2:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFGarden61 min
Aug 17, 2:51 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFGarden64 min
Aug 17, 3:06 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFDeuel, Keith59 min
Aug 17, 3:55 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFGarden35 min
Aug 17, 4:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFHooker60 min
Aug 17, 4:02 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFPerkins63 min
Aug 17, 4:05 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith65 min
Aug 17, 4:11 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFKeith64 min
Aug 17, 5:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFPerkins61 min
Aug 17, 5:09 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningLBFPerkins3 hr
Aug 17, 5:17 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFChase63 min
Aug 17, 5:42 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLincoln63 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.