Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Watches in 2000

Tornado Watch 297

May 17, 200038 counties in Nebraska

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 17, 2000, 2:30 PM CDT for 38 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 2000, 2:30 PM CDT (19:30 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 2000, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 38 counties

Adams County, NE, Arthur County, NE, Blaine County, NE, Buffalo County, NE, Chase County, NE, Clay County, NE, Custer County, NE, Dawson County, NE, Franklin County, NE, Frontier County, NE, Furnas County, NE, Garden County, NE, Garfield County, NE, Gosper County, NE, Grant County, NE, Greeley County, NE, Hall County, NE, Hamilton County, NE, Harlan County, NE, Hayes County, NE, Hitchcock County, NE, Hooker County, NE, Howard County, NE, Kearney County, NE, Keith County, NE, Lincoln County, NE, Logan County, NE, Loup County, NE, McPherson County, NE, Nuckolls County, NE, Perkins County, NE, Phelps County, NE, Red Willow County, NE, Sherman County, NE, Thayer County, NE, Thomas County, NE, Valley County, NE, Webster County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 80 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:30 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.

Warnings issued inside it

27 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 2:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRed Willow32 min
May 17, 3:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFChase, Perkins39 min
May 17, 3:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFurnas45 min
May 17, 3:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFHayes, Lincoln38 min
May 17, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDRed Willow30 min
May 17, 3:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFFrontier55 min
May 17, 3:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKeith, Perkins62 min
May 17, 3:48 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFLincoln, Perkins27 min
May 17, 4:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFMcPherson43 min
May 17, 4:08 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFKeith52 min
May 17, 4:12 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFLincoln48 min
May 17, 4:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFFrontier47 min
May 17, 4:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCuster56 min
May 17, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFHooker, McPherson62 min
May 17, 4:59 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFLincoln61 min
May 17, 5:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFurnas, Harlan53 min
May 17, 5:09 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFCuster51 min
May 17, 5:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDSherman, Valley38 min
May 17, 5:57 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFKeith, Lincoln48 min
May 17, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCuster, Loup61 min
May 17, 6:04 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFLogan41 min
May 17, 6:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDSherman37 min
May 17, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCuster66 min
May 17, 6:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLogan59 min
May 17, 6:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLincoln64 min
May 17, 7:01 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDSherman29 min
May 17, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDValley43 min

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 12 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 2000-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 853 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2000-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 51 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
853 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-378 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
860 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

138 
WWUS9 KMKC 171858
SEL7  
MKC WW 171858
NEZ000-180100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 297
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
158 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2000

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   CENTRAL NEBRASKA                           

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL
800 PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 105 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 65 MILES NORTH OF NORTH PLATTE NEBRASKA TO 55 MILES
SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF KEARNEY NEBRASKA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 296...

DISCUSSION...CONVECTION IS STARTING TO DEVELOP ALONG DRY LINE AS IT
MOVES NEWD ACROSS NWRN KS INTO SWRN NE.  STRONG DYNAMIC FORCING TO
THE NORTHEAST OF THE UPPER LOW OVER ERN CO IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD
NEWD INTO NE DURING THE AFTERNOON.  CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE
ENHANCED ALONG THE WARM FRONT EXTENDING ENEWD INTO CENTRAL NE WHERE
LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND SHEAR IS MAXIMIZED.  STEEP LAPSE RATES
AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WITH MUCAPE NEAR 3000 J/KG SUGGEST POTENTIAL
FOR LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...AND A FEW TORNADOES.

ADDITIONAL WATCH MAY BE NEEDED NEXT 1-2 HRS ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL
KS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 20030.


...WEISS

395,1012 420,1024 420,0983 395,0972

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 9:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBox Butte, Dawes, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sioux4 hr
May 17, 4:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAntelope, Boone, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cedar and 29 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 2000Every tornado watch in 2000

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.