Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 2001

Tornado Warning 43, NWS Hastings, NE

October 9, 2001Polk County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Oct 9, 2001, 5:54 PM CDT for Polk County, Nebraska. It was in force for 51 min. 3 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: Oct 9, 2001, 5:54 PM CDT (22:54 UTC)
Expired: Oct 9, 2001, 6:45 PM CDT
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Hastings, NE
Area: Whole counties

County Polk County, NE

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:58 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Oct 9, 5:55 PM CDT	Tornado F3	Polk, NE	A strong tornado entered Polk County from Hamilton County.
Oct 9, 6:00 PM CDT	Hail 0.75	Polk, NE
Oct 9, 6:25 PM CDT	Tornado F1	Swedehome, NE	Tornado crossed from Polk County into Merrick County.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Oct 9, 3:30 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 101 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 7 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -233 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 854 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 90 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 123 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 
WFUS53 KGID 092254
TORGRI
TORGRI
NEC081-092330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
548 PM CDT TUE OCT 9 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN HAMILTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 630 PM CDT

* AT 545 PM CDT...SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR MARQUETTE...OR
  20 MILES NORTHEAST OF GRAND ISLAND...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MARQUETTE AT 550 PM CDT
  HORDVILLE AT 600 PM CDT

PEOPLE IN NORTHERN HAMILTON COUNTY SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IN
A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.

IF IN A MOBILE HOME...LEAVE IT IMMEDIATELY AND GET INSIDE A STURDY
SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH
AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

$$

LAT...LON 4087 9827 4087 9807 4086 9783 4114 9784

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 Oct 9, 2:25 PM CDT, 3 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 9, 2:25 PM CDT, 3 hours 29 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
225 PM CDT TUE OCT 9 2001

SEVERE WEATHER THREAT MAIN FOCUS TODAY.

18Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED LOW PRESSURE OVER SW NEBR WITH DRY LINE
EXTENDING S ACROSS WRN KANSAS AND WARM FRONT STRETCHING EAST ACROSS
SRN NEBR.  COLD FRONT SEPARATING PANHANDLE FROM THE REST OF THE
STATE.  PLENTY OF SFC MOISTURE IN PLACE WITH DEW POINTS AROUND 60.
SATELLITE/PROFILERS SHOW POTENT WAVE CROSSING THE ROCKIES AND
COUPLED JET STRUCTURE SET UP OVER PLAINS. SO PLENTY OF LIFT.

CAPES UP TO 2000 J/KG ON 18Z LAPS AND EVEN HIGHER ON SPC HOURLY MESO
ANALYSIS.  500 MB TEMPS OF -14C ACROSS THE AREA.  VIL O DAY FIGURES
TO BE AROUND 50 OFF 18Z SOUNDINGS.  SHEARWISE...FLOW IS OBVIOUSLY
VERY STRONG WITH SOME DIRECTIONAL SHEAR IN LOWEST LEVELS YIELDING
HIGH VALUES OF BRN AND EHI ON SPC MESO PLOTS.  HOWEVER AS
AFTN/EVENING PROGRESSES...WINDS FAIRLY UNIDIRECTIONAL WITH HEIGHT
ALTHOUGH UNDULATIONS LIKELY NEAR FRONT AS SFC LOW RIDES ALONG IT.
THEREFORE...TORNADO THREAT FIGURES TO BE REAL IN ADDITION TO THE
HAIL THREAT FROM COLD AIR ALOFT.  EVENTUALLY THIS SHOULD TURN INTO A
LINE EVENT ALONG THE COLD FRONT.  18Z SOUNDINGS DO SUPPORT THREAT OF
WIND DAMAGE AS WELL.

SO...WILL MENTION SVR IN ZFP THIS EVENING. PLENTY OF SUBSIDENCE LATE
TONIGHT AND WED BEHIND FRONT SO NW WINDS SHOULD SUSTAIN AT LEAST
BREEZY CRITERIA.  WOULD EXPECT A DECREASE IN CLOUDS OVERNIGHT WITH
SUBSIDENCE THEN SOME REFORMING IN CAA WED.  HAD TO UP TEMPS A NOTCH
TONIGHT DUE TO STRONG HEATING THIS AFTERNOON AND EXPECTED MIXING
OVERNIGHT.  HAVE INCREASED DIURNAL RANGE A BIT WED/WED NGT AND THU
WITH GENERALLY DRY AIR IN PLACE.

NOT MUCH CHANGE TO FORECAST BEYOND THURSDAY AS CHANCE OF RAIN STILL
LOOKS ON TRACK FRIDAY.  APPEARS A SLIGHT WARMUP MAY RETURN BY
TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK AS UPPER RIDGING TRIES TO NUDGE TROUGH EAST.

.GID...NONE.

DROZD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 9, 4:57 PM CDT, 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
457 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001

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

0456 PM    2 E NATOMA                KS    1.75 INCH HAIL
10/09/01   OSBORNE

Local storm report, Oct 9, 5:25 PM CDT, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
525 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001

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

0524 PM    13 SW OSBORNE             KS    .75 INCH HAIL
10/09/01   OSBORNE

Local storm report, Oct 9, 5:29 PM CDT, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
529 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001

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

0515 PM    2 NE WOLBACH              NE    TORNADO, BRIEF TOUCHDOWN
10/09/01   GREELEY

Local storm report, Oct 9, 5:36 PM CDT, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
536 PM CDT TUE OCT 09 2001

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

0532 PM    1 SW MARQUETTE            NE    TORNADO, MULTIPLE FUNNELS
10/09/01   HAMILTON

Local storm report, Oct 9, 5:43 PM CDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
543 PM CDT TUE OCT 9 2001

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

0532 PM    1 SW MARQUETTE            NE    TORNADO
10/09/01   HAMILTON    MULTIPLE FUNNELS

Local storm report, Oct 9, 5:46 PM CDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
546 PM CDT TUE OCT 9 2001

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

0515 PM    2 NE WOLBACH              NE    TORNADO
10/09/01   GREELEY                         BRIEF TOUCHDOWN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 9, 4:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Greeley, Howard	49 min
Oct 9, 4:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Hamilton	43 min
Oct 9, 4:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Merrick	49 min
Oct 9, 4:57 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Greeley	33 min
Oct 9, 5:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Nuckolls, Webster	59 min
Oct 9, 5:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Merrick	49 min
Oct 9, 5:18 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Hamilton	27 min
Oct 9, 5:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Nuckolls	39 min
Oct 9, 5:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Nance	39 min
Oct 9, 5:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Clay	48 min
Oct 9, 5:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Hamilton	42 min
Oct 9, 5:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Nance	46 min
Oct 9, 6:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Merrick	45 min
Oct 9, 6:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Nuckolls, Webster	53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 2001 Every tornado warning in 2001 Tornadoes in 2001

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.