Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 173, NWS Hastings, NE

July 21, 2002Furnas County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 21, 2002, 6:54 PM CDT for Furnas County, Nebraska. It was in force for 66 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 21, 2002, 6:54 PM CDT (23:54 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Furnas County, NE

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 131 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:54 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 21, 6:56 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 70 EHendley, 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 116 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 2002-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 119 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 2002-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 39 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
119 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-460 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1766 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
28 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.

330 
WUUS53 KGID 212354
SVRGRI
NEC065-220100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
653 PM CDT SUN JUL 21 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  FURNAS COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 648 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HOLLINGER TO
  6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WILSONVILLE...OR FROM 23 MILES NORTHEAST OF
  NORTON TO 19 MILES NORTHWEST OF NORTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  CAMBRIDGE AT 705 PM CDT
  HOLBROOK AT 720 PM CDT
  BEAVER CITY AT 735 PM CDT
  HOLLINGER AT 745 PM CDT

PEOPLE IN FURNAS COUNTY SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE AND
STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND LARGE HAIL THE
SIZE OF DIMES ARE LIKELY.

LAT...LON 4032 10019 4001 10017 4002 9967 4032 9966

NNNN

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 21, 2:55 PM CDT, 3 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 2:55 PM CDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
255 PM CDT SUN JUL 21 2002

A BREAK IN THE HEAT IS ON THE WAY.

COLD FRONT FROM NORTH-CENTRAL NEBRASKA INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO AT
19Z WITH TEMPS IN THE UPPER 60S AND 70S BEHIND THE FRONT.  PRE-
FRONTAL TROF HAS PASSED TO THE SOUTH OF A ONEIL TO ORD TO LEXINGTON
TO MCCOOK LINE.  WINDS THERE HAVE SWITCHED TO THE NORTH BUT COOLER
AIR MUCH BEHIND.  SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED ALONG THE
TROF WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THESE PRIOR TO ISSUANCE TO SEE IF ANY
ADJUSTMENTS ARE NEEDED TO WORDING.

ONCE FRONT STARTS TO MOVE SOUTH THIS EVENING...IT WILL MAKE GOOD
PROGRESS THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT.  SETTING UP TO THE
SOUTH OF THE AREA BY MONDAY MORNING.  BEST LEFT WILL BE BEHIND THE
FRONT AND EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS OVER MOST OF THE AREA
TONIGHT.  HAVE BUMPED POPS UP TO 50 PERCENT.  GIVEN CURRENT DRY
WEATHER TREND DONT WANT TO GET OVERLY HOPEFUL ON RAIN CHANCES.

SOME LINGERING PRECIP POSSIBLE MONDAY MORNING IN KANSAS ZONES AND
WILL KEEP SMALL CHANCES THERE...OTHERWISE...GOOD DRYING AND
SUBSTANCE BEHIND FRONT WILL PROVIDE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES BY AFTERNOON.

UPPER RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE REST OF THE
PERIOD.  NOT MUCH TO HANG HAT ON AFTER THIS ROUND OF STORMS TO GIVE
CHANCES FOR RAIN.  WILL GO BACK TO DROUGHT FORECAST WITH DRY
CONDITIONS AND TEMPS BACK INTO THE 90S BY MID WEEK.

.GID...NONE

KISNER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 21, 2:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 24 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-221000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
230 PM CDT SUN JUL 21 2002

...STORM SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON EVENING...

REST OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...A COOL FRONT IS CONTINUING TO
TRACK SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA.
ALOFT...AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS MOVING THROUGH JUST BEHIND THE
FRONT...COOLING THE MID LEVELS...AND HELPING TO FURTHER DESTABILIZE
THE ATMOSPHERE. ALSO...A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDING FROM NEAR
LEXINGTON NEBRASKA...SOUTH INTO NORTHERN KANSAS...IS PROVIDING AN
AREA OF CONVERGENCE THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A FAVORABLE AREA FOR
THUNDERSTORM FORMATION. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG A
LINE BETWEEN GREELEY AND OXFORD NEBRASKA...AND WILL FILL IN AND
DRIFT NORTHEASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 MPH...WHILE THE FRONT ITSELF MOVES
TO THE SOUTHEAST. ALTHOUGH WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT
EXPECTED...SOME EARLY STORMS IN THIS VERY UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT MAY
GO SEVERE...WITH STRONG WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. THERE WILL
ALSO BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR HAIL TO 1 INCH WITH A FEW OF THESE
STORMS.

TONIGHT...THE FRONT WILL PROGRESS TO THE SOUTHEAST...AND REACH INTO
PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS BY 9 PM...HOWEVER MOST OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS BY THIS TIME WILL WEAKEN AS THE SUN GOES DOWN AND WE
LOSE DAYTIME HEATING. OVERALL COVERAGE HOWEVER WILL INCREASE BEHIND
THE FRONT...AND FURTHER TO THE SOUTH AFTER MIDNIGHT. AN ISOLATED
SEVERE STORM MAY BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT...HOWEVER LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN
WITH SOME SMALL HAIL WILL BE MOST LIKELY.

AGAIN...ALTHOUGH WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SPOTTERS
MAY BE NEEDED FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.

10

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 4:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDSherman53 min
Jul 21, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDGreeley, Howard60 min
Jul 21, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo60 min
Jul 21, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHoward58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.