Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 177, NWS Hastings, NE

July 24, 2002Buffalo County, Hall County, Howard County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 24, 2002, 9:05 PM CDT for Buffalo County, Hall County, Howard County, Nebraska. It was in force for 70 min. 4 reports 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 24, 2002, 9:05 PM CDT (02:05 UTC)
Expired: Jul 24, 2002, 10:15 PM CDT
In force: 70 min
Issued by: NWS Hastings, NE
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Buffalo County, NE, Hall County, NE, Howard County, NE

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 80 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:07 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
Jul 24, 9:15 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 60 E	Dannebrog, NE
Jul 24, 9:30 PM CDT	Hail 0.88	Wood River, NE
Jul 24, 9:43 PM CDT	Tornado F0	Shelton, NE	An off-duty NWS employee and many other storm spotters witnessed the tornado north of Shelton. No significant damage was reported from the tornado itself as it bounced along the ground.
Jul 24, 10:00 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	Shelton, 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 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 169 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: 793 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 3368 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 104 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

162 
WUUS53 KGID 250205
SVRGRI
NEC019-079-093-250315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
904 PM CDT WED JUL 24 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  HOWARD COUNTY IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA
  EASTERN BUFFALO COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
  HALL COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 1015 PM CDT

* AT 902 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES WEST OF BOELUS...OR ABOUT 26 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF GRAND ISLAND...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE STORM INCLUDE 
RAVENNA...BOELUS...POOLE...ST. LIBORY...CAIRO AND GRAND ISLAND.

PEOPLE IN HOWARD...EASTERN BUFFALO AND HALL COUNTIES 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 GOLFBALLS ARE LIKELY.

REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE 
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED WARNING.

LAT...LON 4103 9829 4132 9829 4135 9875 4105 9872
          4103 9903 4072 9901 4073 9830

GUYER

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 24, 3:29 PM CDT, 5 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 24, 3:29 PM CDT, 5 hours 36 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
329 PM CDT WED JUL 24 2002

...MAIN FOCUS IS THUNDERSTORM CHANCES OVER NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AND
PROSPECTS FOR SEVERE WX TONIGHT...

12Z MORNING UPPER AIR ANALYSIS AND WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING LOW
AMPLITUDE LARGE SCALE PATTERN OVER THE CONUS. UPPER RIDGE CENTERED
OVER THE FOUR CORNERS AREA YIELDING MODEST SUMMERTIME W/NW FLOW INTO
THE CENTRAL PLAINS. LOW TO MID LEVEL RIDGE CONTINUES TO SHIFT
EASTWARD...WITH 700MB/850MB MOIST AXIS FROM TX/OK THROUGH WESTERN
SECTIONS OF KS AND NEB.

LATEST AFTERNOON SUBJECTIVE SURFACE ANALYSIS FEATURING LOW PRESSURE
ADVANCING EASTWARD ACROSS CNTRL SD...WITH ASSOCIATED WARM FRONTAL
STRUCTURE EXTENDING E/SE THROUGH EASTERN SD INTO NW IA. TROUGH/WIND
SHIFT POSITIONED FROM THE SFC LOW SOUTHWARD INTO WESTERN NEB. AXIS OF
65F SFC DEWPOINTS LOCATED AHEAD OF THE TROUGH...AIDED BY MODEST 5-10F
SFC DEWPOINT RISES OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS.

SURFACE LOW TO CONTINUE TO TRACK FROM CENTRAL SD INTO NORTHEAST NEB
TONIGHT...WITH ACCOMPANYING LOW LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDING BACK TOWARD
WESTERN NEB. OPERATIONAL ETA CONFINES CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT TO
NORTHEAST NEB LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING...WITH LATEST NCEP/FSL
RUC20 FOLLOWING SUIT. HOWEVER...12Z ETA KAIN-FRITSCH ALREADY DEVELOPS
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY ALONG THE TROUGH BY 21Z IN NORTH CENTRAL NEB...
WITH MORE EXPANSIVE DEVELOPMENT SOUTHWARD INTO CENTRAL AND SCNTRL NEB
BY 00Z. WOULD EXPECT REALITY TO BE SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN THESE
SOLUTIONS. OVERALL...ORIENTATION OF THICKNESSES AND ETA-BASED CORFIDI
VECTORS SUGGEST A GENERAL SSEWRD PROPOGATIONAL COMPONENT TO EVENING
THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX OVER NCNTRL/NE NEB.

ALTHOUGH BULK OF ACTIVITY SHOULD BE CONFINED TO THE N/NE SECTIONS OF
CWA...SOME ISOLATED PULSE-TYPE DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE S/SW DOWN THE
TROUGH THROUGH THE WESTERN NEB CWA -- HOWEVER INCREASINGLY HIGHER
CINH/LFCS SHOULD GREATLY LIMIT S/SW EXTENT OF DEVELOPMENT.

SEVERE STORMS ARE A POSSIBILITY TONIGHT -- ESPECIALLY IN THE NE
PORTION OF THE CWA -- GIVEN LIKELY MCS PROPAGATION IN AMBIENT
ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY AMPLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR / 40-50 KNOTS
0-6KM / FOR STORM ORGANIZATION AND MODERATE INSTABILITY. OBJECTIVELY
DERIVED SFC BASED CAPES RUNNING AROUND 3000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON...
WITH 100MB MIXED LAYER CAPES AROUND 1500 J/KG. DAMAGING WINDS APPEAR
TO BE MAIN THREAT GIVEN DEEP LAYER SHEAR...30-50 KNOT MID LEVEL
FLOW...AND INVERTED-V CHARACTERISTICS. IN SPITE OF INSTABILITY AND
POTENTIAL FOR UPDRAFT ROTATION GIVEN DEEP LAYER SHEAR...RELATIVELY
HIGH FREEZING/WET-BULB ZERO LEVELS WILL TEND TO LIMIT LARGE HAIL
THREAT. HIGH LCLS/LFCS SUGGEST TORNADIC POTENTIAL AT A MINIMUM IN
CWA.

THURSDAY SHOULD BE FAIRLY QUIET DURING THE DAY AS THUNDERSTORM
COMPLEX MOVES INTO IA...AND POSSIBLY NORTHERN MO DURING THE MORNING.
HOWEVER...REMNANT OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM MCS MAY FIGURE INTO THE
MIX. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES WARMER ON THURSDAY AS UPPER
RIDGE SHIFTS EASTWARD AND BEGINS TO DAMPEN -- HIGH TEMPS LIKELY
APPROACHING 95 IN MUCH OF THE NEB CWA...WITH A FEW 100 DEGREE
READINGS POSSIBLE IN SOUTHERN CWA.

MCS THEN LOOKS TO DEVELOP IN WESTERN NEB THURSDAY NIGHT AS ETA
PROGGED 50KT LOW LEVEL JET GETS ACTIVE FROM WESTERN KS INTO SOUTHWEST
NEB. ACTIVITY WOULD SEEMINGLY PRESS EASTWARD ACROSS THE CWA OVERNIGHT
PER CORFIDI VECTORS. PLENTIFUL LOW TO MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS AND
IMPRESSIVE COUPLED UPPER JET STRUCTURE OVERSPREADING THE CENTRAL
PLAINS THURSDAY NIGHT WILL ADD INTO THE MIX AS WELL.

WITH SIMILAR SET-UP IN PLACE INTO FRI/SAT...WILL REINTRODUCE MAINLY
NIGHTTIME TSRA CHANCES.

IN THE OUTER PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST...LATEST EUROPEAN AND 00Z GFS
INDICATE LITTLE CHANGE IN BROAD SCALE PATTERN THROUGH THE WEEKEND...
HOWEVER THERE SOME HINTS OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA TROUGH DEVELOPMENT
AND CORRESPONDING FLOW AMPLIFICATION BY THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF
NEXT WEEK. OPERATIONAL GFS POSITIONING OF UPPER TROUGH OVER THE
NORTHERN ROCKIES BY LATE WEEKEND RATHER DEBATABLE GIVEN DEGREE OF
VARIABILITY AMONGST GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS. ALTHOUGH PRECIPITATION
POSSIBLE SOMETIME IN LATE WEEKEND/EARLY NEXT WEEK TIME FRAME...
GENERAL DRY FORECAST WILL BE MAINTAINED ATTM UNTIL DETAILS BETTER
AVAIL THEMSELVES. STATUS QUO FOR OUTER PERIOD TEMPS.

.GID...NONE

GUYER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 24, 5:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 50 minutes before

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-251200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
515 PM CDT WED JUL 24 2002

...SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING ACROSS PARTS OF
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

AREAS GENERALLY NORTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM ELWOOD TO SUPERIOR ARE
AT A RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AFTER 600 PM. THE PRIMARY HAZARD
WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS TO 70 MPH...WITH ISOLATED LARGE HAIL UP TO AN
INCH IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT
BE RULED OUT...PRIMARILY NORTH OF GRAND ISLAND.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FROM AROUND ONEILL SOUTHWEST TO BURWELL
WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS THEY MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO
THE REGION. DURING THE EVENING...THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP INTO A
BOW ECHO...GIVING A GREATER THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS...
ESPECIALLY NORTH AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 281 AND I-80.

SPOTTER GROUPS...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES
SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR THEIR LOCAL MEDIA FOR LATER
UPDATED FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS.

GURNEY

Local storm report, Jul 24, 7:08 PM CDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
708 PM CDT WED JUL 24 2002

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

0705 PM    12 NW ORD                 NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/24/02   VALLEY                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

07

Local storm report, Jul 24, 7:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
728 PM CDT WED JUL 24 2002

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

0725 PM    9 N ARCADIA               NE   TORNADO
07/24/02   VALLEY                         BRIEF TOUCHDOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

07

Local storm report, Jul 24, 9:01 PM CDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
901 PM CDT WED JUL 24 2002

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

0855 PM    ROCKVILLE                 NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/24/02   SHERMAN                        REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

07

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 24, 7:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Valley	39 min
Jul 24, 7:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Greeley	55 min
Jul 24, 8:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Sherman	64 min
Jul 24, 9:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Buffalo	66 min
Jul 24, 10:04 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Adams, Kearney	56 min
Jul 24, 11:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Adams	44 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 2002 Every 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.