Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Hastings, NE

May 5, 2002Furnas County, Harlan County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 2002, 7:18 PM CDT for Furnas County, Harlan County, Nebraska. It was in force for 42 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
May 5, 2002, 7:18 PM CDT (00:18 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Furnas County, NE, Harlan County, NE

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:19 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
May 5, 7:25 PM CDTHail 1Oxford, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 5, 4:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 271 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2002-05-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2199 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2002-05-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 116 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
2199 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1272 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
116 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
207 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.9
Supercell composite
9.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KGID 060018
SVRGRI
NEC065-083-060100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
716 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 714 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES NORTH OF BEAVER CITY...MOVING EAST AT
  40 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  OXFORD AT 725 PM CDT
  HUNTLEY AT 750 PM CDT
  
PEOPLE IN HARLAN AND EASTERN FURNAS COUNTIES SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IN A
STURDY STRUCTURE AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS LARGE HAIL THE SIZE OF QUARTERS.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND
OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.

LAT...LON 4030 9991 4004 9992 4005 9919 4030 9921

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 May 5, 3:12 PM CDT, 4 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 3:12 PM CDT, 4 hours 6 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
312 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002

...MAIN CONCERN IS TORNADO WATCH IN KANSAS CWA UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT...

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWING LOW PRESSURE CENTER NEAR NE SD.
SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE CONTINUES TO PUMP UP SURFACE MOISTURE INTO
THE REGION WITH DEW POINTS ACROSS KS PUSHING INTO THE 60S. AN SPC
CONFERENCE CALL HAS ELUDED TO A CONCERN FOR TORNADIC SUPERCELLS
DEVELOPING IN THE EARLY EVENING AS CONVECTION BECOMES BETTER
ORGANIZED. VIS SATL PIX ALREADY SHOW STUFF STARTING TO BLOSSOM IN
SW KS. PROGGED ETA BRN SHEAR...AS WELL AS VGP AND EHI THIS EVENING DO
LOOK IMPRESSIVE FOR SUSTAINING A SHEARING ENVIRONMENT ALLOWING STORMS
TO DEVELOP A FEW MESOS. WITH MOISTURE CONTINUING TO STREAM IN...THE
AIR MASS SHOULD BECOME LESS STABLE WITH TIME AS SUGGESTED BY PROGGED
LI/CAPE/TT. ALSO...LCL HGTS GRADUALLY DECREASE AFTER OOZ THIS EVENING
OVER MOST OF KS. OTHERWISE...EXPECT CONVECTION TO BE PREVALENT IN
KS CWA AND EAST OF THE TRI CITIES. HAIL WILL BE A BIG CONCERN FOR
ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WITHIN THE NEBR CWA AS HEFTY 700-500MB
LRS LAY OVER STRONG THETA-E CONVERGENCE.

THUNDER CHANCES RETURN MONDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT AS STRONG LOW LEVEL
FRONTOGENETIC BOUNDARY ENVELOPES THE AREA...SUGGESTING AN MCS TYPE
EVENT. BUT LACKING LOW LEVEL JET AND EASTWARD SKEWED BOUNDARY LAYER
MOISTURE ALLOW ONLY SMALL POPS FOR THOSE PERIODS. WILL CONTINUE
SMALL POPS INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR LINGERING SHOWERS.

NO BIG CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED.

.GID...NONE.

DEE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 5, 3:02 PM CDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-061200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
302 PM CDT SUN MAY 5 2002

...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...

THERE IS A RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS THROUGH TONIGHT.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS UNTIL 9 PM.
THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL KANSAS WILL DEVELOP NORTHEASTWARD.
SOME MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES.

THESE STORMS MAY CROSS THE NEBRASKA BORDER AS THE EVENING
PROGRESSES.  OTHER STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG A BOUNDARY IN
NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND SWEEP INTO AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80
TOWARD DUSK.

BY MIDNIGHT...THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE CONFINED TO
AREAS NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM KEARNEY TO SUPERIOR.  INCREASING WIND
FIELDS ARE EXPECTED TO ESCALATE THE THREAT FOR DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE
WIND GUSTS.

DROZD
Local storm report, May 5, 4:52 PM CDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
452 PM CDT SUN MAY 05 2002

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

0450 PM    7 S ZURICH                KS   TORNADO
05/05/02   ROOKS                          REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.
Local storm report, May 5, 5:10 PM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
510 PM CDT SUN MAY 05 2002

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

0510 PM    2 W REAMSVILLE            KS   TORNADO
05/05/02   SMITH                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
Local storm report, May 5, 5:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
532 PM CDT SUN MAY 05 2002

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

0531 PM    4 N HASTINGS              NE   1.5 INCH HAIL
05/05/02   ADAMS
Local storm report, May 5, 7:07 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
707 PM CDT SUN MAY 05 2002

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

0555 PM    4 SE GRAND IS             NE   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/05/02   HALL                           REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0555 PM    GRAND IS                  NE   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/05/02   HALL                           NEAR INTERSECTION OF
                                          STUHR AND HIGHWAY 30.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0600 PM    PHILLIPS                  NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/05/02   HAMILTON                       REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0600 PM    3 E GRAND IS              NE   2.75 INCH HAIL
05/05/02   HALL                           REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

07

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 7:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHamilton, Merrick, Polk46 min
May 5, 7:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhelps38 min
May 5, 7:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHoward40 min
May 5, 8:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFranklin, Kearney33 min
May 5, 8:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDSherman47 min
May 5, 9:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDGreeley41 min
May 5, 9:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDWebster37 min
May 5, 9:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDNuckolls53 min
May 5, 10:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDThayer66 min
May 5, 10:26 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDThayer34 min
May 6, 12:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDMerrick, Polk56 min
May 6, 1:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHall, Hamilton, Merrick58 min
May 6, 2:57 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDClay63 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.