Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 68, NWS Hastings, NE

May 26, 2002Osborne County, Kansas

NWS Hastings, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 26, 2002, 5:56 PM CDT for Osborne County, Kansas. It was in force for 64 min. 2 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
May 26, 2002, 5:56 PM CDT (22:56 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 2002, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Osborne County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:57 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 26, 5:59 PM CDTHail 1.25Natoma, KS
May 26, 7:05 PM CDTHail 1Alton, KS

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 26, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 195 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 12:00Z on 2002-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 309 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 12:00Z on 2002-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -4 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
309 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-238 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
762 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
4 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 
WUUS53 KGID 262256
SVRGRI
KSC141-270000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
556 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  OSBORNE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 700 PM CDT

* AT 552 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 22 MILES SOUTH OF ALTON...OR ABOUT 43 MILES
  SOUTH OF PHILLIPSBURG...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ALTON AT 700 PM CDT

PEOPLE IN OSBORNE 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 QUARTERS IS LIKELY.

LAT...LON 3916 9902 3915 9853 3954 9852 3953 9901

NNNN

09

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 26, 12:53 PM CDT, 5 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 12:53 PM CDT, 5 hours 3 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1253 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2002

...FIRST AND FOREMOST CONCERN IS STORM CHC/S THIS AFTN/TONIGHT
AND THREAT FOR SVR...

LATEST SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS EARNEST MSTR TRANSPORT INTO CNTRL/SW NE
ON NOSE OF STG LL SRLY FLOW INADV OF UPPER TROF SITUATED ALG NE/SD
BORDER AND ASSOCD/SFC TROF OVR NRN NE. PREFNTL AIRMASS ALREADY
QUITE UNSTABLE AND SEEMINGLY PRIMED FOR CONV INITIATION COME LT AFTN.
BEST MSTR FLUX CONCURRENT WITHIN AREA OF BTR PRES FALLS ALG A HLC TO
BBW LINE W/ INCREASING ACCAS FIELD INVOF SFC RIPPLE AND UPPER WV
VCNTY VTN.

SO IT SEEMS STORMS SHLD INITIATE SOMEWHERE N OF BBW OVR TO ONL AND
SWWD ALG DRYLINE ARND 300 PM...SIMILAR TO ETA/META PROG...AND
DEVELOPMENT SWWD ALG SFC THETA GRADIENT. NOCTURNAL LL JET INCREASE
INTO SC NE THIS EVENING WILL LIKELY AIDE IN MCS DVLPMNT OVR NE HALF
OF CWA...SOMEWHAT FURTHER WWD THEN YDA/S MODEL PROGS AND THEN A
PROPAGATION E/SE INTO NE KS LATE. OTHERWISE...APPEARS DRYLINE WILL
REMAIN OUTSIDE CWA WRN BORDER AND HAVE LTL ACTIVITY ASSOCD/W IT HERE
BUT WILL BEAR MONITORING. DEEP LYR SHEAR ALTHOUGH NOT IMPRESSIVE MORE
THEN ENOUGH IN TANDEM W/MODERATE INSTABILITY TO SUSTAIN UPDRAFTS
W/SIG DIRECTIONAL COMPONENT COMBINED W/MID LVL DRYNESS MAKES FOR
MODEST LG HAIL THREAT. FOR MON...APPEARS ANY LINGERING STORMS...
RESIDUAL CLD DEBRIS AND LG SCALE SUBSIDENCE WILL SUBSEQUENTLY KEEP
RENEWED STORM THREAT AT BAY UNTIL MON NIGHT IN ASSOCN/W NXT UPSTREAM
UPPER TROF OVR WA ATTM. GOING TEMPS FOR MON WILL NEED CONSIDERABLE
MODIFICATION DOWNWARD GIVEN ABV EXPECTATIONS. AFT THAT...APPEARS LG
SCALE HGT RISES AND SRN STREAM SPLIT CUTOFF LOW MIGRATING THRU SRN
PLAINS WILL PRETTY MUCH PRECLUDE ANY PRECIP MENTION THE REMAINDER
OF THE WEEK AS TEMPS WARM TO SUMMER LIKE LEVELS W/TUE PD STILL
UNCERTAIN AT THIS POINT AND THEREBY NECESSITATING KEEPING THE GOING
POPS THEN.

.GID...NONE.

TEH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 26, 1:02 PM CDT, 4 hours 54 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-262300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1145 AM CDT SUN MAY 26 2002

...SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...

THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...SOUTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING
INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INTO THE REGION THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON. ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...WITH THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BECOMING
POSSIBLE BY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING...AS A WEAK COLD FRONT
NEAR THE BORDER REGION OF SOUTH DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA SLOWLY MOVES
SOUTHEAST. IN ADDITION...A MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE THAT KICKED A FEW
SHOWERS OFF THIS MORNING...WILL BE LOCATED OVER THE EASTERN THIRD
OF NEBRASKA...DOWN THROUGH CENTRAL KANSAS...AND WILL ALSO HELP FOCUS
THUNDERSTORM INITIATION.

THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST AREA ARE LIKELY TO FIRST DEVELOP
NORTH OF GREELEY COUNTY AFTER 2 PM...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS BEING THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS...ALTHOUGH
AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION...ESPECIALLY EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BUILD TO THE SOUTHWEST...WITH MOVEMENT OF
INDIVIDUAL STORMS TO THE EAST AT AROUND 25 MPH. INSTABILITY AND WIND
SHEAR SUGGEST THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER TO CONTINUE EAST OF
HIGHWAY 281 THROUGH AROUND 2 AM.

ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR NORTH CENTRAL
KANSAS THIS EVENING...AS A WEAK DRYLINE MOVING EAST OUT OF THE
COLORADO HIGH PLAINS...PUSHES INTO VERY MOIST UNSTABLE AIR. AGAIN...
THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. THESE STORMS SHOULD MOVE EAST OF THE REGION BY
10 PM.
Special weather statement, May 26, 5:01 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-271000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
501 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2002

...SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE NEEDED ACROSS PARTS OF THE
AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL
AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL 800 PM CDT...FOR AREAS ALONG AND
WEST OF A GREELEY TO ALMA LINE.

SOUTH WINDS LATE THIS AFTERNOON WILL CONTINUE TO BRING INCREASING LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE INTO THE REGION THROUGH THE EVENING...WITH INCREASING
INSTABILITY AIDING CONTINUED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG AND WEST
OF A GREELEY TO HOLDREGE LINE. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL CONTAIN
LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS AND PERHAPS A FEW DAMAGING
WIND GUSTS.

A DEVELOPING LOW LEVEL JET THIS EVENING WILL ALLOW STORMS OVER
NORTHERN NEBRASKA TO DEVELOP SOUTHWARD THIS EVENING TOWARDS SOUTH
CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS MAINLY AFTER 700 PM.
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THESE
STORMS LATER THIS EVENING...FOR AREAS WEST OF THE US 81 CORRIDOR.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 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.