Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Hastings, NE

June 12, 2002Polk County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Jun 12, 2002, 5:26 PM CDT for Polk County, Nebraska. It was in force for 49 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
Jun 12, 2002, 5:26 PM CDT (22:26 UTC)
Expired
Jun 12, 2002, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Polk County, NE

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:25 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
Jun 12, 5:42 PM CDTHail 1.75Stromsburg, 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 tornado 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
Jun 12, 12:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr
Jun 12, 4:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 108 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, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2002-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2034 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2002-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -47 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2034 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
700 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.5
Supercell composite
-2.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KGID 122226
TORGRI
NEC143-122315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
526 PM CDT WED JUN 12 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN POLK COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 520 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF POLK...OR ABOUT 18 MILES
  NORTH OF YORK...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  STROMSBURG AT 540 PM CDT
  
PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN POLK 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 4122 9775 4117 9782 4106 9782 4105 9737
          4121 9737

NNNN

GURNEY

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 Jun 12, 4:10 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 12, 4:10 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
410 PM CDT WED JUN 12 2002

...FORECAST CONCERN IS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING...

SHORT AFD THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO ONGOING CONVECTION. SURFACE
ANALYSIS HAS FRONTAL BOUNDARY CUTTING ACROSS NEB...BASICALLY FROM
JUST SOUTH OF OMAHA WESTWARD. BOUNDARY WILL BE THE FOCAL POINT FOR
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN AN ALREADY MOIST AND UNSTABLE
ENVIRONMENT. LATEST COORDINATION WITH SPC INDICATES NEW TOR WATCH
#421...TO REPLACE OLD SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #417...GOES THROUGH
9 PM. NEW WATCH COVERS NEB CWA FOR NOW FROM VALLEY COUNTY TO
FRANKLIN...AND AREAS EASTWARD. MODELS DO SUGGEST MID LEVEL STEERING
SHOULD KICK FRONT OUT EVENTUALLY.

.GID...NONE.

DEE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 12, 1:58 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
158 PM CDT WED JUN 12 2002

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

0125 PM    3 SW GLADE                KS   TORNADO
06/12/02   PHILLIPS                       REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
Local storm report, Jun 12, 2:05 PM CDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
205 PM CDT WED JUN 12 2002

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

0121 PM    9 NW STOCKTON             KS   TORNADO
06/12/02   ROOKS                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
Local storm report, Jun 12, 2:12 PM CDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
212 PM CDT WED JUN 12 2002

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

1245 PM    4 W NEWARK                NE   1 INCH HAIL
06/12/02   KEARNEY                        REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.
Local storm report, Jun 12, 3:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
315 PM CDT WED JUN 12 2002

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

0310 PM    8 NE NELSON               NE   .75 INCH HAIL
06/12/02   NUCKOLLS                       REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
Local storm report, Jun 12, 3:52 PM CDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
352 PM CDT WED JUN 12 2002

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

0339 PM    10 S PLAINVILLE           KS   TORNADO
06/12/02   ROOKS                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
Local storm report, Jun 12, 5:15 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
515 PM CDT WED JUN 12 2002

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

0513 PM    CLARKS                    NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
06/12/02   MERRICK                        REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 12, 12:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDKearney59 min
Jun 12, 2:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDNuckolls48 min
Jun 12, 3:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDWebster64 min
Jun 12, 3:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDThayer59 min
Jun 12, 4:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDNance56 min
Jun 12, 4:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDMerrick66 min
Jun 12, 5:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPolk65 min
Jun 12, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDYork59 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.