Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 285, NWS Omaha, NE
NWS Omaha, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 2002, 3:03 AM CDT for Gage County, Jefferson County, Saline County, Nebraska. It was in force for 42 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 17, 2002, 3:03 AM CDT (08:03 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 17, 2002, 3:45 AM CDT
- In force
- 42 min
- Issued by
- NWS Omaha, NE
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Gage County, NE, Jefferson County, NE, Saline County, NE
The radar
The Omaha radar (KOAX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:03 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 3:30 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 55 E | Crete, NE | |
| Aug 17, 3:30 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 55 E | De Witt, NE | |
| Aug 17, 3:30 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 55 E | Dorchester, 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 1:05 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 00:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 123 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 3070 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -50 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1356 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 55 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 229 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 597 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.9
- Supercell composite
- 18.4
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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 16, 4:15 PM CDT, 10 hours 48 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 4:15 PM CDT, 10 hours 48 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 415 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 2002 FORECAST CHALLENGES...TSRA REDEVELOPMENT TON...CHC -TSRA/TEMPS DURING THE PD. SYNOPSIS...HAD SVR WX FOR MUCH OF THE AM AND ERLY AFT...WITH SVRL LARGE HAIL REPORTS. ELEVATED TSRA DEVELOPED SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND DVLPD INTO SVR STORMS AT SHIFT CHANGE. STORMS FORMED IN AN AREA OF STG WAA WHERE DEEP MOISTURE WAS RETURNING TO THE FCST AREA. AT 21Z...THE SFC FNT WAS TO THE N VTN/ANW/HSI/BIE...WHERE TEMPS WERE 102 /99/92/91 RESPECTIVELY AND TO THE WEST OF ONL/OLU/LNK. A CU FIELD WAS NOTED OVER WCNTRL NEB AND THE DRYLINE WAS E OF AIA AND SNY. FORECAST...THE CU IS FORMING IN AN AREA COINCIDENT TO THE INSTABILITY AXIS (THETA-E AXIS/DEEP MOISTURE). H70 THERMAL AXIS NOSING IN FM SW NEB INTO NE NEB AND THIS WILL HND DVLPMENT. H70 MOISTURE POOLING NCNTRL NEB INTO SW MN AND WHERE CAP IS WEAKEST...IN THE NW PORTION OF THE OAX AREA...EXPECT STORMS TO DEVELOP HERE FIRST. DUE TO THE STRENGTH OF THIS SYSTEM...WITH THE H85 LOW LEVEL JET INCREASING TO 50+KTS 50KT 0-6KM SHR...SVR WX POTENTIAL...ESPECIALLY FOR DAMAGING WINDS. WHILE EXPECT THE CAP TO HOLD BACK STORMS INITIALLY...AFTER MIDNIGHT...CONTINUE POPS ACROSS THE REST OF ECNTRL/SE NEB AND SW IA. FNT MOVES THRU FOR SAT AND MUCH COOLER TEMPS IN THE FCST. HOLD ONTO POPS IN SE NEB SAT. CHC OF ELEVATED -TSRA SAT NIGHT ACRS THE S WITH WAA S AND FOR MUCH OF THE FCST AREA SUN. FNT RMNS TO THE S MON...HOWEVER...TSRA EXPECTED WITH LIFT OVER THE FNT AND THE PASSAGE OF A SHORTWAVE TROF IN THE NRN PLNS. LITTLE CHANCE TO MAKE CHGS TO THE EXTENDED. .OMA...NONE. ZAPOTOCNY
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 16, 9:44 PM CDT, 5 hours 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
944 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0810 PM 2 1/2 NW ST HELENA NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
0825 PM 3 NW ST HELENA NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY PUBLIC.Local storm report, Aug 16, 9:50 PM CDT, 5 hours 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
950 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1130 AM 5 NE WYNOT NE 1 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY PUBLIC.Local storm report, Aug 16, 9:54 PM CDT, 5 hours 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
954 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0913 AM MONROE NE 4.5 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 PLATTE REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
0930 AM 1 W MONROE NE 2.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 PLATTE REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
0930 AM PLATTE CENTER NE 1 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 PLATTE REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
0930 AM 4 E MANLEY NE .88 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CASS REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
1040 AM PIERCE NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 PIERCE REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
1042 AM 5 S DAVID CITY NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 BUTLER REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
1105 AM CROFTON NE 1.25 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 KNOX HAIL COVERING THE
GROUND, REPORTED BY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
1120 AM CROFTON NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 KNOX REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT. EVENT
DURATION 7 MINUTES.
1125 AM HARTINGTON NE .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER.
1130 AM FREMONT NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 DODGE REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
1130 AM FREMONT NE 1 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 DODGE REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
1130 AM 5 NE WYNOT NE 1 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
1132 AM FREMONT NE .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 DODGE REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER.
1134 AM FREMONT NE 1.25 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 DODGE REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER.
1152 AM 2 N GLENWOOD IA .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 MILLS REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER.
1155 AM FORDYCE NE .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER.
1201 PM PENDER NE 1 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 THURSTON HEAVY RAIN WITH 1.20
INCHES IN LESS THAN AN
HOUR REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER.
1225 PM 1 N MISSOURI VLY IA .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 HARRISON REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
1225 PM 1 N PENDER NE .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 THURSTON REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
1255 PM WINNEBAGO NE 1 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 THURSTON REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.
0122 PM WYNOT NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY FIRE AND
RESCUE.
0649 PM NIOBRARA NE 1 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 KNOX REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER.
0705 PM NIOBRARA NE 2 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 KNOX REPORTED BY COOPERATIVE
OBSERVER.
0806 PM 7 N CROFTON NE .88 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 KNOX REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER. GAVINS POINT DAM
0810 PM 3 NW ST HELENA NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
0825 PM 3 NW ST HELENA NE 1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02 CEDAR REPORTED BY PUBLIC.The office that day
Everything else NWS Omaha, NE issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 7:25 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OAX | Knox | 35 min |
| Aug 16, 7:57 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | OAX | Cedar, Knox | 33 min |
| Aug 16, 8:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Cedar | 29 min |
| Aug 17, 12:02 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Antelope | 28 min |
| Aug 17, 12:17 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Pierce, Wayne | 43 min |
| Aug 17, 12:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Antelope, Boone, Madison | 60 min |
| Aug 17, 12:39 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Cedar | 36 min |
| Aug 17, 1:04 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Thurston, Wayne | 41 min |
| Aug 17, 1:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Cuming, Stanton | 44 min |
| Aug 17, 1:42 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Colfax, Dodge | 48 min |
| Aug 17, 1:53 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Burt | 22 min |
| Aug 17, 2:55 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Cass, Lancaster, Otoe, Sarpy | 35 min |
| Aug 17, 3:13 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Johnson, Pawnee | 32 min |
| Aug 17, 3:27 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Nemaha, Richardson | 33 min |
| Aug 17, 3:51 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | OAX | Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Pawnee | 24 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.