Alert archive / Kansas / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 243, NWS Hastings, NE

August 18, 2003Osborne County, Smith County, Kansas

NWS Hastings, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 18, 2003, 2:01 PM CDT for Osborne County, Smith County, Kansas. It was in force for 44 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 18, 2003, 2:01 PM CDT (19:01 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 2003, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Osborne County, KS, Smith County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:01 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.

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 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 228 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2003-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 45 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2003-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -100 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
45 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-515 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2035 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-100 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
17 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 181901
SVRGID
KSC141-183-181945-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
200 PM CDT MON AUG 18 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 245 PM CDT

* AT 155 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER PORTIS...OR ABOUT 36 MILES EAST OF
  PHILLIPSBURG...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BELLAIRE AT 230 PM CDT...
  LEBANON AT 245 PM CDT...

THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE WINDS OVER 60 MPH AND PENNY SIZE HAIL. 

OTHER STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ACROSS NORTHERN OSBORNE 
COUNTY AND CAN PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. 

PEOPLE IN EASTERN SMITH AND NORTHERN OSBORNE COUNTIES SHOULD SEEK
SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS STRONG AND DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

LAT...LON 3961 9888 3929 9872 3984 9845 3996 9865
$$
NNNN
MORITZ

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 Aug 18, 3:34 AM CDT, 10 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 3:34 AM CDT, 10 hours 27 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
334 AM CDT MON AUG 18 2003

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS TROUGH/OUTFLOW PUSHING SLOWLY ACROSS
WESTERN HALF OF NEBRASKA AS ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW SITS ACROSS THE
DAKOTAS.  WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES HEALTHY SHORT WAVE DIGGING
INTO CENTRAL ROCKIES WITH WEAKER LEAD WAVES BEING KICKED OUT AHEAD
OF MAIN SYSTEM INTO THE PLAINS.  THIS ALONG WITH DEVELOPMENT OF
MARGINAL LLJ INTO WESTERN SECTIONS OF FORECAST AREA HAS RESULTED IN
SOME ISOLATED CONVECTION FORMING AHEAD OF SURFACE TROUGH OVER PARTS
OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA.  MODELS ARE PRETTY CLOSE ON INITIALIZATION BUT
NEITHER ETA OR GFS APPEAR TO BE CATCHING EXACT LOCATION OF
PRECIPITATION.  ETA LOOKS OVERDONE WHILE GFS IS A TAD UNDERDONE SO
WILL HAVE TO WING FOR FIRST PERIOD OF FORECAST.

FIRST CHALLENGE OF THE DAY IS EXTENT AND DURATION OF EXISTING
CONVECTION OVER WESTERN HALF OF FA.  LOOKS AS THOUGH CONVECTION
SHOULD FADE ONCE LLJ WEAKENS BY MID MORNING AND MID LEVEL WAVE SLIPS
NORTH OF CWA.  WILL KEEP ISOLATED PRECIP MENTION ACROSS THIS AREA
FOR START OF PERIOD.  AFTER THIS...UPPER WAVE CONTINUES TO DIG INTO
CENTRAL ROCKIES WITH WELL DEVELOPED CYCLONE ACROSS NORTHERN PLAINS
HELPING TO KEEP SURFACE TROUGH NEAR AREA.  EXPECT THIS WILL KEEP
BEST SHOT OF PRECIP OVER WESTERN HALF OF NEBRASKA COUNTIES DURING
THE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING.  TEMPS LOOK WARM ONCE AGAIN TODAY WITH
MET GUIDANCE VALUES LOOKING REASONABLE IN THE MID 90S TO AROUND 100.

UPPER SYSTEM THEN BEGINS TO KICK OUT OF THE ROCKIES TONIGHT WITH
REDEVELOPMENT OF MARGINAL LLJ AFTER DARK.  THIS MAY PROVIDE THE FUEL
TO ALLOW ADDITIONAL CONVECTION TO SPREAD OVER REMAINDER OF
AREA...ALTHOUGH COVERAGE IS STILL SOMEWHAT QUESTIONABLE SINCE
SURFACE TROUGH IS SHOWN TO REMAIN MAINLY OVER/NEAR NORTHWESTERN
THIRD OF AREA.  WILL KEEP MENTION OF ISOLATED PRECIP BUT THIS MAY
NEED TO BE BUMPED UP SLIGHTLY BY DAY CREW.  WAVE THEN MOVES INTO THE
HIGH PLAINS ON TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT.  THIS LOOKS TO SET OFF
ANOTHER ROUND OF CONVECTION OVER WESTERN THIRD OF NEBRASKA COUNTIES
BY AFTERNOON.  THIS SHOULD SPREAD OVER REMAINDER OF AREA BY EVENING
AS STRONGER DYNAMICAL FORCING MOVES INTO AREA.

PATTERN BECOMES QUIET AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY AS UPPER WAVE SLIDES EAST
OF AREA. SUBSIDENCE BEHIND WAVE SHOULD CLEAR OUT MOST PRECIP AND
CLOUD COVER BY EARLY AFTERNOON.  WITH FRONT REMAINING NORTH OF AREA
AND DOWNSLOPE WINDS DEVELOPING ACROSS AREA...GUIDANCE TEMPS LOOK A
TAD TOO COOL.  WILL AIM TEMPS INTO THE MID 90S NEAR LEXINGTON/ORD
AREA TO UPPER 90S ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

FORECAST BEYOND WEDNESDAY STILL LOOKS GENERALLY DRY AND WARM SO WILL
MAKE NO CHANGES TO THIS TIME PERIOD.

.GID...NONE.

AWJ
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 18, 11:01 AM CDT, 3 hours before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-191200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1101 AM CDT MON AUG 18 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND
PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER ACROSS SOUTH
CENTRAL NEBRASKA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. NONE OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WILL REACH SEVERE LIMITS.

AFTER 4 PM...SOME REDEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE AS AN
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE SLIPS EAST FROM THE ROCKIES. A WEAK SURFACE
TROUGH WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS...PRIMARILY ALONG AND
WEST OF A FULLERTON NEBRASKA TO PHILLIPSBURG LINE. WEAK WIND FIELDS
WILL LIMIT STORM INTENSITY...BUT AN ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. HAIL AND
LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE PRIMARILY THREATS...ALTHOUGH
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT LIKELY. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
DIMINISH AROUND SUNSET...BUT MAY FORM AGAIN TOWARD SUNRISE TUESDAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY
INTO TUESDAY NIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES ACROSS THE
AREA.  WINDS ALOFT WILL REMAIN WEAK BUT THE ATMOSPHERE MAY BECOME
MORE STRONGLY UNSTABLE THAN ON MONDAY.  THIS MAY ALLOW AN ISOLATED
STORM OR TWO TO BECOME STRONG OR SEVERE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR
TONIGHT.

MORITZ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 18, 2:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell52 min
Aug 18, 2:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDOsborne59 min
Aug 18, 4:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDOsborne62 min
Aug 18, 4:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDRooks39 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kansas, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.