Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Hastings, NE

April 15, 2003Dawson County, Gosper County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 15, 2003, 7:40 PM CDT for Dawson County, Gosper County, Nebraska. It was in force for 50 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
Apr 15, 2003, 7:40 PM CDT (00:40 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 2003, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Dawson County, NE, Gosper County, NE

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:42 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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 15, 3:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 76 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 00:00Z on 2003-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 299 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2003-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 30 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
299 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3081 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
27 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.

156 
WUUS53 KGID 160040
SVRGID
NEC047-073-160130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
740 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  DAWSON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
  GOSPER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 737 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 13 MILES WEST OF ELWOOD...OR ABOUT 25 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF LEXINGTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE STORM INCLUDE...
  ELWOOD
  JOHNSON LAKE
  LEXINGTON

PEOPLE IN DAWSON AND GOSPER 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.

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

LAT...LON 4053 10024 4041 10008 4077 9951 4096 9976
$$
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 Apr 15, 2:48 PM CDT, 4 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 15, 2:48 PM CDT, 4 hours 52 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
248 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

...TIMING OF SEVERE AND WIND MAIN FCST PROBLEMS...

DRYLINE TRYING TO SHARPEN UP OVER WESTERN KANSAS AND FAR SOUTHWEST
NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON WITH ISOLATED STORMS STARTING UP ALONG
DRYLINE OVER WESTERN KANSAS. CURRENT FEELING HERE, AND AGREE WITH LATEST
SPC THOUGHTS, IS THAT STORMS WILL PROPAGATE NORTHEAST TONIGHT. ETA
KF AND UPDRAFT MASS FLUX ALSO SUGGESTING SAME. SEE LITTLE REASON THEN
TO CHANGE WHAT WE HAVE GOING IN THE FORECAST FOR THE SHORT TERM. AS
FOR WINDS...WITH SFC LOW CRANKING UP TO OUR SOUTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON
AND WINDS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CWA INCREASING ACCORDINGLY, SEE
NO REASON WHY CWA WONT CONTINUE TO REALIZE WIND ADV CONDITIONS
THROUGH THIS EVENING. THUS, WILL PLAN TO EXTEND AND EXPAND WIND ADV
TO COVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CWA FOR TONIGHT.

FOR WEDNESDAY...AGAIN CURRENT FORECAST APPEARS REASONABLE, THUS SEE
LITTLE REASON TO CHANGE THE FORECAST SAVE FOR INCREASING POPS DUE TO
THE EXPECTED WRAPAROUND PCPN SHIELD. AGAIN...VERY TIGHT SFC GRADIENT
ALL CWA TOMORROW, SO WILL PLAN TO BLANKET CWA WITH AN ADVISORY. WITH
AMPLE CLOUD AROUND MOST OF THE DAY, WE MAY HAVE A HARD TIME
REALIZING ANY DOWNWARD MOM. TRANSFER...THUS WILL JUST STICK WITH THE
ADVISORY. ONLY OTHER CHANGE MADE FOR WEDNESDAY WAS TO LOWER HIGHS
THANKS TO CAA AND CLOUD COVER.

EXTENDED MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROF
AFFECTING THE CENTRAL PLAINS FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. WITH POPS
ALREADY IN FORECAST, WILL PLAN TO LEAVE ALONE THIS CYCLE AS WELL.

.GID...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR POINTS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-80.
       WIND ADVISORY ALL CWA FOR WEDNESDAY.

16
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 15, 11:08 AM CDT, 8 hours 32 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-161200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1108 AM CDT TUE APR 15 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

SURFACE LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY INTENSIFY LATE THIS
AFTERNOON ACROSS THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS IN RESPONSE TO AN
APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. MEANWHILE...A DRY LINE
EXTENDING ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA WILL MOVE
THROUGH THE AREA LATER TODAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS LATE THIS LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...SOME OF WHICH
WILL PROBABLY BECOME SEVERE.

IN ADDITION...THE GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER INDEX WILL BE IN THE EXTREME
CATEGORY ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL
KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOW TO MID
80S...WITH LOWEST RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AT 15 TO 30 PERCENT. WINDS WILL
GENERALLY BE FROM THE SOUTH AT 20 TO 30 MPH...WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS
THIS AFTERNOON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

AS LOW PRESSURE SLIDES EASTWARD ON WEDNESDAY...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS
WILL DEVELOP ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM BY THE AFTERNOON.
NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE INTO THE 25 TO 35 MPH
RANGE...WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL PROBABLY BE REQUIRED LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS...PARTICULARLY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS
AND FOR AREAS MAINLY SOUTH OF I-80 IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE
MAIN THREAT APPEARS TO BE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE
HAIL.

DEE

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 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.