Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 44, NWS Hastings, NE

September 10, 2003Phillips County, Kansas

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Sep 10, 2003, 5:12 PM CDT for Phillips County, Kansas. It was in force for 48 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
Sep 10, 2003, 5:12 PM CDT (22:12 UTC)
Expired
Sep 10, 2003, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Phillips County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:14 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 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
Sep 10, 1:55 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 193 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 2003-09-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 172 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2003-09-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 68 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
172 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
928 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
40 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KGID 102212
TORGID
KSC147-102300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
513 PM CDT WED SEP 10 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  PHILLIPS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT

* AT 509 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO OVER KIRWIN...OR ABOUT 11 MILES EAST OF
  PHILLIPSBURG...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  RURAL EASTERN PHILLIPS COUNTY AT 520 PM CDT
  RURAL NORTHEASTERN PHILLIPS COUNTY AT 530 PM CDT

PEOPLE IN EASTERN PHILLIPS COUNTY SHOULD TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IN
A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.

LAT...LON 3968 9924 3973 9924 3978 9920 3998 9911
          3999 9907 3963 9907
$$
10

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 Sep 10, 2:29 PM CDT, 2 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 10, 2:29 PM CDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
229 PM CDT WED SEP 10 2003

SFC MAP THIS AFTN MUCH LIKE YDA. INTENSE SFC LOW CNTR OVR WRN SD
W/TRAILING COLD FNT INTO NE CO AND SECONDARY WV IN REFLECTION OF
STG UPR TROF CROSSING DIVIDE ATTM. MID LVL DRY SLOT OVERTOPPING CWA
IN WAKE OF MORNING SW MOVING INTO MN ATTM.

FOREMOST SHRT TERM CONCERN CONTS W/SVR CONVN CHCS LT THIS AFTN AND
FIRST HALF OF TONIGHT. TOR WATCH COMING SHORTLY. DESTABILIZATION
GREATLY HAMPERED SO FAR TKS TO GRUNGE SC CLD LYR BUT ERODING QUICKLY
ESP SW IN BTWN JET STREAKS. EMERGING JET STREAK EMANATING FM SE CO
AND DVLPG ACCAS FIELD NR KDEN/KAKR A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME. LACK OF
INHIBITION AND INCREASING LG SCALE UVV/S SHLD KEEP DISCRETE SUPERCELL
WINDOW SHRT W/PRIMARY EVENT TIED TO SURGING COLD FRONT AND LIKELY LG
LINEAR SEGMENT ALG IT. COULD BE QUITE A WIND EVENT AND NOT DOUBT A
TOR THREAT GIVEN MAGNITUDE OF SHEAR/LOW LFC/S AND DEEP BL MSTR. 0-1KM
BTR ATTM OVR ERN NE BUT SUSPECT LL FLW TO REALLY BACK AS CO WV AND
ASSOCD JET STREAK DUMBBELL OUT LTR THIS AFTN. AS SUCH...CAT POPS IN
ORDER OVERNIGHT.

FOR THU...HOLD OVER RISK OF MORE RAIN INVOF OF MID LVL TROF AND
KEPT POPS IN MOST OF DAY ACRS CWA...HWVR CLRG XPCD LT AS SYS PINCHES
SWD INTO SRN PLAINS AND LG SCALE SUBSIDENCE OVERSPREADS CWA BEHIND
CO WV. EWD EXTENT OF CLRG LINE BIT TRICKY ON FRI AS UPR LOW CLOSES
OFF OVR TX PANHANDLE WHICH MAY HAVE AN IMPACT ON MAX TEMPS SE CWA
AND MORE SO ON SAT. CONTINUITY HERE LACKING AS UPSTREAM KICKER
DROPPING OUT OF SW CANADA NOW MUCH SLWR. GLARING CONSENSUS AT THIS
POINT IS TO KEEP UPR SYS STACKED TO OUR SW WHICH WOULD WRAP AT LEAST
MID LVL MSTR BACK INTO AREA AND WARRANT A SLGT POP IN ADV OF
SECONDARY COLD FRONT THEN. SLIP IN TIMING NECESSITATES SOME
ADJUSTMENT IN TEMPS SAT BUT OTHERWISE COOLING TREND ON TRACK THROUGH
SUN.

.GID...NONE.

T
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 10, 12:00 PM CDT, 5 hours 12 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-111200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1200 PM CDT WED SEP 10 2003

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS THROUGH TONIGHT. ISOLATED SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON MAINLY EAST OF HIGHWAY
281 AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO NORTHEASTERN NEBRASKA.
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP AREA
WIDE NEAR A PRE FRONTAL TROUGH THAT RUNS FROM SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH
DAKOTA...THROUGH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...AND INTO CENTRAL KANSAS. WARM
MOIST SURFACE AIR STREAMING INTO THE EASTERN HALF OF KANSAS AND
NEBRASKA...TOGETHER WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL WIND SHEAR WILL HELP
SUPPORT STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA...ESPECIALLY
EAST OF HIGHWAY 183...WITH LARGE HAIL...STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...AND
ISOLATED TORNADOES A POSSIBILITY THROUGH 9 PM. THE AREA WITH THE
GREATEST TORNADO THREAT WILL LIE TO THE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 AND
EAST OF HIGHWAY 281.

LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...MULTIPLE STORMS WILL GROUP
TOGETHER INTO A LINE OF STORMS...MOVING WITH OR JUST AHEAD OF A
COLD FRONT THAT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION OUT OF NORTHWESTERN
NEBRASKA. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY BRING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...
LARGE HAIL AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS AS THEY MOVE EASTWARD THROUGH
THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER ALONG THE COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY THURSDAY...
MAINLY EAST OF HIGHWAY 14...HOWEVER CHANCES DIMINISH BEHIND THE FRONT
BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. DRY AND COOL WEATHER IS FORECAST THROUGH THE
WEEKEND...BEFORE A SLOW WARMING TREND NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...
AND SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR RAPID DEPLOYMENT IF SEVERE APPROACHES
THEIR AREA.

10

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 10, 4:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDRooks47 min
Sep 10, 4:43 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDRooks32 min
Sep 10, 4:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhillips54 min
Sep 10, 4:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDOsborne, Smith63 min
Sep 10, 5:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDRooks64 min
Sep 10, 5:46 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDSmith44 min
Sep 10, 6:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell52 min
Sep 10, 6:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDOsborne27 min
Sep 10, 6:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDOsborne33 min
Sep 10, 6:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell61 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes 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.