Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS Omaha, NE

May 4, 2003Thurston County, Nebraska

NWS Omaha, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 4, 2003, 3:03 PM CDT for Thurston County, Nebraska. It was in force for 42 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: May 4, 2003, 3:03 PM CDT (20:03 UTC)
Expired: May 4, 2003, 3:45 PM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Omaha, NE
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Thurston County, NE

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:07 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

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 90 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 558 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 375 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 509 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.

448 
WUUS53 KOAX 042003
SVROAX
NEC173-042045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
302 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  THURSTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 345 PM CDT

* AT 301 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF PENDER...OR ABOUT 37 MILES
  EAST OF NORFOLK...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ROSALIE...THURSTON
  WALTHILL
  WINNEBAGO

A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED NICKEL SIZE HAIL NEAR PENDER AT 
255 PM.

LARGE HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. GO TO A SAFE PLACE INSIDE YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND GLASS DOORS.

LAT...LON 4210 9681 4209 9660 4197 9656 4213 9633
          4229 9655

$$

CHERMOK

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 May 4, 2:35 PM CDT, 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 4, 2:35 PM CDT, 28 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
235 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

POTENT SEVERE STORM SCENARIO OCCURING OVER THE OAX CWA.  SFC WRMFNT
HAS MOVED NWD ACRS LNK AND MAY NEAR OMA AREA IN THE NXT CPL OF HRS.
SFC LO IS W OF BIE AT 19Z IS XPCD TO MOV NEWD ACRS SERN NEBRASKA
INTO SWRN IA LATER THIS AFTN AND EVE.  ALL PARAMETERS INDC A CLASSIC
TORNADO OUTBREAK TAKING SHAPE FOR THE PLNS AND MID MS VLY. OAX CWA
APPRS TO BE ON THE NRN FRINGE OF THE TORNADO AREA.  BUT WITH SFC LO
AND DRYLN MOVG NEWD...AREA OF CONCERN IS WHERE THE TRIPLE POINT
INTERSECTS THE WRMFNT. THIS COULD AFFECT AREAS E OF LNK TO NR OMA TO
SERN IA.

AFT LO MOVS NEWD...SWRS ARE PSBL BHND THE SYS.  ON MONDAY...UPR LO
WILL BE JUST TO THE NE OF THE AREA. CLOUDY SKIES AND SHWRS ARE ALSO
PSBL DURG THE DY.

HAVE NOT CHANGED EXTENDED MUCH.  CHC OF SHWRS AND THUNDERSTORMS
THURS AND AGAIN SAT NGT INTO SUN.

.OMA...NONE.

SMITH

Hazardous weather outlook, May 4, 12:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before

IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-
042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-042315-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
1230 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA
AND SOUTHWEST IOWA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A POTENT SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION IS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE AREA
TODAY WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF TORNADOES AND WIDESPREAD SEVERE
WEATHER ACTIVITY.
A TORNADO WATCH HAS ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST
NEBRASKA.  AN INTENSE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER NORTH CENTRAL
KANSAS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.	ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...STRONG
VERTICAL WIND SHEAR...AND INSTABILITY WILL ALLOW FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL STORMS.

THE GREATEST THREAT FOR TORNADOES IS EXPECTED TO BE SOUTH OF A
COLUMBUS TO WAHOO TO BELLEVUE.	THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION
WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING TORNADOES IN THIS AREA.
NORTHWEST OF THIS LINE...SOME SEVER THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE.

THE SEVERE WEATHER ACTIVITY WILL BEGIN TO SUBSIDE AFTER 8 OR 9 PM
TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS COULD MOVE BACK INTO WEDNESDAY THROUGH
FRIDAY...AND THEN AGAIN SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY TODAY...SPOTTERS SHOULD BE
READY TO DEPLOY THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO THE POTENT NATURE OF THIS
SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION.

SMITH

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 4, 12:55 PM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
1255 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

1225 PM    9 SE STANTON              NE   .88 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   STANTON                        REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

Local storm report, May 4, 1:50 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
150 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0121 PM    PLATTE CENTER             NE   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   PLATTE                         REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

Local storm report, May 4, 2:04 PM CDT, 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
204 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0200 PM    LEIGH                     NE   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   COLFAX                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

Local storm report, May 4, 2:16 PM CDT, 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
216 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0205 PM    2 W DUNCAN                NE   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   PLATTE                         REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

Local storm report, May 4, 2:27 PM CDT, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
227 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0226 PM    9 N COLUMBUS              NE   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   PLATTE                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

Local storm report, May 4, 2:33 PM CDT, 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
233 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0228 PM    8 S STANTON               NE   .75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   STANTON                        REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 4, 2:04 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Johnson	26 min
May 4, 2:14 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Otoe	31 min
May 4, 2:43 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Boone, Platte	47 min
May 4, 2:46 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Butler, Seward	44 min
May 4, 3:04 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Nemaha	41 min
May 4, 3:21 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saunders	29 min
May 4, 4:32 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Washington	28 min
May 4, 4:50 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Cuming, Thurston	40 min
May 4, 12:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Colfax, Stanton	29 min
May 4, 1:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Platte	60 min
May 4, 1:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Colfax, Stanton	45 min
May 4, 2:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Platte	30 min
May 4, 2:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Colfax, Platte	34 min
May 4, 2:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Butler	54 min
May 4, 2:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saunders	47 min
May 4, 2:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Colfax, Cuming, Dodge, Stanton	46 min
May 4, 3:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Platte	28 min
May 4, 3:18 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OAX	Platte	6 hr
May 4, 3:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Douglas, Sarpy	54 min
May 4, 3:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Saunders	32 min
May 4, 3:35 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Douglas, Sarpy	55 min
May 4, 3:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Burt, Cuming, Dodge, Washington	38 min
May 4, 4:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Cass	44 min
May 4, 4:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Washington	26 min
May 4, 4:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Douglas, Sarpy	54 min
May 4, 4:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Cass	37 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 2003 Every 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.