Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Hastings, NE

May 29, 2004Howard County, Sherman County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at May 29, 2004, 7:23 PM CDT for Howard County, Sherman County, Nebraska. It was in force for 67 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 29, 2004, 7:23 PM CDT (00:23 UTC)
Expired: May 29, 2004, 8:30 PM CDT
In force: 67 min
Issued by: NWS Hastings, NE
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Howard County, NE, Sherman County, NE

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:26 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
May 29, 7:35 PM CDT	HAIL 0.75	Ashton, NE	DIME TO PENNY SIZED HAIL OCCURRED FROM 735 PM TO 745 PM.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 29, 3:05 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 150 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: 422 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2375 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 114 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KGID 300023
TORGID
NEC093-163-300130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
723 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HOWARD COUNTY IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA
  SHERMAN COUNTY IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 721 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO
  WAS LOCATED NEAR ASHTON...OR ABOUT 33 MILES NORTHWEST OF GRAND
  ISLAND...AND MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  FARWELL AND DANNEBROG AROUND 745 PM CDT...
  ELBA AND COTESFIELD AROUND 750 PM CDT...
  ST. PAUL AROUND 800 PM CDT...
  ST. LIBORY AROUND 805 PM CDT...
  CUSHING AROUND 815 PM CDT...

THIS WARNING CONTINUES THE TORNADO WARNING PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FOR 
SHERMAN COUNTY.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF 
BALL SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 4138 9916 4106 9917 4107 9830 4140 9829

$$

NELSON/LAWRENCE

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 May 29, 1:40 PM CDT, 5 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 29, 1:40 PM CDT, 5 hours 43 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
140 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...MAIN CONCERN WILL BE
SEVERE CONVECTION LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AT 18Z...A
SURFACE COLD FRONT STRETCHED FROM A LOW CENTER IN SOUTH DAKOTA
SOUTH TO A LOW CENTER IN EXTREME WESTERN KANSAS. LAPS CAPE VALUES AT
17Z WERE ALREADY BETWEEN 2000 AND 3100 J/KG.  THE CIN VALUES WERE
STILL HIGH ESPECIALLY OVER THE WESTERN COUNTIES.

SURFACE LOW IN WESTERN KANSAS IS FORECAST BY RUC/ETA 12Z RUNS TO
MOVE NORTH ALONG THE FRONT.  MODERATE TO STRONG LOW LEVEL SHEAR IN
THE 0-3KM LAYER BY 00Z IN EASTERN COUNTIES...AND JUST TO THE NORTH
OF THE SURFACE LOW.  ETA HAS THE SURFACE BASED CASE INCREASING TO
2000 WEST TO 4300 J/KG EAST BY 21Z. ETA CAPE FIELD SHOWS A WRAP UP
NORTH OF THE SURFACE LOW AS IT MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS OUR
CENTRAL COUNTIES. BY 06Z...THE SURFACE LOW AND ASSOCIATED FRONT IS
THROUGH THE CWA. SHEAR IS SUFFICIENT FOR SUPERCELLS OVER THE
ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON...WITH ISOLATED TORANDOES
POSSIBLE.  THE EASTERN COUNTIES THOUGH WILL SEE THE HIGHEST THREAT
FOR TORNADOS WHERE EHI VALUES BETWEEN 21Z AND 00Z ARE GREATER THAN 6.
A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS MAY BE POSSIBLE BEHIND THE FRONT. UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH EXITING THE ROCKIES THIS EVENING...BECOMES A LARGE CUTOFF LOW
OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST BY SUNDAY NIGHT...NEBRASKA WILL BE SITTING
UNDER NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE TROUGH THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING. CURRENTLY IT LOOKS AS IF ANY SHORT WAVES IN THE LOW
WILL STAY NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.

.LONG TERM...TUESDAY AND BEYOND. PRIMARY CONCERNS IN EXTENDED
PERIODS ARE TEMPERATURES AND SMALL PCPN CHANCES.

GFSX/ECMWF IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT W/RT TO UPPER AND SFC PATTERN IN
THE EXTENDED PERIODS. SRN EXTENT OF NEGATIVELY TILTED TROF WRAPS UP
INTO AN UPPER LOW OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST BY EARLY TUE...THEN SWINGS
SE TUE THRU WED. AT THE SFC...FA COMES UNDER INCREASING INFLUENCE OF
SFC HIGH PRESS THAT WILL SLIP IN FROM THE NW. BULK OF PCPN ASSOCD W/
UPPER LOW SHLD STAY NE OF FORECAST AREA...AND HAVE MAINTAINED GOING
DRY FCST.  LITTLE IN THE WAY OF TEMP DIFFERENCE XPCD TUE TO
WED...WITH PERHAPS A SLIGHT INCREASE WED AS UPPER LOW HEADS E AND
UPPER HEIGHTS BEGIN TO RISE LATE IN THE DAY.

HEIGHT RISES CONTINUE ON THU...W/ LEE TROF DEVELOPING AND RETURN
SRLY FLOW SETTING UP...WHICH PERSISTS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
EXTENDED. SOME POTENTIAL FOR NOCTURNAL CONVECTION W/ INFLUX OF
RICHER LL MOISTURE AMID WAA REGIME THU AND FRI NIGHT...BUT AT THIS
TIME WILL LEAVE DRY FCST ALONE.

AS FOR TEMPS...DID NOT STRAY TOO FAR FROM OPERATIONAL MEX GUIDANCE
CONSIDERING POTENTIAL PCPN AND LINGERING DAYTIME CLDS...THOUGH 850MB
VALUES MAY SUPPORT AN INCREASE FRI/SAT...WHICH OTHERWISE LOOK TO BE
GOOD MIXING DAYS.
&&

.GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...NONE.
KS...NONE.

&&

EFFECTIVE JUNE 8 2004 THIS PRODUCT WILL HAVE THE ID CHANGED FROM
OMAAFDGRI...TO OMAAFDGID. FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUT
THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS/USE LOWER CASE LETTERS:
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/PUBLIC/WMOHEADERS/CRPHASE1.HTM

NELSON/VII

Hazardous weather outlook, May 29, 11:23 AM CDT, 8 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1123 AM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-301200-
ADAMS-BUFFALO-CLAY-DAWSON-FILLMORE-FRANKLIN-FURNAS-GOSPER-GREELEY-
HALL-HAMILTON-HARLAN-HOWARD-JEWELL-KEARNEY-MERRICK-MITCHELL-NANCE-
NUCKOLLS-OSBORNE-PHELPS-PHILLIPS-POLK-ROOKS-SHERMAN-SMITH-THAYER-
VALLEY-WEBSTER-YORK-
1123 AM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

...A MAJOR OUTBREAK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING...

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR
ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.  A VOLATILE
WEATHER SITUATION IS EXPECTED TO UNFOLD BY EVENING AS ATMOSPHERIC
CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT...LARGE HAIL THE
SIZE OF BASEBALLS...AND THUNDERSTORM WINDS OF 75 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INITIATE ALONG A COLD FRONT AFTER
2 PM JUST WEST OF A LINE FROM ORD TO CAMBRIDGE NEBRASKA...AND ALSO
ALONG THE DRY LINE JUST TO THE WEST OF A LINE FROM PHILLIPSBURG TO
PLAINVILLE KANSAS...WHILE A STRONG UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES
OUT OF THE ROCKIES.  THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REACH LOCATIONS FROM
GREELEY TO PHILLIPSBURG BETWEEN 3 AND 5 PM AS THE COLD FRONT AND DRY
LINE ADVANCE.  THE BOUNDARIES WILL CLASH WITH THE MOIST AND HIGHLY
UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL
KANSAS. INDIVIDUAL STORMS WILL RAPIDLY BECOME SEVERE AND TRACK
NORTHEAST AROUND 35 MPH...WHILE THE ENTIRE AREA OF STORMS MOVE EAST.

A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORNADOES EXISTS
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  ENSURE STORM SHELTERS ARE PREPARED WITH
FLASHLIGHTS...BATTERY OPERATED RADIOS AND EMERGENCY SUPPLIES.

ALSO A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM FOR STRONG SOUTH WINDS
OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND READY
FOR ACTIVATION.

&&

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING URL:

HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/GID (ALL LOWER CASE)

FAY/NELSON

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 29, 6:36 PM CDT, 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
636 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0622 PM     HAIL             CLARKS                  41.22N 97.84W
05/29/2004  1.00 INCH        MERRICK            NE   PUBLIC

            NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL OCCURRED.

&&

SJC

Local storm report, May 29, 6:56 PM CDT, 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
656 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0555 PM     HAIL             COZAD                   40.86N 99.99W
05/29/2004  1.00 INCH        DAWSON             NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            REPORTED ON BUFFALO ROAD WEST OF HIGHWAY 21.

&&

SJC

Local storm report, May 29, 7:03 PM CDT, 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
703 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0640 PM     HAIL             GENOA                   41.45N 97.73W
05/29/2004  1.25 INCH        NANCE              NE   CO-OP OBSERVER

            POWER LINES DOWN BY GENOA AIRPORT. TREES STRIPPED OF
            LEAVES BY HAIL WHICH LASTED FROM 640 PM TO 645 PM.

&&

SJC

Local storm report, May 29, 7:08 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
708 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0705 PM     HAIL             4 N LITCHFIELD          41.21N 99.15W
05/29/2004  1.00 INCH        SHERMAN            NE   PUBLIC

            REPORTED 4 MILES NORTH AND 2 MILES EAST OF LITCHFIELD.

&&

SJC

Local storm report, May 29, 7:15 PM CDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
715 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0505 PM     HAIL             SUPERIOR                40.02N 98.07W
05/29/2004  0.75 INCH        NUCKOLLS           NE   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

SJC

Local storm report, May 29, 7:21 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
721 PM CDT SAT MAY 29 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0721 PM     HAIL             DANNEBROG               41.12N 98.55W
05/29/2004  0.88 INCH        HOWARD             NE   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            PEA TO NICKEL SIZED HAIL OCCURRED.

&&

SJC

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 29, 7:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Thayer	60 min
May 29, 7:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Furnas	65 min
May 29, 7:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Hall	36 min
May 29, 7:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Gosper	66 min
May 29, 7:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Dawson	60 min
May 29, 8:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Thayer	57 min
May 29, 8:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Buffalo, Phelps	55 min
May 29, 8:46 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	GID	Thayer	6 hr
May 29, 8:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Sherman	58 min
May 29, 8:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Kearney	55 min
May 29, 8:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Nuckolls, Webster	64 min
May 29, 8:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Franklin	31 min
May 29, 9:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Adams, Hall, Howard	58 min
May 29, 9:07 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	GID	Greeley, Howard, Sherman	6 hr
May 29, 9:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GID	Adams, Hall	52 min
May 29, 9:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Buffalo	57 min
May 29, 9:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Clay, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance	65 min
May 29, 9:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Greeley, Sherman, Valley	64 min
May 29, 9:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Howard	39 min
May 29, 9:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Nuckolls, Thayer	67 min
May 29, 10:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GID	Fillmore, Polk, York	60 min
May 29, 10:06 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	GID	Nance	6 hr
May 29, 10:13 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	GID	Merrick	6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 2004 Every tornado warning in 2004 Tornadoes in 2004

Sources

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