Alert archive / Kansas / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 71, NWS Hastings, NE

July 7, 2004Smith County, Kansas

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at Jul 7, 2004, 6:30 PM CDT for Smith County, Kansas. It was in force for 45 min. 2 reports 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
Jul 7, 2004, 6:30 PM CDT (23:30 UTC)
Expired
Jul 7, 2004, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Smith County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:33 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 7, 6:32 PM CDTHAIL 16 W Cedar, KS
Jul 7, 6:32 PM CDTHAIL 16 W Cedar, KS

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

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 7, 2:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 208 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 2004-07-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 70 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 2004-07-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 298 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
70 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-302 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1096 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
298 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
374 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KGID 072330
TORGID
KSC183-080015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
630 PM CDT WED JUL 7 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT

* AT 628 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO
  WAS LOCATED 7 MILES WEST OF CEDAR...OR ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  PHILLIPSBURG...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  CEDAR AROUND 645 PM CDT...
  SMITH CENTER AROUND 650 PM CDT...
  BELLAIRE AROUND 700 PM CDT...
  GAYLORD AROUND 705 PM CDT...
  HARLAN AROUND 715 PM CDT...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLF 
BALL SIZE HAIL AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

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 3999 9905 3957 9905 3958 9851 3999 9851

$$

NELSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 7, 1:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell61 min
Jul 7, 2:16 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDJewell59 min
Jul 7, 3:12 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDJewell, Mitchell63 min
Jul 7, 3:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell, Smith62 min
Jul 7, 4:09 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningGIDJewell3 hr
Jul 7, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDJewell, Mitchell, Osborne62 min
Jul 7, 4:50 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningGIDMitchell6 hr
Jul 7, 5:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDSmith68 min
Jul 7, 5:29 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDSmith61 min
Jul 7, 5:38 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningGIDOsborne6 hr
Jul 7, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDMitchell, Osborne59 min
Jul 7, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDRooks31 min
Jul 7, 6:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDPhillips56 min
Jul 7, 6:19 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDPhillips41 min
Jul 7, 6:26 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDOsborne49 min
Jul 7, 6:43 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDRooks47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kansas, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes 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.