Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 53, NWS North Platte, NE

July 12, 2004Boyd County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this tornado warning at Jul 12, 2004, 4:08 PM CDT for Boyd County, Nebraska. It was in force for 52 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 12, 2004, 4:08 PM CDT (21:08 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 2004, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Boyd County, NE

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 177 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:08 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 12, 4:42 PM CDTHAIL 11 E Gross, NE
Jul 12, 4:42 PM CDTHAIL 11 E Gross, NE

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 12, 3:25 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 225 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 2004-07-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 12 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 2004-07-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -106 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
12 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-517 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2141 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-106 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
109 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.

000 
WFUS53 KLBF 122108
TORLBF
NEC015-122200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
407 PM CDT MON JUL 12 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTH PLATTE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  BOYD COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 500 PM CDT

* AT 359 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 10 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF GROSS...OR ABOUT 13 MILES NORTH OF SPENCER...MOVING 
  SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.  THIS WARNING IS AN UPGRADE FROM THE PREVIOUS 
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  GROSS AROUND 425 PM CDT
  8 MILES NORTHEAST OF BRISTOW AROUND 440 PM CDT
  LYNCH AROUND 450 PM CDT

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
BASEBALL 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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT MONDAY EVENING FOR
NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA.

LAT...LON 4298 9904 4293 9910 4282 9871 4278 9850
      4279 9834 4287 9833 4297 9850

$$

CDC

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 12, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFBoyd60 min
Jul 12, 4:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFHolt63 min
Jul 12, 4:58 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFBoyd62 min
Jul 12, 5:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFHolt64 min
Jul 12, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFBoyd61 min
Jul 12, 6:18 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFHolt42 min
Jul 12, 6:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFWheeler65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 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.