Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 66, NWS Omaha, NE

June 12, 2004Lancaster County, Nebraska

NWS Omaha, NE issued this tornado warning at Jun 12, 2004, 4:32 PM CDT for Lancaster County, Nebraska. It was in force for 58 min. 8 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: Jun 12, 2004, 4:32 PM CDT (21:32 UTC)
Expired: Jun 12, 2004, 5:30 PM CDT
In force: 58 min
Issued by: NWS Omaha, NE
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Lancaster County, NE

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:31 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
Jun 12, 5:01 PM CDT	HAIL 1	4 Nw Hallam, NE
Jun 12, 5:09 PM CDT	HAIL 1	5 S Denton, NE
Jun 12, 5:19 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 60	1 Nw Sprague, NE
Jun 12, 5:24 PM CDT	HAIL 1	1 N Hallam, NE
Jun 12, 5:25 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	3 S Sprague, NE
Jun 12, 5:26 PM CDT	HAIL 1.25	5 Ese Crete, NE
Jun 12, 5:28 PM CDT	HAIL 1	4 Se Crete, NE
Jun 12, 5:38 PM CDT	HAIL 1	1 N Hickman, NE

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
Jun 12, 11:45 AM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 83 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: 232 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -305 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2084 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 18 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

829 
WFUS53 KOAX 122132
TOROAX
NEC109-122230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
431 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LANCASTER COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA

* UNTIL 530 PM CDT

* AT 427 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE STORM WITH A POSSIBLE
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS LOCATED 8 MILES
  WEST OF HALLAM...OR ABOUT 19 MILES NORTHWEST OF BEATRICE...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  HALLAM
  SPRAGUE...FIRTH
  ROCA...HICKMAN

LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A ROTATING WALL CLOUD OVER WILBER IN SALINE 
COUNTY.  THIS STORM WAS MOVING INTO SOUTHERN LANCASTER COUNTY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...GO TO A BASEMENT. IF A BASEMENT
IS NOT AVAILABLE...TAKE COVER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST LEVEL
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. AVOID WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 4069 9691 4052 9691 4054 9658 4076 9657

$$

DEWALD

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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jun 12, 2:17 PM CDT, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 12, 2:17 PM CDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
217 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

.DISCUSSION...
BRIEF DISCUSSION THIS AFTERNOON WITH SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE CWA.

ATMOSPHERE IS DESTABILIZING RAPIDLY...PARTICULARLY ACROSS SOUTHER
SECTIONS OF THE CWA. MSAS SBCAPES OVER NRN KS WERE OVER 4000
J/KG WITH LIS PUSHING -13. A CLUSTER OF STORMS HAVE BROKEN OUT OVER
THE CWA AND WAS PUSHING EAST/NORTHEAST. A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY
FROM SRN MN INTO SERN NEB AND NRN KS IS THE DIVIDING LINE FOR AN
UNSTABLE AIR MASS. WEAK MLCINH AND FAVORABLE LSI VALUES INDICATE NO
SIGNIFICANT CAPPING PRESENT TO HAMPER STORM DEVELOPMENT. ALSO...
MOIST SOUTHERLY WINDS SOUTH OF THE FRONT HELPING TO ENHANCE
CURRENTLY ACTIVE STORMS.

SHORT TERM CONCERNS ARE FOR MORE STORMS THIS EVENING. LATEST SPC DAY
1 SHOWS SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA IN THE MODERATE RISK. THE
MODELS ARE SHOWING A FEW EMBEDDED SHORT WAVES MOVING THRU THE FLOW
OF THE NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS BROAD TROF WHICH SHOULD HELP ENHANCE
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY...ALBEIT MAINLY SOUTH WERE HIGH LEVEL OF
INSTABILITY AND MOISTURE REMAIN. THEREFORE WILL COVER SOUTHERN
SECTIONS...MAINLY SOUTH OF I-80...HEAVILY WITH POPS AND SMALL POPS
ELSEWHERE. FOR SUNDAY...THE UPPER LEVEL TROF AXIS MOVES EAST OF THE
AREA...TAKING PCPN CHANCES WITH IT. HOWEVER...WILL KEEP SOME SLGT
POPS IN PLACE OVER ERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA FOR ANY EXITING
ACTIVITY.

IN THE EXTENDED PERIODS...PCPN CHANCES RETURN MONDAY AND CONTINUE
THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THE ETA ADVERTISES LOW LEVEL QG-
FRONTOGENETIC FORCING OVER THE CWA AS DEEP LAYER OMEGA VALUES
INCREASE THRU THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. GOING POP
FCST SEEM REASONABLE AT THE MOMENT. FOR TUESDAY AND BEYOND...PCPN
CHANCES WILL BE DETERMINED BY LOW LEVEL BOUNDARY LOCATION.
CONFIDENT RATHER LOW GIVEN EXTENDED MODEL DIFFERENCES.

 &&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...NONE.
IA...NONE.

&&

DEE

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 12, 11:36 AM CDT, 4 hours 56 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
1136 AM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

IAZ043-055-056-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-122300-
ANTELOPE-BOONE-BURT-CEDAR-COLFAX-CUMING-DODGE-HARRISON IA-KNOX-
MADISON-MONONA IA-PIERCE-PLATTE-SHELBY IA-STANTON-THURSTON-
WASHINGTON-WAYNE-
1136 AM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT.
SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING
WITH HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN HAZARD.

LOW PRESSURE OVER KANSAS AND A WARM FRONT IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA WILL
BRING WARM AND MOIST AIR BACK NORTH INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA AND
SOUTHWEST IOWA.  STRONG INSTABILITY AND AN UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCE MOVING INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA WILL HELP CAUSE THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AND AGAIN
THURSDAY.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL LIKELY BE FROM LATE AFTERNOON
THROUGH LATE EVENING. SEVERE STORMS...AGAIN WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS...WILL BE POSSIBLE BOTH LATE SUNDAY AND LATE MONDAY.
LATER HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
REGARDING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY LATER NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED FROM THIS AFTERNOON
INTO LATE EVENING.

IAZ069-079-080-090-091-NEZ050>053-065>068-078-088>093-122300-
BUTLER-CASS-DOUGLAS-FREMONT IA-GAGE-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LANCASTER-
MILLS IA-MONTGOMERY IA-NEMAHA-OTOE-PAGE IA-PAWNEE-POTTAWATTAMIE IA-
RICHARDSON-SALINE-SARPY-SAUNDERS-SEWARD-
1136 AM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALL AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.  LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREATS...BUT
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. HEAVY RAIN COULD ALSO ACCOMPANY THE
STRONGER STORMS.

VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS HAVE DEVELOPED AS WARM MOIST AIR MOVES
NORTH INTO THE REGION FROM KANSAS AND MISSOURI.  STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED EARLY...AND STORMS ARE LIKELY TO
CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING.

DUE TO THE EARLY AND RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS...
A CONFERENCE CALL WILL NOT BE SCHEDULED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AND AGAIN
THURSDAY.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL LIKELY BE FROM LATE AFTERNOON
THROUGH LATE EVENING. SEVERE STORMS...AGAIN WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS...WILL BE POSSIBLE BOTH LATE SUNDAY AND LATE MONDAY.
LATER HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
REGARDING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY LATER NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR IMMEDIATE ACTIVATION THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

POLLACK

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 12, 3:14 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
314 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

0310 PM     HAIL             OMAHA                   41.26N 96.01W
06/12/2004  0.88 INCH        DOUGLAS            NE   AMATEUR RADIO

            178TH AND CENTER

&&

TFL

Local storm report, Jun 12, 3:58 PM CDT, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
358 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

0329 PM     HAIL             OMAHA                   41.26N 96.01W
06/12/2004  0.88 INCH        DOUGLAS            NE   AMATEUR RADIO

            ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY EIGHTH AND MAPLE STREETS IN OMAHA.

&&

JB

Local storm report, Jun 12, 4:05 PM CDT, 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
405 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

0359 PM     HAIL             3 E WAHOO               41.22N 96.56W
06/12/2004  0.88 INCH        SAUNDERS           NE   PUBLIC

&&

JB

Local storm report, Jun 12, 4:08 PM CDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
408 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

0405 PM     HAIL             OAKDALE                 42.07N 97.97W
06/12/2004  1.00 INCH        ANTELOPE           NE   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

JB

Local storm report, Jun 12, 4:14 PM CDT, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
414 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

0409 PM     HAIL             GRETNA                  41.14N 96.24W
06/12/2004  1.00 INCH        SARPY              NE   STORM CHASER

&&

JB

Local storm report, Jun 12, 4:16 PM CDT, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
416 PM CDT SAT JUN 12 2004

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

0409 PM     HAIL             4 SW DORCHESTER         40.61N 97.17W
06/12/2004  1.00 INCH        SALINE             NE   EMERGENCY MNGR

&&

JB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 12, 10:54 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saline	51 min
Jun 12, 11:45 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saline	45 min
Jun 12, 12:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Gage, Lancaster	47 min
Jun 12, 12:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saunders	30 min
Jun 12, 12:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Saunders	35 min
Jun 12, 12:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Dodge, Saunders, Washington	56 min
Jun 12, 12:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Cass, Douglas, Sarpy	36 min
Jun 12, 12:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Gage	41 min
Jun 12, 12:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Johnson, Otoe	67 min
Jun 12, 12:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Lancaster	46 min
Jun 12, 1:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Cass	31 min
Jun 12, 2:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Sarpy, Saunders	42 min
Jun 12, 2:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saline	43 min
Jun 12, 2:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Seward	41 min
Jun 12, 2:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saunders	47 min
Jun 12, 3:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Douglas	31 min
Jun 12, 3:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saline	45 min
Jun 12, 3:17 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OAX	Saline	6 hr
Jun 12, 3:19 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Saline	41 min
Jun 12, 3:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Douglas, Saunders	31 min
Jun 12, 3:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Saline	62 min
Jun 12, 3:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Butler	31 min
Jun 12, 4:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Sarpy	29 min
Jun 12, 4:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Antelope	25 min
Jun 12, 4:13 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OAX	Douglas	6 hr
Jun 12, 4:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Douglas	31 min
Jun 12, 4:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Antelope	40 min
Jun 12, 4:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Boone	38 min
Jun 12, 4:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Sarpy	31 min
Jun 12, 4:33 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OAX	Sarpy	6 hr
Jun 12, 4:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Saline	46 min
Jun 12, 5:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Boone	35 min
Jun 12, 5:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Otoe	40 min
Jun 12, 5:25 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OAX	Lancaster	4 hr
Jun 12, 5:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OAX	Lancaster	45 min
Jun 12, 5:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Saline	44 min
Jun 12, 5:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Gage	56 min
Jun 12, 5:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Cass, Otoe	47 min
Jun 12, 6:17 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OAX	Gage	3 hr
Jun 12, 6:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OAX	Johnson, Pawnee	56 min

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.