Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 5, NWS North Platte, NE

May 12, 2009Hooker County, Thomas County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this tornado warning at May 12, 2009, 6:28 PM MDT for Hooker County, Thomas County, Nebraska. It was in force for 47 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: May 12, 2009, 6:28 PM MDT (00:28 UTC)
Expired: May 12, 2009, 7:15 PM MDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS North Platte, NE
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Hooker County, NE, Thomas County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 12 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:31 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	Remark
May 12, 6:34 PM MDT	HAIL 1.75	15 S Mullen, NE	A FEW QUARTER AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL STONES WERE REPORTED IN THE VICINITY OF A DISSIPATED TORNADO NEAR HIGHWAY 97 AND THE DISMAL RIVER.
May 12, 6:34 PM MDT	TORNADO	15 S Mullen, NE	A TORNADO HAS DISSIPATED 1 MILE WEST OF HIGHWAY 97 AT THE DISMAL RIVER CROSSING.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 12, 6:08 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 87 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: 276 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -348 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1901 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 57 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 177 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 130028
TORLBF
NEC091-171-130115-
/O.NEW.KLBF.TO.W.0005.090513T0028Z-090513T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
728 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTH PLATTE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL THOMAS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF THEDFORD...
  SOUTHEASTERN HOOKER COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT/715 PM MDT/

* AT 627 PM MDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR
  HIGHWAY 97 CROSSING THE DISMAL RIVER...OR 15 MILES SOUTH OF
  MULLEN...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  HIGHWAY 83 CROSSING THE DISMAL RIVER BY 815 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT
WEDNESDAY MORNING/MIDNIGHT MDT WEDNESDAY MORNING/ FOR WESTERN
NEBRASKA.

&&

LAT...LON 4204 10033 4175 10046 4176 10120 4197 10120
TIME...MOT...LOC 0028Z 270DEG 33KT 4182 10108

$$

BUTTLER

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS53 KLBF 130052
SVSLBF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
752 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 2009

NEC091-171-130115-
/O.CON.KLBF.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-090513T0115Z/
THOMAS NE-HOOKER NE-
752 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM CDT/715 PM MDT/
FOR SOUTHEASTERN HOOKER AND THOMAS COUNTIES...

AT 630 PM MDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO.  THE 
STORM THAT PRODUCED THE TORNADO WAS LOCATED 8 MILES EAST OF HIGHWAY 
97 MILE MARKER 50...OR 18 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THEDFORD...MOVING EAST 
AT 40 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  HIGHWAY 83 CROSSING THE DISMAL RIVER AND HIGHWAY 83 MILE MARKER 140
  BY 810 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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. 

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT 
WEDNESDAY MORNING/MIDNIGHT MDT WEDNESDAY MORNING/ FOR WESTERN 
NEBRASKA.

&&

LAT...LON 4204 10033 4175 10046 4176 10120 4197 10120
TIME...MOT...LOC 0051Z 270DEG 33KT 4182 10079

$$

DDB

000 
WWUS53 KLBF 130113
SVSLBF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
813 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 2009

NEC091-171-130121-
/O.EXP.KLBF.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-090513T0115Z/
THOMAS NE-HOOKER NE-
813 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN HOOKER AND THOMAS COUNTIES
WILL EXPIRE AT 815 PM CDT/715 PM MDT/...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTH PLATTE WILL ALLOW THE TORNADO 
WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN HOOKER AND THOMAS COUNTIES TO EXPIRE.  THE 
STORM THAT PRODUCED A TORNADO IN HOOKER COUNTY HAS DIMINISHED 
SIGNIFICANTLY AND NO LONGER CONTAINS A TORNADO THREAT.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT
WEDNESDAY MORNING/MIDNIGHT MDT WEDNESDAY MORNING/ FOR WESTERN
NEBRASKA.

LAT...LON 4204 10033 4175 10046 4176 10120 4197 10120
TIME...MOT...LOC 0111Z 270DEG 33KT 4182 10055

$$

DDB

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 12, 9:45 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Cherry	45 min
May 12, 10:31 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Lincoln	44 min
May 12, 10:38 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Logan, McPherson	52 min
May 12, 10:40 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Hooker, McPherson, Thomas	24 min
May 12, 11:01 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Brown, Rock	22 min
May 12, 11:13 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Lincoln	32 min
May 12, 11:36 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Blaine, Brown, Loup, Rock	39 min
May 12, 11:47 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Custer	43 min
May 13, 12:26 AM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LBF	Custer	49 min
May 13, 2:29 PM MDT	Frost Advisory	LBF	Arthur, Chase, Cherry, Deuel, Frontier, Garden and 8 more	17 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes in 2009

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.