Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Hastings, NE

May 12, 2011Hamilton County, Merrick County, Nebraska

NWS Hastings, NE issued this tornado warning at May 12, 2011, 5:11 PM CDT for Hamilton County, Merrick County, Nebraska. It was in force for 34 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, 2011, 5:11 PM CDT (22:11 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 2011, 5:45 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Hastings, NE
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Hamilton County, NE, Merrick County, NE

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:14 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
May 12, 5:25 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD1 E Aurora, NETRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD 1 MILE EAST OF AURORA.
May 12, 5:37 PM CDTHAIL 17 Sw Chapman, NEDIME TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

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
May 12, 2:37 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 155 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, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2011-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 353 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, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 2011-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 40 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
353 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-73 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
759 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
40 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
82 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

527 
WFUS53 KGID 122211
TORGID
NEC081-121-122245-
/O.NEW.KGID.TO.W.0015.110512T2211Z-110512T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
511 PM CDT THU MAY 12 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HASTINGS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HAMILTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...
  SOUTHWESTERN MERRICK COUNTY IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

* UNTIL 545 PM CDT

* AT 504 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTH OF AURORA...OR 21 MILES WEST OF
  YORK...AND MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH.

  ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO LOCATED ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS 
  OF HAMILTON COUNTY THAT COULD ALSO PRODUCE A TORNADO.  SEVERAL
  REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS AND TORNADOES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED ACROSS   
  THE AREA.     

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  AURORA...HAMPTON...PHILLIPS...MARQUETTE...CHAPMAN AND CENTRAL CITY.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 80 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 318 AND 338.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4070 9812 4070 9815 4083 9828 4099 9828
      4115 9794 4073 9785
TIME...MOT...LOC 2209Z 176DEG 12KT 4081 9799
HAIL 1.00IN

$$
1 follow-up statement
743 
WWUS53 KGID 122232 RRA
SVSGID

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
532 PM CDT THU MAY 12 2011

NEC081-121-122245-
/O.CON.KGID.TO.W.0015.000000T0000Z-110512T2245Z/
HAMILTON NE-MERRICK NE-
532 PM CDT THU MAY 12 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN MERRICK AND
NORTHERN HAMILTON COUNTIES UNTIL 545 PM CDT...

AT 528 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD.  A
TORNADO MAY DEVELOP AT ANY TIME. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
NEAR AURORA...OR 19 MILES EAST OF GRAND ISLAND...MOVING NORTH AT 15
MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MARQUETTE...CHAPMAN...PHILLIPS AND CENTRAL CITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4084 9788 4083 9807 4081 9823 4081 9826
      4083 9828 4099 9828 4115 9794
TIME...MOT...LOC 2233Z 172DEG 12KT 4088 9801
HAIL <.75IN

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 2:28 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDFurnas32 min
May 12, 2:49 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDSherman26 min
May 12, 2:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDSherman36 min
May 12, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Sherman32 min
May 12, 3:46 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDBuffalo44 min
May 12, 3:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Sherman34 min
May 12, 3:57 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDBuffalo, Sherman33 min
May 12, 4:05 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDHoward25 min
May 12, 4:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHall, Hamilton, Howard, Merrick, Polk, York39 min
May 12, 4:25 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGIDSherman79 min
May 12, 4:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Sherman48 min
May 12, 4:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFranklin, Webster38 min
May 12, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDClay, Hamilton46 min
May 12, 4:50 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDHamilton, Merrick25 min
May 12, 4:53 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDHamilton, Merrick, Polk, York37 min
May 12, 4:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDFillmore, York51 min
May 12, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHall, Howard, Merrick46 min
May 12, 4:59 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDFillmore, Hamilton, York31 min
May 12, 5:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDBuffalo, Sherman51 min
May 12, 5:14 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDWebster31 min
May 12, 5:19 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDPhelps41 min
May 12, 5:20 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDHall, Hamilton, Howard, Merrick, Polk, York40 min
May 12, 5:24 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningGIDHall, Howard, Merrick6 hr
May 12, 5:40 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningGIDSherman6 hr
May 12, 5:50 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDHamilton, Polk, York40 min
May 12, 5:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHall, Hamilton, Howard, Merrick41 min
May 12, 6:06 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDKearney39 min
May 12, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDKearney32 min
May 12, 6:20 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDAdams25 min
May 12, 6:24 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningGIDHamilton, Polk, York6 hr
May 12, 6:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDHamilton, Merrick, Nance, Polk, York51 min
May 12, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGIDNuckolls46 min
May 12, 6:37 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementGIDFillmore38 min
May 12, 6:56 PM CDTTornado WarningGIDPolk34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes in 2011

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.