Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Watches in 2021

Tornado Watch 196

May 23, 20214 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 23, 2021, 12:06 PM MDT for 4 states. It was in force for 8 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 23, 2021, 12:06 PM MDT (18:06 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 2021, 8:00 PM MDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
3 in
Strongest gust expected
65 kt
All 42 counties

Adams County, CO, Arapahoe County, CO, Cheyenne County, CO, Crowley County, CO, Denver County, CO, El Paso County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Kit Carson County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Logan County, CO, Morgan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Washington County, CO, Weld County, CO, Yuma County, CO, Cheyenne County, KS, Greeley County, KS, Sherman County, KS, Wallace County, KS, Arthur County, NE, Banner County, NE, Box Butte County, NE, Chase County, NE, Cherry County, NE, Cheyenne County, NE, Dawes County, NE, Deuel County, NE, Dundy County, NE, Garden County, NE, Grant County, NE, Keith County, NE, Kimball County, NE, Morrill County, NE, Perkins County, NE, Scotts Bluff County, NE, Sheridan County, NE, Sioux County, NE, Goshen County, WY, Laramie County, WY, Niobrara County, WY

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:05 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
50%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
40%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
30%
Ten or more severe hail reports
70%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
50%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
90%

Warnings issued inside it

49 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 12:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso, Pueblo33 min
May 23, 12:26 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBEl Paso, Pueblo34 min
May 23, 12:40 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln19 min
May 23, 12:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso32 min
May 23, 12:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln40 min
May 23, 1:24 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln36 min
May 23, 1:35 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSGoshen, Platte29 min
May 23, 1:47 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUArapahoe, Elbert, Lincoln, Washington28 min
May 23, 1:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSGoshen, Niobrara, Platte19 min
May 23, 2:03 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSGoshen, Laramie42 min
May 23, 2:13 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington32 min
May 23, 2:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSScotts Bluff, Sioux24 min
May 23, 2:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Washington31 min
May 23, 2:55 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington20 min
May 23, 3:11 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULogan, Washington34 min
May 23, 3:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Elbert, Lincoln, Washington46 min
May 23, 3:42 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULogan33 min
May 23, 4:10 PM MDTTornado Warning Tornado observedConsiderable damage threatBOULogan20 min
May 23, 4:22 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningCYSCheyenne38 min
May 23, 4:27 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULogan23 min
May 23, 4:31 PM MDTTornado Warning Considerable damage threatCYSCheyenne44 min
May 23, 4:33 PM MDTTornado WarningLBFDeuel, Garden42 min
May 23, 4:43 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington17 min
May 23, 4:58 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington17 min
May 23, 5:01 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne, Kit Carson29 min
May 23, 5:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFDeuel, Garden, Grant51 min
May 23, 5:13 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Phillips, Washington32 min
May 23, 5:21 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDCheyenne, Kit Carson24 min
May 23, 5:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDYuma34 min
May 23, 5:31 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington14 min
May 23, 5:48 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCherry, Garden, Grant, Sheridan42 min
May 23, 5:57 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDYuma33 min
May 23, 5:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne, Kit Carson61 min
May 23, 6:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFArthur, Garden, Grant, Keith45 min
May 23, 6:01 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDYuma29 min
May 23, 6:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFDeuel, Keith, Perkins42 min
May 23, 6:19 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUPhillips, Sedgwick41 min
May 23, 6:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCherry, Grant, Sheridan49 min
May 23, 6:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDYuma48 min
May 23, 6:36 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson39 min
May 23, 6:39 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFArthur, Cherry, Grant, Hooker, McPherson51 min
May 23, 6:49 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBKiowa26 min
May 23, 6:57 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFChase, Keith, Perkins63 min
May 23, 6:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFCherry46 min
May 23, 7:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBent, Kiowa36 min
May 23, 7:10 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne, Kit Carson50 min
May 23, 7:25 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson, Yuma50 min
May 23, 7:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBent, Kiowa, Prowers29 min
May 23, 7:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne, Kit Carson55 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 42 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2021-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2021-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 73 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1106 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
73 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.

241 
WWUS20 KWNS 231803
SEL6  
SPC WW 231803
COZ000-KSZ000-NEZ000-WYZ000-240200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 196
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1205 PM MDT Sun May 23 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Northeast/East-Central Colorado
  Northwest Kansas
  Western Nebraska
  Southeast Wyoming

* Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 1205 PM until
  800 PM MDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A few tornadoes possible
  Scattered large hail likely with isolated very large hail events
    to 3 inches in diameter possible
  Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 75
    mph possible

SUMMARY...Severe thunderstorms are expected to quickly develop
through early/mid afternoon, initially along the Colorado/southeast
Wyoming Front Range and immediately adjacent High Plains. Supercells
capable of large hail and a few tornadoes can be expected as storms
mature and quickly progress northeastward across the region.
Damaging winds may also become an increasing risk by early evening.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 75 statute miles
east and west of a line from 70 miles south southeast of Limon CO to
15 miles north northwest of Chadron NE. For a complete depiction of
the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS
WOU6).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 3 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
storm motion vector 21035.

...Guyer

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 10:53 AM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert and 6 more2 hr
May 23, 1:57 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCKit Carson, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and 1 more2 hr
May 23, 2:41 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBaca, Bent, Prowers94 min
May 23, 4:07 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaca, Bent, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers7 hr
May 23, 4:37 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCheyenne, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Phillips and 3 more113 min
May 23, 1:50 PM MDTTornado WatchSPCCrook, Weston7 hr
May 23, 5:25 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCNiobrara95 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 2021Tornado Watches in Colorado, 2021Tornado Watches in Kansas, 2021Every tornado watch in 2021

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.