Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Watches in 2021

Tornado Watch 404

July 30, 202121 counties in Nebraska

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jul 30, 2021, 4:04 PM CDT for 21 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 30, 2021, 4:04 PM CDT (21:04 UTC)
Expired
Jul 30, 2021, 9:52 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
2 in
Strongest gust expected
65 kt
All 21 counties

Blaine County, NE, Brown County, NE, Buffalo County, NE, Cherry County, NE, Custer County, NE, Dawson County, NE, Garfield County, NE, Greeley County, NE, Hall County, NE, Holt County, NE, Hooker County, NE, Howard County, NE, Lincoln County, NE, Logan County, NE, Loup County, NE, McPherson County, NE, Rock County, NE, Sherman County, NE, Thomas County, NE, Valley County, NE, Wheeler County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:04 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
30%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
10%
Ten or more severe wind reports
30%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
30%
Ten or more severe hail reports
30%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
30%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
60%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 30, 6:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFBlaine, Custer, Logan, Thomas40 min
Jul 30, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFLogan, McPherson, Thomas43 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

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 109 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2021-07-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1419 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, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 12:00Z on 2021-07-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 154 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1419 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-169 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1255 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
154 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

994 
WWUS20 KWNS 302059
SEL4  
SPC WW 302059
NEZ000-310300-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 404
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
400 PM CDT Fri Jul 30 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Central Nebraska

* Effective this Friday afternoon and evening from 400 PM until
  1000 PM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Isolated significant damaging wind gusts to 75 mph possible
  Isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible

SUMMARY...A couple supercells should develop across central
Nebraska. While low-level flow is modest, veering of the wind
profile with height in conjunction with rich boundary-layer moisture
will foster a risk for a couple tornadoes. Upscale growth into a
cluster is likely later this evening.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 55 statute miles
north and south of a line from 15 miles west northwest of Mullen NE
to 45 miles east southeast of Burwell NE. For a complete depiction
of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS
WOU4).

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 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 550. Mean
storm motion vector 29020.

...Grams

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 30, 3:24 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Arthur, Blaine, Boone, Buffalo, Clay and 22 more2 hr
Jul 30, 6:31 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlaine, Brown, Cherry, Custer, Garfield, Greeley and 11 more89 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 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.