This Tuesday afternoon yielded the first tornado of 2013 in the state of Nebraska, in the form of a weak, brief EF0 landspout photographed by several people as it tracked through extreme southeast Buffalo County between Shelton and Interstate 80. The landspout was associated with a narrow line of rain and snow showers containing only a few embedded lightning strikes as it pushed southeastward…
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.
This Tuesday afternoon yielded the first tornado of 2013 in the state of Nebraska, in the form of a weak, brief EF0 landspout photographed by several people as it tracked through extreme southeast Buffalo County between Shelton and Interstate 80. The landspout was associated with a narrow line of rain and snow showers containing only a few embedded lightning strikes as it pushed southeastward across the area. This event occurred in an unusually cool and dry environment featuring surface temperatures only in the mid-40s and dewpoints in the low-30s. Despite these negative factors, low and mid-level lapse rates were very steep across the area, with 0-3 kilometer values on the order of 9-10 Celsius/kilometer. These steep lapse rates yielded modest surface-based CAPE on the order of 100-250 J/kg, likely just enough to promote weak tornado development. On the synoptic scale aloft, South Central Nebraska was under fairly strong west-northwest flow in the mid-upper levels featuring subtle shortwave troughs, between a deep longwave trough centered over the northern Great Lakes and a ridge building over the western Unites States.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 19, 2:59 PM CST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 359 PM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 357 PM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 MORNING UPPER AIR ANALYSIS INDICATES LONGWAVE TROUGHING OVER THE EASTERN-HALF OF THE CONUS WITH RIDGING OVER THE WEST. NORTHWESTERLY MID AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW PERSISTS OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS AS A RESULT. TROPOSPHERIC FLOW OVER OUR AREA MAXES OUT AT AROUND 120KTS PER 12Z SOUNDING DATA FROM KOAX AND KLBF. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY ALSO INDICATES A SUBTLE MID LEVEL PERTURBATION OVER EASTERN MONTANA...MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST. AT THE SURFACE A TROUGH IS NOTED EXTENDING FROM WESTERN IOWA INTO SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA AND KANSAS...WITH A COLD FRONT ALSO NOTED OVER THE DAKOTAS. THE LOW LEVEL WIND FIELD ACROSS OUR AREA REMAINS FROM THE NORTHWEST AS A RESULT. PROXIMITY SOUNDINGS FROM ACROSS CWA...PER RAP ANALYSIS AND LAPS DATA...SUGGEST VERY STEEP LOW TO MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE IN PLACE...WITH NEARLY DRY ADIABATIC LAPSE RATES NOTED FROM THE SURFACE TO BETWEEN 750MB AND 700MB ACROSS MUCH OF OUR AREA. AS A RESULT...MODEST SBCAPE VALUES ON THE ORDER OF 100-200J/KG ARE IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA. AN EXPANDING CU FIELD AS BEEN NOTED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY ACROSS MUCH OF NEBRASKA AS A RESULT...WITH KUEX AND KLNX SUGGESTING ELEVATED PRECIPITATION HAS RESULTED. SOME OF THIS PRECIPITATION IS MAKING IT TO THE SURFACE IN THE FORM OF RAIN AND GRAUPEL...BOTH OF WHICH WAS OBSERVED AT THE OFFICE BETWEEN 19Z AND 20Z. IN ADDITION...A COUPLE OF CG STRIKES HAVE BEEN DETECTED FROM HALL COUNTY INTO BUFFALO COUNTY WITH SOME OF THE MORE INTENSE CELLS. WITH ANY OMEGA STILL REMAINING WELL NORTHWEST OF OUR AREA OVER THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS...IN THE VICINITY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED MID LEVEL PERTURBATION...IT APPEARS THE CURRENT ACTIVITY IS BEING PROMOTED BY DIABATIC HEATING ALONE. SO...THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH 22Z OR 23Z BEFORE THE LOSS OF DIABATIC HEATING IS REALIZED LATER THIS EVENING. WENT AHEAD WITH ISOLATED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS...ALONG WITH OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING...IN THE FORECAST THROUGH 00Z. THE SAME PROXIMITY SOUNDINGS FROM ACROSS THE CWA ALSO INDICATE VERY DRY LOWER TROPOSPHERIC AIR IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA...THUS RESULTING IN DEEP INVERTED-V SOUNDINGS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA. GIVEN THE ABUNDANT VIRGA NOTED HERE AT THE OFFICE...ALONG WITH THE UPDRAFT STRENGTH NOTED FROM KUEX THROUGH THE PAST HOUR...FELT IT PRUDENT TO INTRODUCE BRIEF WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH IN THE HWO THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE MID LEVEL PERTURBATION...CURRENTLY OVER THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS...IS EXPECTED TO SWEEP OVER OUR AREA TONIGHT. ANY OMEGA IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN WEAK AND WITH NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF LIFT DURING THE SHORT TERM FORECAST PERIOD...DRY CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW. THE PASSAGE OF THE MID LEVEL PERTURBATION WILL ALSO HELP PUSH THE LOW LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE...CURRENTLY OVER THE DAKOTAS...ACROSS OUR AREA TONIGHT. THIS WILL IN TURN ALLOW A COOLER AIRMASS INTO OUR REGION THUS RESULTING IN SOMEWHAT COOLER WEDNESDAY MORNING LOWS WHEN COMPARED TO TUESDAY MORNING. OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE TEENS AND 20S ARE CURRENTLY FORECAST FOR TONIGHT AS A RESULT. THE SURFACE RIDGE IS THEN EXPECTED TO PUSH OFF TO OUR EAST DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY...WITH LOW LEVEL RETURN FLOW AND RESULTANT WARM AIR ADVECTION ALLOWING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON HIGHS TO CLIMB INTO THE 40S AND LOWER 50S FOR MOST LOCATIONS ACROSS THE AREA. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 357 PM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN REVOLVES AROUND A MESSY PATTERN WITH MULTIPLE PRECIPITATION CHANCES DURING THE LATE WORK WEEK/WEEKEND TIME FRAME. STILL EXPECTING THE START OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD TO BE DRY...WITH MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING NORTHWESTERLY FLOW SET UP IN THE UPPER LEVELS ACROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...WITH AN ELONGATED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SPREAD FROM THE NORTHEASTERN CONUS THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES...AND SHORTWAVE RIDGING OVER THE ROCKIES AHEAD OF ANOTHER TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST. AT THE SURFACE...THE CWA SITS BETWEEN A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALONG/JUST EAST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...AND LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES DOWN INTO SERN COLORADO...BRINGING SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS TO THE AREA. AS WE GET INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...STILL SEEING THE MAIN MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH/LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN PLACE TO THE WEST...WITH THE FIRST OF A COUPLE OF DISTURBANCES EJECTED OUT AHEAD OF IT BEGINNING TO AFFECT THE REGION. MAIN CHANGE WITH THE MODELS HAS BEEN WITH MORE AGREEMENT BACKING OFF THE COVERAGE OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE CWA...THERE IS PLENTY OF DRIER AIR TO OVERCOME...AND BETTER CHANCES LOOK TO BE ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA DURING THE DAY ON THURSDAY AS THE MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS SWINGS THROUGH AND FRONTOGENETICAL LIFT INCREASES. REALLY TAPERED BACK POPS...ESP ACROSS THE WRN THIRD OF THE CWA...IT IS POSSIBLE AFTER 12Z THURSDAY SOME WESTERN LOCATIONS MAY NOT SEE MUCH OF ANYTHING. DIDNT WANT TO COMPLETELY PULL POPS YET...WANT TO SEE SOME CONSISTENCY WITH THIS TREND FIRST. DECIDED TO HOLD ON TO THE MIXED PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE SWRN CWA DURING THE EARLY/MID MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY...BUT CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH IN IT OCCURRING. IF PRECIPITATION OCCURS AT ALL IN THAT PART OF THE CWA...CANT COMPLETELY RULE OUT A BRIEF PERIOD OF MORE OF A MIX...BUT NOT EXPECTING IT TO AMOUNT TO MUCH. BUMPED UP HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY ONCE AGAIN WITH MODELS TRENDING TOWARD THE POTENTIAL FOR DRIER CONDITIONS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS...SWRN LOCATIONS COULD REACH INTO THE LOWER/MID 40S. THINK THE NORTHEAST HALF WILL STRUGGLE WITH PRECIP/MORE CLOUD COVER LINGERING LONGER INTO THE DAY. SHOULD SEE A LULL IN THE ACTIVITY LATER IN THE DAY THURSDAY AND INTO THURSDAY EVENING...BUT IT WILL BE A BRIEF BREAK WITH THE NEXT DISTURBANCE TAKING AIM ON THE REGION. MODELS SHOWING THE MAIN TROUGH OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CONUS/NRN ROCKIES TRYING TO EVOLVE INTO A CLOSED CIRCULATION AS ANOTHER 110+KT UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK DIGS INTO THE WEST COAST. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE EJECTED OUT FROM THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO BRING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION TO THE CWA. THERE CONTINUE TO BE SOME SLIGHT DIFFERENCES...BUT MODELS HAVE TRENDED TOWARD MORE AGREEMENT SHOWING THE TIMING COMING DURING THURSDAY NIGHT INTO THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY ON FRIDAY. THINKING THE PRIMARY PRECIPITATION TYPE FOR MOST WILL BE SNOW...BUT CANT RULE OUT MORE OF A RA/SN MIX...MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CWA. LIKE THURSDAY...TRENDED BACK POPS ON FRIDAY...THE BETTER CHANCES COME DURING THE 00-12Z FRIDAY TIME FRAME...WITH VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF POPS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. BECAUSE OF THIS...ALSO BUMPED UP HIGHS ON FRIDAY...WITH MID 30S IN THE NORTHEAST TO LOWER/MID 40S IN THE SOUTHWEST. FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WILL BRING ANOTHER LULL IN THE ACTIVITY...BEFORE FOCUS QUICKLY TURNS TO A STRONGER SYSTEM WHICH WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL TO THE REGION. BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...MODELS HAVE STARTED TO COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT SHOWING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE BORDER OF MONTANA/CANADA...WHILE A PIECE OF ENERGY SWINGING FURTHER SOUTH INTO THE ROCKIES DOES THE SAME...AND ITS THIS SOUTHERN ONE WHICH WILL AFFECT OUR CWA. LIFT WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE ACROSS THE CWA OUT AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT...ALREADY BRINGING PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO MAINLY THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA. THROUGH THE DAYTIME HOURS ON SATURDAY THIS UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH EAST...BRINGING INCREASING PRECIPITATION CHANCES...AND BY 00Z LOOKS TO BE OVER CENTRAL/ERN PORTIONS OF COLORADO. THERE ARE SOME TIMING DIFFERENCES...THE ECMWF/GFS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT...WITH THE GEM A TOUCH SLOWER. WHAT HAPPENS THEN THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS SATURDAY NIGHT AND THEN INTO SUNDAY IS GOING TO DEPEND ULTIMATELY ON THE PATH/TIMING OF THIS UPPER LEVEL LOW. THE TIMING/PATH DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MODELS CONTINUE...BUT THEY ALL BRING MORE WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WITH THE GEM...WHICH IS THE SLOWEST AND MOST WOUND UP SYSTEM COMPARED TO THE ECMWF/GFS...BUT ITS PATH IS SOMEWHAT IN BETWEEN THE TWO...TAKING IT MORE THROUGH CENTRAL KS. THERE ARE PLENTY OF THINGS TO WORK OUT IN THE COMING DAYS...AND EXPECT MODEL CHANGES...BUT THOSE WITH WEEKEND PLANS NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS SYSTEM. AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES GO...EXPECTING HIGHS TO STRUGGLE TO GET OUT OF THE MID 30S BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. LOOKING AHEAD TO MONDAY AND TUESDAY...KEPT THE FORECAST DRY...BUT THE MESSY UPPER LEVEL PATTERN REMAINS. MODELS KEEP THE REGION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A BROAD TROUGH...WITH PIECES OF ENERGY/LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS ROTATING AROUND EACH OTHER. IN THIS PATTERN...CERTAINLY WOULNDT BE SEEING MUCH/IF ANY WARM UP...WITH HIGHS REMAINING IN THE 30S /AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR IS THE LOWER 50S/...AND ITS NOT OUT OF THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY THAT SOME OF THIS ENERGY COULD BRING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION...ESP TUESDAY. BUT AT THIS POINT...WITH THERE ALREADY ENOUGH UNCERTAINTY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WASNT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO GO WITH ANY POPS FOR DAY 7. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAF THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1216 PM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. AFTERNOON CU FIELD WITH BASES NEAR 7000FT AGL ARE EXPECTED TODAY...WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS NEAR 8000FT AGL ALSO EXPECTED THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE SURFACE WIND WILL REMAIN FROM THE NORTH/NORTHWEST...SUSTAINED AT AROUND 17KTS AND GUSTING AROUND 25KTS. THE WIND WILL DIMINISH IN INTENSITY TONIGHT...SUSTAINED AROUND 10KTS...BUT WILL REMAIN FROM THE NORTH. VISIBILITY RESTRICTION IS NOT EXPECTED AT KGRI THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...BRYANT LONG TERM...ADO AVIATION...BRYANT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 314 PM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 201200- PHILLIPS-SMITH-JEWELL-ROOKS-OSBORNE-MITCHELL-VALLEY-GREELEY-NANCE- SHERMAN-HOWARD-MERRICK-POLK-DAWSON-BUFFALO-HALL-HAMILTON-YORK- GOSPER-PHELPS-KEARNEY-ADAMS-CLAY-FILLMORE-FURNAS-HARLAN-FRANKLIN- WEBSTER-NUCKOLLS-THAYER- 314 PM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING...PRIMARILY ALONG AND NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM ELWOOD TO HEBRON. OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...ALONG WITH A BRIEF WIND GUST TO AROUND 50 MPH...WILL BE POSSIBLE AS A RESULT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. EARLY THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...A COUPLE DISTURBANCES PASSING THROUGH THE REGION WILL BRING PERIODIC CHANCES FOR ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL TO PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. THERE WILL ALSO BE THE POTENTIAL FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF A WINTRY MIX DURING THE EARLY TO MID MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY...MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM KEARNEY TO SUPERIOR NEBRASKA...AND INCLUDING NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A STRONGER WINTER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE PLAINS...AND WILL BRING A BETTER CHANCE FOR MORE WIDESPREAD ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL. PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY REMAINS WITH THE TIMING AND PATH OF THIS SYSTEM...SO PLEASE STAY UP TO DATE TO THE LATEST FORECASTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HASTINGS (ALL LOWERCASE) BRYANT/ADO
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:57 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A brief landspout tornado was reported just south of Shelton and just north of Interstate 80. No damage was reported, and top winds were estimated to be between 50 and 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 2013Warnings in Nebraska, March 2013
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 432506.