Lets see...todays naders...Iowa...Illinois.... Scottsbluff?

[Jeff Miller]

Certain this thread doesn't apply in TA due to the fact that this is more of a question of WHY.

Earlier, a storm spotter reported a confirmed tornado in Scottsbluff, NE with debris. Check SPC storm reports for confirmation.

No watch boxes, no significant radar returns, in fact, even a snow advisory was issued for later that evening (tonight).

Was this a cold air funnel that "made it"? Any other theories? strange, because no one saw this coming... what do you all think?

 

[Chris C Sanner]

Even more puzzling, was that a storm spotter was "there" for this event

I was wondering how there was a tornado report in the panhandle of Nebraska. I haven't really studied cold air tubes, so I can't really comment on that, but the fact a supposed spotter sighted the tornado is a puzzling event in itself to me.

Here's the report:

OBSERVED TORNADO AND DEBRIS 3 TO 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF SCOTTSBLUFF (CYS)

 

[Jeff Miller]

Even stranger is a quote from the local forecast office that said NWS Radar continued to indicate rotation....

:?

 

[Chris C Sanner]

Even stranger is a quote from the local forecast office that said NWS Radar continued to indicate rotation....
:?

Now I've heard of extreme SDS symptoms, but NWS Forecast Offices fabricating tornadoes or reporting dust devils as such is surely going to take the cake

 

[Jeff Snyder]

I saw this earlier as well...

AT 312 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A TORNADO 4 MILES NORTH OF SCOTTSBLUFF.
AS OF 316 PM THE TORNADO HAD RETREATED BACK INTO THE BASE OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS.

I didn't look at the radar at the time, so I have no idea what any of the convection looked like. That said, for those near Scottsbluff, it is interesting to go from tornado to snow in less than 6 hours! :shock:

 

[Todd Beal]

I am sure you can find a loop of that radar from somewhere on the net. I once used this website for radar archives, but its name has slipped me now.

 

[Justin Walker]

I am sure you can find a loop of that radar from somewhere on the net. I once used this website for radar archives, but its name has slipped me now.

You can find radar images a for up to a couple days old on ucar.

http://rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar

Justin

 

[mikedeason]

http://www.kneb.com/news/index.cfm?ID=9050

Regards,

Mike

 

[Tom Dulong]

This was likey a typical high plains "landspout" that formed as multi-cellular convection pulsed along a surface boundary. The boundary was inferred from CYS Nexrad by the persistent low topped/low intensity echoes along a NW-SE
line north of BFF. It could have also been a "cold-core funnel", but it is rare for such a feature to reach the ground. I can't imagine the parent storm had any deep, peristent rotation. KCYS base velocity did not show any. At the distance of about 75 mi., the radar was looking at the upper part of this low-topped storm (much of the data there was range-folded anyway).

The bottom line is a "nader" is a "nader", though I doubt anyone was planning to chase the Neb panhandle yesterday.

 

[Jay McCoy]

If you look closely at the picture you can see dirt being kicked up all over the place like a gust front. Is this a landspout or just a huge gustnado.

Last year near Throckmorton, David Drummond and I shot a gustnado that could have easily been mislabeled a tornado by an "untrained" eye. This wasnt a spotter but a plumber that reported the tornado. I dont buy anything the "public" reports without video.

Also there were no other rports of wx in the area.. no hail, winds, etc.. just 1 lone report. Maybe I am being a pessimist but I am not buying it.

 

[Glen Romine]

This is interesting - probably the poorest environmental conditions for a tornado that I've seen. Here is a surface plot approx. 30 minutes after the event:

http://locust.mmm.ucar.edu/case-selection/..._2005033023.gif

Looking at the ob at BFF I see 54/21, with wind from 100 at 10 knots.

I'd have to look at the level II data to convince myself if there was or was not a rotation couplet. Someone above mentioned not seeing one, but NIDS data will not be adequate to assess a feature this small that far away from the radar. Given the weather service statements noted the radar showed rotation - I'd be tempted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Scotts Bluff is only about 75 miles from the CYS radar - but I'm not sure what if any elevation differences exist between the two locations. Assuming no elevation differences, the base scan should be seeing under 2 km above ground level at that distance (which looks to be around cloud base....).

The photo of the tornado above certainly looks like a landspout - too bad it seems to be missing now, but I thought I could make out a hairline shadow extending above the dust tube. The 10 minute duration would also seem to suggest it was in fact a tornado, plumber report or not. 00Z soundings in the generally vicinity certainly showed dry adiabatic lapse rates - so it is not inconcievable that the convection may have been vigorous enough to have supported a landspout.

Doubt a survey will be conducted - but I'll check occasionally to see if one crops up.

Glen

 

[Tom Dulong]

Originally posted by Jay McCoy


Also there were no other rports of wx in the area.. no hail, winds, etc.. just 1 lone report. Maybe I am being a pessimist but I am not buying it.

See Mike's media link in a previous posting. Luckily, John-Q-Public had a camera.

 

[Jay McCoy]

Originally posted by Tom Dulong+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tom Dulong)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Jay McCoy

Also there were no other rports of wx in the area.. no hail, winds, etc.. just 1 lone report. Maybe I am being a pessimist but I am not buying it.

See Mike's media link in a previous posting. Luckily, John-Q-Public had a camera.[/b]

I saw the link.. that is where I saw the photo that shows evidence of a gust front. This "tornado" is not under any kind of rotating structure that I can see. the environment wasnt all that favorable for tornados or any severe wx. That is why i think this is just a gustnado on the leading edge of the cold front surging south.

 

[Tom Dulong]

Originally posted by Jay McCoy


That is why i think this is just a gustnado on the leading edge of the cold front surging south.

Could have been a gustnado. Indeed, a video would have helped.