Alert archive / Nebraska / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Omaha, NE

April 3, 2026Nemaha County, Richardson County, Nebraska

NWS Omaha, NE issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 2026, 2:23 PM CDT for Nemaha County, Richardson County, Nebraska. It was in force for 37 min. 1 report 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
Apr 3, 2026, 2:23 PM CDT (19:23 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 2026, 3:00 PM CDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Omaha, NE
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Nemaha County, NE, Richardson County, NE

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 139 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:26 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
Apr 3, 3:02 PM CDTHAIL 13 Ne Shubert, NEPublic report of hail estimated up to quarter sized.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 126 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2026-04-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 22 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2026-04-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 601 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
22 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-402 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
515 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
601 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
659 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

017 
WUUS53 KOAX 031923
SVROAX
NEC127-147-032000-
/O.NEW.KOAX.SV.W.0013.260403T1923Z-260403T2000Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
223 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

The National Weather Service in Omaha has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
  Southeastern Nemaha County in southeastern Nebraska...
  Richardson County in southeastern Nebraska...

* Until 300 PM CDT.

* At 222 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 5 miles southwest
  of Dawson, or 11 miles northwest of Sabetha, moving northeast at 40
  mph.

  HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage 
           to roofs, siding, and trees.

* This severe thunderstorm will be near...
  Dawson around 225 PM CDT.
  Verdon and Salem around 230 PM CDT.
  Shubert around 240 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 4009 9601 4032 9561 4029 9555 4026 9555
      4025 9549 4023 9547 4018 9548 4016 9543
      4013 9543 4012 9540 4007 9540 4005 9542
      4003 9540 4003 9537 4000 9554 4000 9601
TIME...MOT...LOC 1922Z 236DEG 36KT 4007 9589 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Mead
4 follow-up statements
305 
WWUS53 KOAX 031930
SVSOAX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
230 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

NEC127-147-032000-
/O.CON.KOAX.SV.W.0013.000000T0000Z-260403T2000Z/
Nemaha NE-Richardson NE-
230 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT
FOR SOUTHEASTERN NEMAHA AND RICHARDSON COUNTIES...

At 230 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Dawson, or 13
miles west of Falls City, moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to 
         roofs, siding, and trees.

This severe storm will be near...
  Verdon and Dawson around 235 PM CDT.
  Shubert around 240 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 4012 9595 4032 9561 4029 9555 4026 9555
      4025 9549 4023 9547 4018 9548 4016 9543
      4013 9543 4012 9540 4007 9540 4005 9542
      4003 9540 4003 9537 4000 9554 4000 9595
TIME...MOT...LOC 1930Z 232DEG 34KT 4012 9585 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Mead
126 
WWUS53 KOAX 031937
SVSOAX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
237 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

NEC127-147-032000-
/O.CON.KOAX.SV.W.0013.000000T0000Z-260403T2000Z/
Nemaha NE-Richardson NE-
237 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT
FOR SOUTHEASTERN NEMAHA AND RICHARDSON COUNTIES...

At 237 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Dawson, or 12
miles northwest of Falls City, moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to 
         roofs, siding, and trees.

This severe storm will be near...
  Verdon around 240 PM CDT.
  Shubert around 245 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 4032 9561 4029 9555 4026 9555 4025 9549
      4023 9547 4018 9548 4016 9543 4013 9543
      4012 9540 4007 9540 4005 9542 4003 9540
      4003 9537 4000 9554 4000 9593 4015 9590
TIME...MOT...LOC 1937Z 234DEG 35KT 4016 9580 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Mead
162 
WWUS53 KOAX 031945
SVSOAX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
245 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

NEC127-147-032000-
/O.CON.KOAX.SV.W.0013.000000T0000Z-260403T2000Z/
Nemaha NE-Richardson NE-
245 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT
FOR SOUTHEASTERN NEMAHA AND CENTRAL RICHARDSON COUNTIES...

At 244 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 3 miles southeast of
Stella, or 11 miles northwest of Falls City, moving northeast at 40
mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to 
         roofs, siding, and trees.

This severe storm will be near...
  Shubert around 250 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 4032 9561 4029 9555 4026 9555 4025 9549
      4023 9547 4018 9548 4016 9543 4013 9543
      4012 9540 4007 9540 4005 9542 4005 9585
      4018 9584
TIME...MOT...LOC 1944Z 235DEG 34KT 4019 9575 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Mead
868 
WWUS53 KOAX 031950
SVSOAX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
250 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

NEC127-147-032000-
/O.CON.KOAX.SV.W.0013.000000T0000Z-260403T2000Z/
Nemaha NE-Richardson NE-
250 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM CDT
FOR SOUTHEASTERN NEMAHA AND NORTHEASTERN RICHARDSON COUNTIES...

At 250 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Shubert, or 11
miles north of Falls City, moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to 
         roofs, siding, and trees.

This severe thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
southeastern Nemaha and northeastern Richardson Counties, including
the following locations... Indian Cave State Park and Barada.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 4032 9561 4029 9555 4026 9555 4025 9549
      4023 9547 4018 9548 4016 9543 4013 9543
      4012 9578 4022 9578
TIME...MOT...LOC 1950Z 235DEG 36KT 4023 9568 

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

$$

Mead

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 3, 12:21 PM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • A storm system lifting out of northwest Kansas is still on track to bring showers and storms through 7 PM this evening, with the strongest of which being potentially severe (5-20% chance).
  • As the system departs, areas of northeast Nebraska could see a few snowflakes mix in with snow through early Saturday, with no accumulations expected.
  • Dry conditions set up Saturday evening through Monday morning.
  • Another pattern shift brings additional better chances for precipitation to the region beginning Wednesday morning.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 12:21 PM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
1221 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- A storm system lifting out of northwest Kansas is still on
  track to bring showers and storms through 7 PM this evening,
  with the strongest of which being potentially severe (5-20%
  chance).

- As the system departs, areas of northeast Nebraska could see a
  few snowflakes mix in with snow through early Saturday, with
  no accumulations expected.

- Dry conditions set up Saturday evening through Monday morning.

- Another pattern shift brings additional better chances for
  precipitation to the region beginning Wednesday morning.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 1218 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

Today:

Water vapor imagery this afternoon features a neutrally-tilting
trough continuing its push into the Central Plains and helping serve
as the catalyst storm potential today across southeast Nebraska into
much of Iowa. Surface observations show a primary surface low
situated over northeast Kansas, with a warm front extending east-
northeast from it across northeastern Missouri. Over the course of
the early afternoon, this surface low and an accompanying warm
sector will clip far southeast Nebraska and travel into southwest
Iowa. To the north of it, warm air advection powers light
precipitation and drizzle across much of eastern Nebraska into Iowa,
resulting in very light precipitation and visibilities as low as one
mile. Temperatures will remain cool and largely in the upper 30s to
low 40s for these areas, making for a dreary afternoon that misses
out on any rumbles of thunder.

Focusing on the severe threat to the south and east, short-term
model solutions all show southwest to northeast-oriented jet
streaks, with speeds that ramp up quickly from the surface to the
lowest 1-2 km of the atmosphere before the reaching their peak. Low-
level curvature is quite favorable in hodographs, with the deep-
layer shear being largely in line with the boundaries/forcing for
ascent. Over the next two hours, areas just to the north of the
surface low will have the help of that feature in addition to the
warm air advection, helping kick start elevated parcels that could
result in some small to marginally severe hail during the early
afternoon hours, continuing north and to the east in stride with the
surface low. Closer the the surface low and in the warm sector, a
narrow window exists for surface-based storms to initiate in or move
through the forecast area. These storms could initiate either along
a prefrontal confluence boundary about one county to the east of the
synoptic cold front, or on the cold front itself. These will be the
storms to watch out for, and will be confined to areas southeast of
a line from Lewiston, NE to Nodaway, IA. All three conventional
severe hazards will be possible (hail, wind, and a tornado or two),
with the tornado chances being dependent on how uninterrupted a
storm can be in its process of intensifying.

With the warm sector quickly approaching, now through 7 PM is the
window for any strong to severe storms to occur. While some
convective activity is a near-certainty, there are a couple of
failure modes for storms trying to reach severe levels. The main
initiation point for storms in the CAMs favors the synoptic
cold/Pacific front, and those storms may not keep up with the
advancing front and shorten their lifespan. Another failure mode for
severe storm potential would be higher-end shear and mid-upper
dryness that could make for a hostile environment for what are
expected to be somewhat narrow updrafts. With all of that in mind,
the overall severe chances for southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa
is between 5-20%. Once 7 PM rolls around, the western edge of the
warm sector will have swept through, clearing out precipitation
aside from comma-head rain with a few snowflakes (that will melt)
across northeast Nebraska into the overnight hours.

Saturday and Beyond:

The remainder of the forecast sees that upper pattern transition the
trough to the east of the area, in favor of a split zonal flow
pattern through the entire upcoming work week. It will be gusty
tomorrow, with winds out of the northwest ramping up gusts to 35-40
mph before slowly decreasing in speed. The front half of the week
will be marked by largely dry weather, before a warmer day
Wednesday that will bring a shortwave trough and a transition
to wetter conditions into the weekend.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1142 AM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

IFR to LIFR conditions will prevail into the evening hours as
patchy drizzle and light rain showers traverse eastern
Nebraska, primarily KOMA and KLNK. An uptick in thunderstorm
activity is expected across far eastern Nebraska into the
afternoon, with highest confidence in impacts at KOMA. A brief
thunderstorm may pass by KLNK in the 18-20Z timeframe.

Precipitation will gradually clear from west to east into the
early evening, along with a gradual increase in northerly winds.
Have opted to keep ceilings towards the lower end of guidance
this evening, with most locations improving only to MVFR
conditions. Brief returns to VFR conditions will be possible
this evening and overnight, though confidence is low in
widespread improvement to VFR conditions until Saturday
morning. Northwesterly wind gusts will increase to the 20-25 kt
range into Saturday morning.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...None.
IA...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...Petersen
AVIATION...Wood
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 3, 12:23 PM CDT, 2 hours before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
1223 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-
042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-041730-
Monona-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie-Mills-Montgomery-Fremont-Page-
Knox-Cedar-Thurston-Antelope-Pierce-Wayne-Boone-Madison-Stanton-
Cuming-Burt-Platte-Colfax-Dodge-Washington-Butler-Saunders-Douglas-
Sarpy-Seward-Lancaster-Cass-Otoe-Saline-Jefferson-Gage-Johnson-
Nemaha-Pawnee-Richardson-
1223 PM CDT Fri Apr 3 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southwest Iowa, west central
Iowa, east central Nebraska, northeast Nebraska and southeast
Nebraska.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Strong to severe storms are possible this afternoon and early
evening. A few storms may be capable of producing strong winds,
large hail, and perhaps a tornado or two through 7 PM.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 2:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXNemaha, Richardson31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Nebraska, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

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.