Alert archive / Nebraska / Mesoscale Discussions in 2026

Mesoscale Discussion 2021

August 17, 202632 counties in Nebraska

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 17, 2026, 9:25 PM CDT for 32 counties in Nebraska. It was in force for 65 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Aug 17, 2026, 9:25 PM CDT (02:25 UTC)
Expired: Aug 17, 2026, 10:30 PM CDT
In force: 65 min
Issued by: the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning: Severe thunderstorm watch 592...594

All 32 counties

Antelope County, NE, Blaine County, NE, Boone County, NE, Boyd County, NE, Brown County, NE, Buffalo County, NE, Cherry County, NE, Custer County, NE, Dawson County, NE, Frontier County, NE, Garfield County, NE, Greeley County, NE, Hall County, NE, Holt County, NE, Hooker County, NE, Howard County, NE, Keya Paha County, NE, Knox County, NE, Lincoln County, NE, Logan County, NE, Loup County, NE, Madison County, NE, McPherson County, NE, Merrick County, NE, Nance County, NE, Pierce County, NE, Platte County, NE, Rock County, NE, Sherman County, NE, Thomas County, NE, Valley County, NE, Wheeler County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:28 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.

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 99 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2080 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2076 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 116 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

295 
ACUS11 KWNS 180226
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 180225 
NEZ000-SDZ000-180330-

Mesoscale Discussion 2021
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0925 PM CDT Mon Aug 17 2026

Areas affected...portions of central into northern Nebraska

Concerning...Severe Thunderstorm Watch 592...594...

Valid 180225Z - 180330Z

The severe weather threat for Severe Thunderstorm Watch 592, 594
continues.

SUMMARY...Severe gusts/hail remains possible with supercell
structures, and a tornado may still occur with an intense supercell
over Valley County. If storms in northern Nebraska can grow upscale
into an MCS, an organized wind swath may occur.

DISCUSSION...Multiple supercells continue to progress across central
and northern NE with a history of severe gusts and occasional large
hail. An intense right-moving supercell over Valley County, NE has
also demonstrated periods of low-level rotation and remains capable
of producing a tornado. In the immediate term, severe wind and hail
(some significant) remains possible with any mature supercell
structure given 3000+ J/kg MLCAPE and over 40 kts of effective bulk
shear in place. KLNX radar trends show several supercell structures
and accompanying outflow boundaries merging over central and
northern NE. This is where several of the latest HRRR runs have also
depicted upscale growth into a cold-pool-driven MCS. If this trend
continues, an organized swath of strong to severe gusts may manifest
over central into eastern NE over the next few hours. However,
MLCINH will continue to increase through the evening. The current
thinking is that storms that fail to grow upscale over the next few
hours may begin to diminish with boundary-layer decoupling.

..Squitieri.. 08/18/2026

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...FSD...OAX...GID...LBF...UNR...

LAT...LON   41620144 42470125 42970111 43120095 43080042 42819775
            42479732 41789732 41089775 40669905 40490028 40550091
            41000128 41620144 

MOST PROBABLE PEAK TORNADO INTENSITY...UP TO 90 MPH
MOST PROBABLE PEAK WIND GUST...65-80 MPH
MOST PROBABLE PEAK HAIL SIZE...1.50-2.50 IN

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 17, 8:02 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Antelope, Arthur, Blaine, Boone, Boyd, Brown and 31 more	58 min
Aug 17, 8:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	Adams, Antelope, Boone, Butler, Cass, Clay and 27 more	7 hr
Aug 17, 11:21 PM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Antelope, Blaine, Boone, Boyd, Garfield, Greeley and 12 more	84 min
Aug 18, 1:24 AM CDT	Mesoscale Discussion	SPC	Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Custer, Dawson, Fillmore and 13 more	66 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Nebraska, 2026 Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.