Flash Flooding in Nebraska, August 22 to 23, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Nebraska, August 22 to 23, 2002
Start: 2002-08-22T22:45
End: 2002-08-23T06:00
Location: Nebraska

August 22 to 23, 2002 · NWS OAX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS OAX wrote it up.

Heavy rain producing thunderstorms tracked across parts of southeast and east central Nebraska as well as southwest Iowa late Thursday evening (8/22) into Friday morning (8/23). For some locations this was the second night in a row for heavy rain. Heavy rain amounts for the 24 hours ending around 7am cdt on the 23rd included...4.3 inches at Crete, 4.18 inches in Plattsmouth, 3.5 inches in Springfield, 3.23 inches at Wahoo, 3.14 inches at Glenwood, Iowa, and between 2.5 and 2.75 inches at Yutan, Ithaca and Gretna along with Hamburg, Iowa.Flooding reports included...In Cass county, Many streets were flooded in Plattsmouth and 1 citizen had to be rescued from a car stalled in the water. Mill creek near Louisville flooded highway 50 near town sending logs onto the highway. Highway 66 between Louisville and the Cedar Creek Spur also flooded. Scenic Drive, 1 mile east of Weeping Water, also flooded.In Sarpy county, flood waters sent water and mud 2 to 3 feet deep across highway 6 southwest of Gretna.In Saunders county, the flooding washed out part of a railroad bridge near the intersection of highways 6 and 63 near Ashland.In Lancaster county, flood waters did serious erosion to several county roads from 3 miles west of Emerald to 7 miles southwest of Sprague.Otoe county reported that Owl Creek flooded county roads northeast of Palmyra.In Saline county, flood waters flowed at least 1 foot deep across the intersection of highways 33 and 103 near Crete causing a temporary closing of the highways. At least 10 streets were closed for a while in Crete and water entered basements of a few homes and an elementary school.

What forecasters said that day

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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 22, 1:55 PM CST, 8 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 1:55 PM CST, 8 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
255 PM CDT THU AUG 22 2002

...MAIN CHALLENGE IS POPS/HEAVY RAIN TONIGHT...THEN POPS SATURDAY...

ON THE 19Z SURFACE ANALYSIS...THE PRIMARY SYNOPTIC SCALE
QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT WAS LOCATED FROM A WEAK LOW OVER NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS INTO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF IOWA.  HOWEVER THE 1931
VISIBLE IMAGE SHOWS A SUBTLE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THE EARLY MORNING
CONVECTION FROM BETWEEN LINCOLN AND BEATRICE TO JUST SOUTH OF
HASTINGS.  BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE CONTINUES TO INCREASE OVER THE
CWFA...WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 70S NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
COUNTIES AND MID 70S IN SOUTHERN COUNTIES.  VISIBLE IMAGERY SHOWS
PLENTY OF SUNSHINE RESULTING IN TEMPERATURES IN THE 80S...EVEN 90 IN
BEATRICE.  19Z LAPS CAPE VALUES RANGE FROM 2000 J/KG NORTH TO 4000
J/KG SOUTH.

AT 500 MB...SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR WILL BE ADVECTING INTO NEBRASKA WITH
WEAK SHORTWAVE SEEN ON WATERVAPOR LOOP OVER COLORADO.  THIS COOLER
AIR AND VORT MAX WILL HELP TO STEEPEN LAPSE RATES...AND INCREASE
VERTICAL MOTION THIS EVENING.  CONVECTIVE INITIATION WILL LIKELY
OCCUR WITH THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY OR JUST NORTHEAST OF THE SURFACE
LOW...BUT CONFIDENCE IN EXACT LOCATION IS LOW. SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA
APPEARS TO HAVE THE BEST SHOT.

INGREDIENTS REMAIN IN PLACE FOR HEAVY RAIN WITH SLOW MOVING CELLS.
SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE PLUME STILL NOSING INTO SOUTHEAST
NEBRASKA...AND BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE QUITE HIGH.  ONLY MISSING
ELEMENT MAY BE THE LOW LEVEL JET...WHICH THE MODELS KEEP FAIRLY WEAK
AND MOSTLY TO OUR SOUTH.  HOWEVER LAST NIGHT THE LOW LEVEL JET
REACHED 45-50 KNOTS...WHICH WAS MUCH HIGHER THAN PROGGED.  THUS
WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF AT LEAST A 35 KNOT LOW LEVEL JET FORMS AND
CATCHES THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF NEBRASKA...WHICH WOULD REALLY
INCREASE ISENTROPIC LIFT ABOVE THE FRONT.  SO WILL KEEP LIKELY POPS
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND MENTION HEAVY RAIN TONIGHT.  EARLY THIS
MORNING THERE WAS A 10-20 MILE WIDE BAND OF 3+ INCHES OF RAIN FROM
AROUND LINCOLN TO SHENANDOAH IOWA...BUT DIFFICULT TO SAY IF ANOTHER
HEAVY RAIN BAND WILL SET UP OVER THE SAME NARROW AREA.

INTERESTING CHANGES IN MOST OF THE MODELS FOR SATURDAY.  EVEN THE
CANADIAN MODEL IS VERY SIMILAR TO AVN/ETA WITH BRINGING A SHORTWAVE
THROUGH THE NORTHERN STREAM AND CUTTING INTO THE BROAD UPPER RIDGE.
THE MODEL QPF IS HIGH FOR THE PLAINS ON SATURDAY FROM THIS FEATURE.
THE FACT THAT THE MODELS DEVELOP CONVECTION LOOKS REASONABLE...BUT
THE AREAL COVERAGE OFTEN IS CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN PROGGED WITH
THESE NORTHWEST FLOW MCS EVENTS.  THUS WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE OR
CHANCE POPS FOR SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING...BUT IT MAY BE TOO
EARLY TO TELL HOW WIDESPREAD THE MCS WILL BE.

BEYOND SATURDAY THE MODEL SOLUTIONS VARY GREATLY WITH NO CLEAR
FEATURE TO KEY ON.  HOWEVER ENSEMBLE MEAN STILL HINTS AT A NW FLOW
WAVE ON WEDNESDAY WHICH COULD AFFECT THE AREA...SO WILL KEEP GOING
POPS FOR WEDNESDAY.

.OMA...NONE.

NIETFELD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 22, 5:59 PM CST, 4 hours 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
659 PM CDT THU AUG 22 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

653 PM     5 N ALBION                NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/22/02   BOONE                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 6:04 PM CST, 4 hours 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
704 PM CDT THU AUG 22 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0653 PM    5 N ALBION                NE   1.25 INCH HAIL
08/22/02   BOONE                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0658 PM    5 N ALBION                NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/22/02   BOONE                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 7:09 PM CST, 3 hours 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
809 PM CDT THU AUG 22 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0755 PM    2 NE NEWMAN GROVE         NE   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/22/02   MADISON                        HAIL COVERING THE
                                          GROUND AND GUSTS                                           TO 60 MPH REPORTED BY
                                          PUBLIC.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 7:28 PM CST, 3 hours 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
828 PM CDT THU AUG 22 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

825 PM    MADISON                   NE   .75 INCH HAIL
08/22/02   MADISON                        REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 7:55 PM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
855 PM CDT THU AUG 22 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

830 PM     5 S STANTON               NE   60 MPH TSTM GUST
08/22/02   STANTON                        REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 8:46 PM CST, 1 hour 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE
946 PM CDT THU AUG 22 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0942 PM    9 NW OMAHA EPPLEY AIRFIEL NE   1 INCH HAIL
08/22/02   WASHINGTON                     REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

The radar

The Omaha radar (KOAX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:47 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Cass

When: August 22, 10:45 PM CST to August 23, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Cass County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.910, -96.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Sarpy

When: August 22, 11:50 PM CST to August 23, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Sarpy County, 6 mi SW of Gretna
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.113, -96.112 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Saunders

When: August 23, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where: Saunders County, Ashland
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.226, -96.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lancaster

When: August 23, 3:30 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
Where: Lancaster County, West Portion
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 40.784, -96.688 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Otoe

When: August 23, 3:30 AM CST to 5:30 AM CST
Where: Otoe County, 5 mi NE of Palmyra
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 40.649, -96.135 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Saline

When: August 23, 3:52 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Saline County, Crete
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.524, -97.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nebraska in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, August 2002

Sources

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: 5315292, 5315293, 5315294, 5315295, 5315296, 5315297.