1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 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 Jul 15, 1:30 PM CST, 4 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 230 PM CDT THU JUL 15 2004 .DISCUSSION... WHERE TO PLACE GREATEST CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION...TIMING AND TEMPERATURES THE PRIMARY CONCERNS FOR THIS FORECAST. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS TRACKED FROM SOUTH DAKOTA INTO PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA...WITH LATEST STRONG REFLECTIVITY FROM AROUND MILLARD TO HAMBURG IA. STORMS WEAKENED FROM PRODUCING GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL IN KNOX COUNTY TO A FEW SHOWERS AT IT APPROACHED MADISON. STORMS TODAY HAVE BEEN IN AREA OF GREATEST THETA-E ADVECTION AND RH WITH WEAK SHORTWAVE TROF. THE LATEST SURFACE MAP HAD LOW PRESSURE CENTERED NEAR PIERRE SD...WITH HIGH PRES OVR NRN MO. SFC WNDS WERE FROM THE SOUTHEAST AND DEWPOINTS WERE IN THE UPPER 60S FOR MUCH OF ERN NEB AND WRN IA...WITH LOWER 70S DEWPOINTS STREAMING NWD. WHERE IT WAS RAINING...TEMPERATURES DROPPED INTO THE 70S...WITH 80S ELSEWHERE. LOOK FOR CONVECTIVE COMPLEX TO CONTINUE TO DROP SE INTO MO. OTHER CU/AC/STORMS BEGINNING TO GET TOUCHED OFF WITH HEATING THIS AFTERNOON OVER SD AND TO A GREATER DEGREE ACROSS NRN MN. LOOKING AT MESOSCALE...WNDSHFT LOCATED E OF VTN AND W OF ONL. GOOD CONVERGENCE IN THIS AREA...WITH DEWPOINT DISCONTINUITY OF UPR 50S TO AROUND 60 AT VTN AND UPR 60S TO LOWER 70S FARTHER E. TEMPERATURES HEATING UP AT VTN WITH MID 90S. OUTFLOW NOTED ON VISIBLE STLT W OF ONL TO NEAR YORK. LAPS CAPE ABOVE 4000 J/KG THIS AREA WITH LITTLE CIN. SPC JUST ISSUED SWO FOR POTENTIAL TORNADO WATCH. SHORT TERM MODELS VARY ON SCENARIO FOR TONIGHT. THE RUC LOOKS TO BE FOLLOWING ANOTHER WAVE OVER SD INTO NRN NEB THIS EVENING. THE ETA ALSO HAS A WAVE IN NW FLOW MOVING INTO NE NEB AND NW IA THIS EVENING...WITH A STRONGER SHORTWAVE TROF OVR MN...WHICH WILL AFFECT THE FORECAST AREA LATER TONIGHT...AND STORMS THAT FIRE OVER THE WRN PLNS...THAT DO NOT MAKE IT FAR ENOUGH E. THE GFS IS SIMILAR TO THE ETA THIS EVENING IN HIGHLIGHTING THESE THREE AREAS TO FOCUS CONVECTION...HOWEVER...A BIT MORE AGRESSIVE. MAY BE OTHERS DUE TO OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES THOUGH. BEST FRONTOGENESIS OVR THE WRN PLNS THIS EVENING...EXPANDING INTO FCST AREA OVERNIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY. WILL MENTION OF SCT TSRA N EARLY THIS EVENING AND CHC POPS FARTHER SOUTH LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY FRI MORNING. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE DUE TO INSTABILITY AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE. THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING QUICKLY IN NW FLOW. HIGH PWS MAY RESULT IN LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINS...BUT IS NOT EXPECTED TO POSE A PROBLEM ON A MORE WIDESPREAD BASIS. STORMS THAT FORM OVR THE WESTERN PLAINS WILL TRACK SE ALONG THE TROF. STRONG LOW LEVEL JET LOOKS TO TAKE HEAVIER RAINFALL TO THE WEST OF THE FCST AREA. WILL INCLUDE SOME MENTION EARLY FRI...WHITH STRONGER N WINDS AND HIGH PRES BUILDING IN DURING THE AFTERNOON ACRS THE N. DID NOT MAKE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SAT AND SUN. NEW GFS IS PERSISTENT WITH CHC PRECIP MON AFT AND RETURN MOISTURE MONDAY NIGHT. WITH MID LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING IN TUES...MAY BE CAPPED AND THIS COULD KEEP BULK OF PRECIP TO THE N. LEFT CHC FOR PRECIPITATION IN WED AND THU AFT MID LEVEL RIDGE BREAKS DOWN AND SFC FRONT MOVE INTO KS AND MO FRM THE NRN PLNS. TEMPERATURES MAINLY MID 80S TO LOWER 90S FOR HIGHS. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && ZAPOTOCNY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 500 PM CDT THU JUL 15 2004 NEZ011-012-016>018-030>033-042>044-050-051-065-066-161000- ANTELOPE-BOONE-BUTLER-CEDAR-COLFAX-CUMING-DODGE-KNOX-LANCASTER- MADISON-PIERCE-PLATTE-SAUNDERS-SEWARD-STANTON-WAYNE- 500 PM CDT THU JUL 15 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND FRIDAY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING WITH LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY ALSO FALL IN SOME AREAS. THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER INTO FRIDAY MORNING. A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES IN NORTHWEST FLOW WILL AFFECT THE AREA. STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS FORECAST FROM EASTERN NEBRASKA INTO WESTERN IOWA...MEANWHILE DESTABILIZATION IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE DURING THE EVENING AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES INTO THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF MORE THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY THIS EVENING AND MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TONIGHT. IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ015-034-045-052-053-067-068- 078-088>093-161000- BURT-CASS-DOUGLAS-FREMONT IA-GAGE-HARRISON IA-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON- MILLS IA-MONONA IA-MONTGOMERY IA-NEMAHA-OTOE-PAGE IA-PAWNEE- POTTAWATTAMIE IA-RICHARDSON-SALINE-SARPY-SHELBY IA-THURSTON- WASHINGTON- 500 PM CDT THU JUL 15 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND FRIDAY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER INTO FRIDAY MORNING. A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES IN NORTHWEST FLOW WILL AFFECT THE AREA. STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS FORECAST FROM EASTERN NEBRASKA INTO WESTERN IOWA...WITH DESTABILIZATION EXPECTED TO INCREASE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF MORE THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TONIGHT. FOBERT
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
617 PM CDT THU JUL 15 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0610 PM FUNNEL CLOUD VERDEL 42.81N 98.19W
07/15/2004 KNOX NE BROADCAST MEDIA
&&
TFLPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA NE
636 PM CDT THU JUL 15 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0628 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 8 NW ORCHARD 42.42N 98.35W
07/15/2004 HOLT NE LAW ENFORCEMENT
&&
TFLThe Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 177 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:53 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A brief tornado was observed by a trained spotter in far southwestern Knox county. Before the touchdown, the storm produced several funnel cloud reports as it tracked south along the Holt and Knox county line. The tornado did little or no apparent damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 2004Warnings in Nebraska, July 2004
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: 5417245.