Damaging Winds in Nebraska, July 20, 2005

Name: Damaging Winds in Nebraska, July 20, 2005
Start: 2005-07-20T19:15
End: 2005-07-20T22:00
Location: Nebraska

July 20, 2005 · NWS LBF · 7 events in 6 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 7

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 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 North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 20, 12:20 PM CST, 6 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 12:20 PM CST, 6 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
120 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2005

.DISCUSSION...
TEMPERATURE FCST IS ON BECOMING A LITTLE CLEARER AS HEAT LOW
CENTERED OVER KLBF AT 18Z IS THE FOCUS FOR VERY WARM WEATHER.
HIGHEST TEMPS ARE LOCATED ACROSS THE SW QUADRANT OF THE LOW WITH
READING AOA 100F.

THRU SUNDAY THE GFS/NAM MIGRATE THIS LOW NORTH AND SOUTH DAILY.

TEMPS...
THURSDAY/FRIDAY...HEAT LOW REMAINS NEARLY STNRY ON THURS MIGRATING
SLIGHTLY SOUTH AT NIGHT. ON FRIDAY THE LOW IS LOCATED OVER WRN KS
WITH MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE FCST AREA IN THE COOLER BUT STILL HUMID
N SIDE. THIS LOW FILLS AND REDEVELOPS ACROSS WRN SD SATURDAY AM AND
TRACKS SLOWLY E INTO CNTL SD DURING THE AFTN. THE NAM SUGGEST 100+F
TEMPS ACROSS MUCH OF THE FCST AREA.

SUNDAY...THE NAM/GFS ARE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE POSITION OF
THE H5 RIDGE. BOTH MODELS SUGGEST SFC HEAT LOW WILL BE LOCATED OVER
OR CLOSE TO SWRN NEB. FCST THEN IS FOR 100+F TEMPS NEAR AND S OF THIS
LOW.

MONDAY...HEAT LOW DROPS SOUTH. UA FORCING AND MOISTURE APPEAR
SUFFICIENT OF SOME CHC OF TSTMS WHICH WILL BEGIN TO COOL THINGS OFF.

TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...TEMPS CONTINUE DOWNWARD SLIDE AS HEIGHTS
LOWER. UPPER LEVEL PATTERN GOES THROUGH A MAJOR TRANSITION WITH DEEP
UA TROF FORMING OVER THE GREAT LAKES. MOISTURE FIELDS CONTINUE TO
SUGGEST TSTM ACTIVITY. FCST AREA IS IN THE BAROCLINIC ROUGH AT THIS
POINT.

PCPN...WILL CONTINUE SLIGHT CHC POP TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT.
ACTIVITY TONIGHT AND THURSDAY WILL FOCUS MOSTLY NE OF THE SFC LOW
IN THE DEEPER MOISTURE. SOME DRYLINE ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE EACH DAY
ALSO. SATURDAY LOOKS CAPPED.

&&

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

CDC

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 20, 6:06 PM CST, 1 hour 9 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
706 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2005

NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-210606-
ARTHUR NE-BLAINE NE-BOYD NE-BROWN NE-CHASE NE-CUSTER NE-DEUEL NE-
EASTERN CHERRY NE-FRONTIER NE-GARDEN NE-GARFIELD NE-GRANT NE-
HAYES NE-HOLT NE-HOOKER NE-KEITH NE-KEYA PAHA NE-LINCOLN NE-LOGAN NE-
LOUP NE-MCPHERSON NE-PERKINS NE-ROCK NE-SHERIDAN NE-THOMAS NE-
WESTERN CHERRY NE-WHEELER NE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AINSWORTH...ARNOLD...ARTHUR...BASSETT...
BIG SPRINGS...BREWSTER...BROKEN BOW...BURWELL...CHAPPELL...CURTIS...
GORDON...GRANT...HAY SPRINGS...HAYES CENTER...IMPERIAL...MULLEN...
NORTH PLATTE...ONEILL...OGALLALA...OSHKOSH...RUSHVILLE...SPENCER...
SPRINGVIEW...STAPLETON...TAYLOR...THEDFORD...TRYON AND VALENTINE
706 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA.

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA
UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT (11 PM MDT)...

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN BRINGING ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO THE EASTERN PANHANDLE AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA
THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL BE HIGH BASED WITH MORE WIND...AND
POTENTIAL FOR LIGHTNING THAN RAINFALL. FURTHER NORTH INTO THE NORTH
CENTRAL...AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL DROP SOUTHEAST WITH
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOP POSSIBLE INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. A
FEW THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF GORDON TO AINSWORTH MAY BE SEVERE WITH
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE EXTREME HEAT WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA
INTO CENTRAL NEBRASKA THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY. A HEAT LOW
WILL REMAIN POSITIONED OVER THE SOUTHWEST WITH TEMPERATURES INTO THE
TRIPLE DIGITS. THE HEAT WILL RESULT IN THE GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER
INDEX INTO THE HIGH AND VERY HIGH CATEGORIES ACROSS THE WEST.

THE THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST ON THURSDAY IN AREAS
EAST OF A LINE FROM VALENTINE AND BROWNLEE IN CHERRY COUNTY...TO
BROKEN BOW IN CUSTER COUNTY. WARM MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES WILL
EFFICIENTLY INHIBIT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT UNTIL AFTER 3 PM CDT.
THEN RAPID STORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE
POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT...THEN A LESS CHANCE UNTIL LATE MONDAY WITH
ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE PLAINS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED MAINLY FOR AREAS NORTH OF GORDON
TO AINSWORTH THIS EVENING.

KAR

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 20, 5:19 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
619 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2005

NEZ005-006-008-009-094-210500-
BROWN NE-EASTERN CHERRY NE-KEYA PAHA NE-ROCK NE-WESTERN CHERRY NE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AINSWORTH...BASSETT...
SPRINGVIEW AND VALENTINE
619 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2005

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 652 VALID UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT (11
PM MDT) FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA...HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT (11 PM MDT). THE
COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCHARE...BROWN...CHERRY...KEYA PAHA... AND
ROCK.

PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER
RADIO OR OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS FOR THE LATEST FORECASTS...WARNINGS...
AND STATEMENTS.

KAR

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 143 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:12 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherry

When: July 20, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Cherry County, 5 mi WSW of Merriman
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.883, -101.783

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherry

When: July 20, 7:43 PM CST to 7:55 PM CST
Where: Cherry County, Crookston
Measured: 87 kt (100 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.933, -100.750

A supercell storm evolved into a bow echo producing very strong winds across northeast Cherry County, particularly in the town of Valentine. The ASOS at the airport, on the south side of Valentine, recorded a wind gust of 69 kts (79 mph) at 8:44p.m. CDT, but a storm damage assessment estimated winds near 100 mph had hit the north side of town. Winds tore off part of the Cherry County Courthouse roof, destroyed a 150ft section of the Hometown Lumberyard storage building, severely damaged the United Methodist Church, damaged 15 homes, produced roof damage to the high school, and uprooted or broke off numerous large trees. The bow echo continued to move east and produced damage across Boyd, Keya Paha, Brown, Rock, and Holt counties.

Thunderstorm Wind, Brown

When: July 20, 8:30 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Brown County, 8 mi W of Ainsworth
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.867, -98.700

A supercell storm that evolved into a bow echo, producing extensive damage across northeast Cherry County, snapped and uprooted numerous large trees in northern Brown County. The Ainsworth AWOS recorded a wind gust of 61 kts (70mph) at 9:31p.m. CDT. The storm continued to move east into Keya Paha, Boyd, Rock, and Holt counties.

Thunderstorm Wind, Keya Paha

When: July 20, 8:30 PM CST to 9:10 PM CST
Where: Keya Paha County, Springview
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.467, -98.967

The supercell storm that evolved into a bow echo in Cherry and Brown counties also moved across Keya Paha County, uprooting and breaking off large trees. A hog shed was destroyed and several 1200 pound hay bales were moved from a field into a ditch. Several outbuildings also received major damage. The storm also moved across Rock, Boyd, and Holt counties.

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock

When: July 20, 8:50 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Rock County, 2 mi N of Bassett
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.550, -100.000

Large trees were snapped off or uprooted, a roof was peeled off of a grocery store and landed on the street, and a Games and Parks Commission building was heavily damaged as a bow echo produced damaging winds across Cherry, Rock, Brown, Holt, Keya Paha, and Boyd counties.

Thunderstorm Wind, Boyd

When: July 20, 9:15 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Boyd County, Spencer
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.817, -99.733

Power poles and trees were broken as winds from a bow echo slammed into the area. A semi tractor trailer was blown into a greenhouse in Spencer. The storm also moved across Holt, Rock, Brown, Keya Paha, and Cherry counties.

Thunderstorm Wind, Holt

When: July 20, 9:20 PM CST to 9:33 PM CST
Where: Holt County, 5 mi S of Atkinson
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 42.617, -99.517

Power poles were broken as well as large trees which were broken off and in roadways. The AWOS at the O'Neill airport recorded a wind gust of 62 kts (71mph) at 10:33p.m. CDT. The bow echo that produced the winds also rolled across Cherry, Keya Paha, Boyd, Brown, and Rock counties.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nebraska in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, July 2005

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: 5451955, 5452194, 5452594, 5452595, 5452199, 5452200, 5452201.