Scattered thunderstorms developed along a cold front during the afternoon hours of September 18th. The thunderstorms were aided by an upper level disturbance that tracked from the Rocky Mountains east across Nebraska.
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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 episode as NWS OAX wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms developed along a cold front during the afternoon hours of September 18th. The thunderstorms were aided by an upper level disturbance that tracked from the Rocky Mountains east across Nebraska. Showers and clouds which lingered from early morning activity limited the instability somewhat over the area. Nonetheless, a line of storms formed along the front and produced a few severe weather reports as the storms tracked into western Iowa by early evening. However, much of the activity consisted of a period of very heavy rain and wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph.
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 Sep 18, 2:58 PM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 358 PM CDT TUE SEP 18 2007 .DISCUSSION... ACTIVE WEATHER TO START THE FORECAST AS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND COLD FRONT BOTH PUSH E FROM CENTRAL NEBRASKA. MOISTURE IS STILL GENEROUS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT...BUT EXTENSIVE DAYTIME CLOUDS HAVE LIMITED CAPE...AND LATE AFTERNOON SEVERE POTENTIAL. DRYING AND STABILIZATION WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES EAST...WITH SOME LINGERING TSTMS POSSIBLE IN SRN PORTIONS OF AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY ALSO SHOWS SUBTROPICAL MOIST PLUME MOVING FAIRLY RAPIDLY EAST. HEAVY PCPN WILL FALL WITH EVE CONVECTION...BUT FLOODING POTENTIAL IS LIMITED BY MOVEMENT AND LACK OF PREVIOUS HEAVY RAIN IN THE AREA. HEAVY RAIN AROUND 2 INCHES DID FALL EARLIER NEAR FBY AND BIE...BUT THIS AREA IS LESS THREATENED WITH HEAVY RAIN THAN FARTHER N. DRYING IN NORTH SHOULD ALLOW CLEARING AND COOL TEMPS BY MORNING. TEMPERATURE RECOVERY SHOULD BE DECENT WED...BUT WILL BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED WITH LIGHT SE FLOW NEAR SFC. LOWERED MAX TEMPS A BIT. RETURN FLOW STRENGTHENS WED NIGHT...AND STRONG RETURN OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE COULD RESULT IN ENOUGH DESTABILIZATION FOR TSTMS. NAM LIFTS PRECIP AREA TO OUR N ON THU...BUT BOTH GFS AND HPCQPF HOLD ONTO PRECIP. MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT THERE IS STILL SOME POSSIBILITY OF TSTMS...AND INTRODUCED SLGT CHANCE POPS INTO THU DAYTIME IN EAST AND CENTRAL COUNTIES. WARM AND DRY WEATHER SHOULD PREVAIL INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. A WEAK COLD FRONT PUSHING INTO THE AREA SAT IS UNDER RIDGE ALOFT...AND WILL PROB NOT HAVE MUCH MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. TEMPS MAY BE COOLED A BIT...ESPECIALLY SAT MORNING. MODELS CONTINUE TO HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH TIMING THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT COLD FRONT EARLY NEXT WEEK. GFS ENSEMBLES HOWEVER ARE SHOWING DECENT CONSISTENCY THAT THE REMNANTS OF STRONG WEST COAST UPPER TROUGH WILL BE EJECTING ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. FOR THIS REASON...ADOPTED A FRONTAL TIMING SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN HPC...AND GENERALLY RAISED POPS SLIGHTLY FROM SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. EXPECT FRONT WILL BE THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY WITH SOME COOLING...BUT THIS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A STRONG COLD AIRMASS. && .AVIATION... FOR TAF SITES KOFK...KOMA...KLNK THRU 18Z/19 MAIN CONCERN IS MVRF CONDITIONS SETTLING IN OVER ALL TAF SITES AFTER 06Z...WITH POSSIBLE IFR COND 10Z-14Z/19. SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL CLEAR ALL TAF SITES AROUND 06Z WITH BKN STRATUS FILLING IN BEHIND. OCCASIONAL BREAKS IN CLOUD COVER COUPLED WITH LIGHT WINDS MAY ALLOW VSBY TO DROP TO IFR RANGE. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && POLLACK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 431 PM CDT TUE SEP 18 2007 NEZ011-012-016>018-030-031-191145- KNOX-CEDAR-ANTELOPE-PIERCE-WAYNE-BOONE-MADISON- 431 PM CDT TUE SEP 18 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH MIDNIGHT. HOWEVER SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...THEN AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT OR WEDNESDAY. IAZ043-NEZ015-032>034-042>044-050-051-065-066-078-088-089-191145- MONONA-THURSTON-STANTON-CUMING-BURT-PLATTE-COLFAX-DODGE-BUTLER- SAUNDERS-SEWARD-LANCASTER-SALINE-JEFFERSON-GAGE- 431 PM CDT TUE SEP 18 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL IOWA...EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA...NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING. SOME OF THOSE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO LIKELY. A COLD FRONT SWEEPING THROUGH THE AREA...COMBINED WITH A POTENT UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM...WILL PRODUCE THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS. AS THE COLD FRONT SHIFTS EAST LATE THIS EVENING...LINGERING SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...BUT SHOULD NOT BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY HERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...THEN AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING. IAZ055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ045-052-053-067-068-090>093- 191145- HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE- WASHINGTON-DOUGLAS-SARPY-CASS-OTOE-JOHNSON-NEMAHA-PAWNEE- RICHARDSON- 431 PM CDT TUE SEP 18 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA...EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. WHILE AN ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS IS POSSIBLE...WIDESPREAD SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING...AND EXIT SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA OVERNIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM NORTHEAST INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...BUT MORE STABLE AIR OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA...AS WELL AS SOUTHWEST IOWA...SHOULD LIMIT THE SEVERITY OF THE THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY MOVE WITH THE FRONT INTO THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY HERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...THEN AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT OR WEDNESDAY. DERGAN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
1236 PM CDT TUE SEP 18 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1107 PM TSTM WND GST NORFOLK 42.03N 97.42W
09/17/2007 E76 MPH MADISON NE ASOS
VERIFIED BY THE KARL STEFAN MEMORIAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY.
&&
JEKLISHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
1238 PM CDT TUE SEP 18 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1107 PM TSTM WND GST NORFOLK 42.03N 97.42W
09/17/2007 M76.00 MPH MADISON NE ASOS
VERIFIED BY THE KARL STEFAN MEMORIAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY.
&&
JEKLISHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
550 PM CDT TUE SEP 18 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0543 PM HAIL 6 SW MILFORD 40.71N 97.13W
09/18/2007 E0.75 INCH SEWARD NE PUBLIC
&&
SKThe Omaha radar (KOAX), 44 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:21 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at least at 60 mph broke large tree branches and downed a few old trees in town.
Six to eight inch diameter tree limbs were knocked down by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated around 60 mph.
Thunderstorm wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph downed numerous trees and large branches in town. The fallen trees caused power outages across town and some areas lost power for around 5 hours.
Thunderstorms winds knocked part of a tree onto a house.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at around 60 mph knocked a few large tree limbs onto power lines causing some brief power outages in town.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, September 2007
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: 49748, 49751, 49752, 49945, 55248.