Thunderstorms that developed ahead of a cold front in western Nebraska moved across eastern Nebraska during the late evening and overnight hours on May 22nd and May 23rd. Although most of the storms by the time they reached eastern Nebraska were not severe, an isolated thunderstorm did produce wind damage just northeast of Columbus.
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 episode as NWS OAX wrote it up.
Thunderstorms that developed ahead of a cold front in western Nebraska moved across eastern Nebraska during the late evening and overnight hours on May 22nd and May 23rd. Although most of the storms by the time they reached eastern Nebraska were not severe, an isolated thunderstorm did produce wind damage just northeast of Columbus.
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 May 22, 2:00 PM CST, 9 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 300 PM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. HAVE TAKEN THE FORECAST IN A SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT DIRECTION AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STALLS ACROSS OUR FORECAST AREA TOMORROW...INSTEAD OF 100 MILES TO THE SOUTH AND EAST AS PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS CURRENTLY LOCATED ACROSS CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...EXTENDING SOUTHWARD INTO WESTERN KANSAS. A SEVERE BOX HAS ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FOR THE NORTHERN EXTENT OF THE FORNT...AND A TORNADO BOX IS EXPECTED SOON FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FRONT...BUT ALL WEST OF OUR AREA. WOULD EXPECT STRONG CONVECTION TO FIRE ALONG FRONT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND THEN SLOWLY PUSH EAST OVERNIGHT...AFFECTING AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF KYKN TO KHJH THROUGH MIDNIGHT...THEN DRIFTING EAST INTO THE REMAINDER OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA OVERNIGHT. COULD SEE SOME HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...BUT NOT REALLY EXPECTING FLOODING THERE SINCE THEY HAVENT SEEN SO MUCH OF THE HEAVY RAIN OVER THE PREVIOUS TWO WEEKS. DUE TO THE TIMING OF THE FRONT INTO OUR AREA...AM NOT EXPECTING MUCH IN THE WAY OF SEVERE WEATHER OVERNIGHT EITHER. THE FRONT SHOULD THEN STALL ACROSS EASTERN NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST IOWA WEDNESDAY AND WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR LINGERING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY MORNING...THEN ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG SAID FRONT WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. AT THE SAME TIME...AN NEW JET MAX WILL MOVE OUT OF THE FOUR CORNERS REGION AND INDUCE CYCLOGENESIS ACROSS SOUTHWEST KANSAS TOMORROW NIGHT... MOVING NORTHEAST ALONG THE STALLED BOUNDARY INTO NORTHWEST IOWA BY THURSDAY MORNING. THIS WILL ALLOW SOME VERY HEAVY RAINS TO DEVELOP WEDNESDAY NIGHT...POSSIBLY IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES IN SOME AREAS... ESPECIALLY ACROSS EASTERN NEBRASKA AND WEST CENTRAL IOWA. WHILE WEVE BEEN DRY FOR SEVERAL DAYS NOW...THIS COULD LEAD TO SOME ISOLATED FLOODING IF THIS FORECAST PANS OUT. THOUGHT ABOUT ISSUING A FLOOD WATCH...BUT WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE 00Z MODEL RUN FOR CONSISTENCY...THUS FEEL WE COULD HOLD OFF UNTIL THE NEXT FORECAST FOR ANY HEADLINES AT THIS TIME. WILL ALSO HAVE TO WATCH OUT FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AS THE SPC HAS INCREASED THE CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK INTO THE MODERATE CATEGORY FOR THAT AREA ALSO. RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ENDING ON THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK ACROSS THE AREA. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY AS THE ATMOSPHERE RELOADS FOR THE NEXT FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED EARLY IN THE WEEKEND. .LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE EXTENDED FORECAST HINGES ON A FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT WILL BE MOVING INTO THE REGION SATURDAY. THEN HOW FAR SOUTH THE FRONT MOVES IS THE BIG QUESTION...AND WHEN AND WHERE ITS EXPECTED TO STALL. HAVE HIGH CHANCE POPS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY WITH THE FROPA...THEN HAVE JUST SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR SUNDAY AS WE REMAIN JUST NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. SAID BOUNDARY IS THEN FORECAST TO PUSH BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT ON MONDAY. COULD SEE SCATTERED STORMS AS IT MOVES NORTH...THEN IT APPEARS THAT THE FRONT WILL MOVE BACK SOUTH AS A COLD FRONT ON TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD ARE CENTERED AROUND THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...BUT GENERALLY IN THE LOWER TO MID 70S SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS WE REMAIN NORTH OF THE FRONT...BUT THEN BACK INTO THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S AS THE FRONT MOVES BACK NORTH. && .AVIATION... SCT/BKN VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO CONT THRU THE AFTN. LITTLE CHC FOR -SHRA IN THE TERMINALS THIS AFTN WITH CDFNT WELL TO THE WEST. MAY SEE SOME DECREASE IN CU FIELD THIS EVNG HEATING DIMINISHES SOME...BUT THEN WOULD EXPECT CLDS TO AGAIN FILL IN AFTR 06Z IN ALL THREE TAF SITES AS LO LVL WAA INCREASES WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LO LVL JET AND LOWERING COND PRES DEF. TSRA SHLD DVLP OVR N-CNTRL NEB INTO SE SD LATE THIS AFTN AND THIS TEND TO WORK IN TO THE KOFK TERMINAL AFTER 04Z...BUT OTHERWISE HAVE EXCLUDED THE THUNDER MENTION FOR KLNK/KOMA THRU 18Z. SFC FNT...LIKELY DRIVEN BY CONVECTION OVR CNTRL NEB TONIGHT IS EXPECTED TO ALLOW WINDS TO BECOME MORE WEST ON WED MRNG BEFORE BACKING AS NEXT SHRTWV REDEVELOPS THE FNT TO OUR WEST IN THE AFNT. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && DEWALD/BOUSTEAD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 526 PM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-231230- MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT- PAGE-KNOX-CEDAR-THURSTON-ANTELOPE-PIERCE-WAYNE-BOONE-MADISON- STANTON-CUMING-BURT-PLATTE-COLFAX-DODGE-WASHINGTON-BUTLER- SAUNDERS-DOUGLAS-SARPY-SEWARD-LANCASTER-CASS-OTOE-SALINE- JEFFERSON-GAGE-JOHNSON-NEMAHA-PAWNEE-RICHARDSON- 526 PM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT OVER CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND CENTRAL KANSAS ARE EXPECTED TO STAY MOSTLY WEST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THROUGH MID EVENING. HOWEVER...LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA AS THE FRONT MOVES A BIT FARTHER EAST AND AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE LIFTS INTO EASTERN MONTANA. EVEN THOUGH THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO SLIGHTLY MORE STABLE AIR AND SHOULD WEAKEN SOME...ISOLATED STORMS COULD PRODUCE MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS. THE AREA AT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS TO BE WEST OF A BEATRICE TO WAYNE LINE. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON NEAR THE COLD FRONT THAT SHOULD STALL OUT OVER SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. THERE IS A HIGHER CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER FROM LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING AS INSTABILITY AND CONVERGENCE INCREASES NEAR THIS BOUNDARY. ISOLATED TORNADOES ALONG WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF AN OMAHA TO COLUMBUS LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY SEVERE STORMS PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND HEAVY RAIN REMAIN POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY OVER FAR EASTERN NEBRASKA. HOWEVER...BY MIDNIGHT THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT WOULD APPEAR TO SHIFT TOWARD VERY HEAVY RAIN. THE WEATHER PATTERN THROUGH THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND LOOKS SOMEWHAT UNSETTLED WITH VARYING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. AT THIS TIME...FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY SEEM TO HAVE THE HIGHEST THUNDERSTORM CHANCES... ALTHOUGH A STORM OR TWO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT LATE SUNDAY OR ON MEMORIAL DAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ALTHOUGH ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT OVER THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA...STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL PROBABLY NOT BE REQUIRED. THERE IS AN INCREASING CHANCE OF ACTIVATION...HOWEVER...FROM LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF A COLUMBUS TO OMAHA LINE. CHERMOK
The Omaha radar (KOAX), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:46 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at close to 60 mph caused significant damage to an abandoned trailer and did some tree and sign damage for about 1 mile long and 1 block wide on the northeast side of town.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, May 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: 23115.