A tight surface pressure gradient developed as a strong low pressure system moved into Western Iowa. This resulted in strong northwest winds of 40 mph with gusts of 55 to 65 mph.
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.
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 LBF wrote it up.
A tight surface pressure gradient developed as a strong low pressure system moved into Western Iowa. This resulted in strong northwest winds of 40 mph with gusts of 55 to 65 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 North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 18, 1:43 AM MST, 9 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 343 AM CDT THU OCT 18 2007 .SYNOPSIS... SURFACE LOW POSITIONED NEAR COLUMBUS NEBRASKA AT 06Z WILL LIFT NORTHEAST INTO WESTERN IOWA THIS MORNING. THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE RAPIDLY NORTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN MIDWEST LEAVING IN ITS WAKE STRONG WINDS ACROSS THE WESTERN PLAINS. && .DISCUSSION... IN THE NEAR TERM A PROGRESSIVE PATTERN WILL BRING SYSTEMS THROUGH THE PLAINS AT INTERVALS AROUND 48 HOURS. THE STRONG DIGGING JETSTREAMS ACROSS THE WEST WILL PROVIDE MORE FAVORABLE MOISTURE RETURN WITH SYSTEMS TO THE EAST AS MOISTURE AVAILABILITY FOR THE WEST WILL BE HINDERED UNLESS SYSTEMS SLOW. FOR TODAY THE FORECAST CHALLENGE IS WINDS. MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO LIFT OUT TODAY WITH WINDS NOT AS STRONG AS IN PREVIOUS RUNS. WIND ADVISORY POSTED THROUGH 7 PM FOR ALL BUT EASTERN FOUR ZONES WITH WINDS TO INCREASE BY 15Z TO ADVISORY CRITERIA. H85 WINDS FORECASTED TO 45 KNOTS WITH UNIDIRECTIONAL WINDS ACROSS THE WEST TO HELP IN MIXING STRONGER WINDS DOWN TO THE SURFACE. EASTERN FOUR ZONES WILL NEED TO BE WATCH IN THE EVENT SYSTEM DEEPENS MORE THAN ADVERTISED ATTM. THE TROUGH OF WARM AIR ALOFT WILL SHIFT EASTWARD BY NOON WITH THE H5 COLD POOL DIPPING ACROSS FORECAST AREA IN THE AFTERNOON WITH ANY CLEARING TO LIKELY FILL BACK IN ACROSS THE WEST WITH MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES MAINTAINED THROUGH AFTERNOON. THE COLD AIR ALOFT WILL STEEPEN LAPSE RATE FOR CONTINUED SCATTERED SHOWERS THROUGH THE DAY AND AREAL COVERAGE DIMINISHING AT OR SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET. TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS EAST WITH WEAK RIDGING ACROSS THE WEST TO PUSH EASTWARD. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP UNDER CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OVERNIGHT FOR READINGS NEAR FREEZING ACROSS THE WEST RANGING TO AROUND 40 NORTH CENTRAL. FRIDAY HIGH AND DRY AS THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS EAST AND INCREASING ZONAL FLOW AT THE MID LEVELS TO BRING H85 THERMAL RIDGE EAST THROUGH SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL TREND UPWARDS WITH NEXT SYSTEM TO ARRIVE SATURDAY NIGHT. GULF MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE LIMITED WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM AS A FRONTAL SYSTEM ALONG THE GULF STATES COASTLINE WILL IMPEDE GOOD MOISTURE RETURN AS THE SYSTEM MOVES SOUTHEAST INTO SUNDAY MORNING. FOR NOW SEE BEST CHANCE FOR RAINFALL TO BE ACROSS THE FAR NORTHWEST AS UPSLOPE WINDS AND TERRAIN TO PROVIDE BETTER CHANCE FOR SHOWERS. BY SUNDAY EVENING THE FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BE WELL SOUTHEAST WITH RIDGING ACROSS THE WEST ALREADY TAKING SHAPE FOR DRY EXTENDED FORECAST. && .AVIATION... IFR CONDITIONS TO PERSIST OVER NORTHERN NEBRASKA THROUGH THE DAY DUE TO VISIBILITIES AND LOW CEILINGS WITH SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS MOVING SOUTH ACROSS KVTN. FURTHER SOUTH STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS TO DEVELOP ON THE BACKSIDE OF THIS SYSTEM WITH MVFR...IFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE MORNING...MAINLY CEILINGS...AND IMPROVING TO MVFR CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM CDT /6 AM MDT/ THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING FOR NEZ004>006-008-009-022>027-035>038- 056>059-069>071-094. && KECK/POWER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 530 AM CDT THU OCT 18 2007 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-191030- SHERIDAN-EASTERN CHERRY-KEYA PAHA-BOYD-BROWN-ROCK-HOLT-GARDEN- GRANT-HOOKER-THOMAS-BLAINE-LOUP-GARFIELD-WHEELER-ARTHUR-MCPHERSON- LOGAN-CUSTER-DEUEL-KEITH-PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER- WESTERN CHERRY- 530 AM CDT THU OCT 18 2007 /430 AM MDT THU OCT 18 2007/ ...WIND ADVISORY TODAY FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP TODAY ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA ON THE BACKSIDE OF A POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM EXITING THE REGION. NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY TO 25 TO 40 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH IN OPEN AREAS POSSIBLE. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED TODAY FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BOYD...HOLT...GARFIELD AND WHEELER COUNTIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE POWER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong northwest winds of 40 mph with gusts to 58 mph occurred across Deuel County between 11 am and 1 pm MST.
Strong northwest winds of 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph occurred across Arthur County between noon and 2 pm CST.
Strong northwest winds of 40 mph with gusts to 59 mph occurred across Chase County between noon and 2 pm CST.
Strong northwest winds of 40 mph with gusts to 58 mph occurred across Chase County between noon and 2 pm CST.
Strong northwest winds of 40 mph with gusts in excess of 50 mph occurred across Keith County between noon and 2 pm CST.
Strong northwest winds of 40 mph with gusts up to 62 mph occurred across Garden County between noon and 2 pm CST.
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, October 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: 61552, 61551, 61553, 61554, 61555, 61556.