Thunderstorms developed along an area of low pressure that extended northeast across southwest Nebraska by late afternoon. The thunderstorms initially produced a landspout tornado and large hail, but then transitioned into damaging winds as they moved eastward.
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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 LBF wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed along an area of low pressure that extended northeast across southwest Nebraska by late afternoon. The thunderstorms initially produced a landspout tornado and large hail, but then transitioned into damaging winds as they moved eastward.
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 14, 12:58 PM MST, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 258 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2008 .DISCUSSION... SURFACE CONVERGENCE FOCUSED NEAR A LINE FROM OGALLALA THROUGH STAPLETON AND BASSETT EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. LARGE SCALE ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACH OF MID LVL DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH SERN WY/NCTRL CO ATTM WILL BE A FOCUS FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED TSTM DEVELOPMENT AFTER 21Z. 35-45 KT OF 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR...SUGGESTS THAT A FEW OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AS WELL AS DAMAGING SFC WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. MOISTURE TRANSPORT WILL PERSIST NEAR AND SOUTH OF BOUNDARY AS A 40 KT LLJ DEVELOPS ACROSS SRN NEBR. THE INFLUX OF MOISTURE ALONG WITH CONVERGENCE ON THE NOSE OF THE LLJ APPEAR TO FAVOR POSSIBLE MCS DEVELOPMENT FOR AREAS SOUTH OF HIGHWAYS 91 AND 2/ AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 83. HIGHEST POPS HAVE BEEN SHIFTED FURTHER SOUTHEAST THAN PREVIOUS FCST. A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH TO NEAR THE NEBR/SD BORDER BY 00Z WED. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL RISE A COUPLE DEGREES FROM TODAY INTO THE MID 90S. S/W RIDGING AND MID LVL WARMING WILL EFFECTIVELY CAP THE ATMOS ACROSS THE SERN HALF OF FA DURING LATE AFTN...AS ISOLATED TSTM REMAIN POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST. DURING TUESDAY NIGHT...THE FOCUS FOR A NOCTURNAL MCS IS FAVORABLE IN NCTRL NEBR (MOST LIKELY CONGEALING IN CHERRY AND BROWN COUNTY) AIDED AGAIN BY LLVL JET...PROPAGATING TO THE SOUTHEAST PER CORFIDI VECTOR AND THKNS DIFLUENCE. POPS NEAR 30 PECENT PORTIONS OF NCTRL NEBR. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON POTENTIALLY LOOKS TO BE THE WARMEST DAY...DUE TO MORE MID LEVEL WARMING. USING H7 TEMPS AT OR BELOW 13C AS A REFERENCE FOR WHERE LONGER SUSTAINED UPDRAFTS MAY OCCUR...INDICATED SLIGHTLY COOLER AREA NEAR SFC BOUNDARY ACROSS FAR NRN NEBR EAST OF CODY NEBR IN CHERRY COUNTY. THIS WILL BE THE FAVORED AREA FOR A SMALL MCS. POPS NEAR 30 PERCENT FOR FAR NRN NEBR. BEST TSTM CHC WILL FOCUS ON THUR AFTN THROUGH THUR NIGHT. MID LEVEL COOLING CAUSED BY S/V THROUGH AND H7 TEMPS COOLING TO NEAR OR BELOW 13C FOR MOST OF FORECAST AREA IS SUGGESTIVE OF MORE WIDESPREAD SUSTAINED UPDRAFTS. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUED PEAK OUT NEAR 1.75 TO 2 INCHES NEAR AND NORTH OF SFC FRONT. GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVER WEATHER INCLUDING LG HAIL...WIND DMG AND EVEN FLASH FLOOD WILL BE PRESENT THURSDAY AFTN AND THUR NIGHT. SUBSIDENCE BEHIND THIS SYSTEM AND WEAK RIDGING DEVELOPING OVER THE HIGH PLAINS BY FRIDAY NIGHT IS SUGGESTIVE OF MAINLY A SLIGHT CHC FOR TSTMS FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A COOLDOWN INTO THE UPPER 80S FRIDAY WILL BRING A WARMUP BACK INTO THE LOWER AND MID 90S BY SUNDAY. THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON WHETHER A COLD FRONT WILL PASS ACROSS SUNDAY NIGHT WITH COOLER MONDAY. FOR NOW FOLLOWED HPC TEMPS WITH UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S FOLLOWED. && .AVIATION... STRONG MOISTURE RETURN TO WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND STRONG HEATING WILL LEAD TO SCATTERED CONVECTION OVER THE AREA DURING THE EVENING HOURS...POSSIBLY CONTINUING INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. CONDITIONS NEAR THESE STORMS MAY DROP INTO THE MVFR CATEGORY DUE TO LIMITED VSBYS IN THE RAIN SHOWERS. WINDS AND HAILS WILL BE THREATS TO LIGHT AIRCRAFT NEAR THESE STORMS AS WELL. THE ADDED MOISTURE TO THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE COMBINED WITH AREAS OF RAINFALL MAY LEAD TO THE PRODUCTION OF STRATUS ACROSS WESTERN NEBRASKA BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN PLACEMENT AND COVERAGE TO PLACE IN TAF FORECASTS. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && ROBERG/13
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 335 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2008 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-152045- 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- 335 PM CDT MON JUL 14 2008 /235 PM MDT MON JUL 14 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A RETURN OF MOISTURE TO PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA COMBINED WITH STRONG HEATING HAS ALLOWED THE ATMOSPHERE TO BECOME MODERATELY UNSTABLE. AS A RESULT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED THROUGH AT LEAST THE LATE EVENING HORUS...A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREATS. THE MAIN AREA OF CONCERN WILL BE ALONG AND EAST OF A BIG SPRINGS TO THEDFORD TO SPRINGVIEW LINE. THESE STORMS SHOULD TRACK TO THE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE LATE EVENING AND MAY PERSIST INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM HEAVY RAINFALL...THROUGH ISOLATED REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A WEAK STATIONARY FRONT WILL WAFFLE NORTH AND SOUTH THROUGH NEBRASKA AND PARTS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS PROVIDING FOCUS FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE AND PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...WIND DAMAGE AND INTENSE RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LBF(ALL LOWERCASE) 13
The Goodland radar (KGLD), 167 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:36 UTC.
9 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A landspout tornado touched down over open pasture and moved very little throughout the 42 minutes it was on the ground. Because of the high cloud bases, the landspout tornado was seen by numerous people.
The winds brought down large tree branches throughout North Platte. The frame of a new pharmacy being built near the hospital collapsed in the wind. Corn crops were also damaged.
Winds of 60 MPH also accompanied the hail.
Wind gusts of 50 mph accompanied the hail.
Nickel size hail covered the ground.
The winds tore shingles off the roof of a home.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 2008Warnings in Nebraska, July 2008
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: 121658, 121668, 121682, 121685, 121686, 121667, 124266, 121666, 121665, 124267, 121674, 121687, 121663, 121664, 121677.