Thunderstorms in the southern Nebraska Panhandle caused wind damage in Deuel and southern Garden Counties as they moved east.
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 LBF wrote it up.
Thunderstorms in the southern Nebraska Panhandle caused wind damage in Deuel and southern Garden Counties as they moved east.
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 May 21, 1:22 PM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 322 PM CDT WED MAY 21 2008 ...FORECAST CHALLENGES ARE PRECIPITATION AND SEVERE CHANCES... .SYNOPSIS...STRONG SURFACE LOW PRESSURE OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE...AND AN INVERTED TROF FROM DENVER TO CHEYENNE NOTED THIS AFTERNOON. STRONG SERLY WINDS CONTINUE ACROSS THE WRN CWA ATTM...BUT ARE BELOW ADVZY CRITERIA...SO WILL CANCEL THIS AT FCST ISSUANCE. ABUNDANT MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS HAS HELD DOWN TEMPS THIS AFTERNOON AND HAS INHIBITED CONVECTION ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. TEMPERATURES AT 3 PM CDT...WERE IN THE 70S. .DISCUSSION... .NEAR TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)...MAIN FORECASTING CHALLENGE IS SEVERE POTENTIAL EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. FOR TONIGHT...SEVERE POTENTIAL WILL BE IN THE WEST EARLY...THEN IN THE SOUTHEAST OVERNIGHT. FOR THIS EVENING...ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE FRONT RANGES OF COLORADO AND WYOMING WILL LIFT NNEWD INTO THE PANHANDLE THIS EVENING. WITH SURFACE LOW PRESSURE OVER NRN COLORADO...STRONG TURNING OF THE LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL BE AMPLE ENOUGH FOR SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS. NOT TOO EXCITED ABOUT THE TORNADO THREAT IN OUR WRN ZONES HOWEVER...AS DEW POINTS ARE IN THE 40S...LEADING TO A MARGINALLY MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER AND HIGH LCLS. FURTHER SOUTH THE NAM THIS MORNING...IS INDICATING SOME CONVECTIVE INITIATION OVER SERN COLORADO AND SWRN KS EARLY THIS EVENING. IF THIS ACTIVITY CAN SUSTAIN ITSELF...IT WILL APPROACH THE WRN CWA AROUND DUSK. SIMILAR TO FRONT RANGE CONVECTION...MARGINALLY MOIST AIR MASS FAVORS LARGE HAIL AND WINDS VS. TORNADOES. HIGH CLOUDINESS TO THE SOUTHWEST SEEMS TO BE A LIMITING FACTOR TO CONVECTIVE CLOUDINESS OVER NERN COLORADO ATTM...AS CU FORMATION IS WELL SOUTH ACROSS SWRN COLORADO. AFTER DARK...STRONG MID LEVEL WAA IS EXPECTED TO INITIATE TSRAS OVER PORTIONS OF KS LATE. AIDED BY A 40+ KT LOW LEVEL JET...CONVECTION WILL SUSTAIN ITSELF AS IT MOVES INTO CENTRAL AND ERN NEBRASKA. HAIL IS THE MAIN THREAT WITH THESE TSRAS AS THE STORMS WILL BE ELEVATED IN NATURE. SHIFTING TO THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...FOR THURSDAY...SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL INTENSIFY ACROSS NERN COLORADO...WITH A SURFACE WARM FRONT AND DRY LINE EXTENDING ESE OF THIS FEATURE INTO NWRN KS. BOTH THE NAM AND GFS SOLNS THIS MORNING ARE INDICATING ENOUGH MIXING AND BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...TO BREAK THE CAP...PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHWESTERN ZONES...EXTENDING INTO NRN KS. STRONG SHEAR AND SHARP TURNING OF THE WINDS IN THE LOW LEVELS...WILL BE VERY FAVORABLE FOR SUPER CELLS...WITH TORNADOES POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT AND WITHIN 20 TO 40 MILES NORTH OF THE FRONT. THIS WILL PLACE THE GREATEST SEVERE THREAT ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80...WITH THE BEST TORNADO THREAT ALONG A LINE FROM CHAPPELL...TO WALLACE...TO STOCKVILLE. MODERATE RISK ALREADY HOISTED FOR FRONTIER...HAYES AND SRN LINCOLN COUNTY AND LOOKS VERY REASONABLE GIVEN THE LL MOISTURE PROFILE. FURTHER WEST AND NORTH...OFF OF THE BOUNDARY...STRATUS WILL BE THICK ON THURSDAY AND CAPPING INVERSION WILL BE TOO STRONG FOR INITIATION. IN THESE AREAS...LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS AS UPPR LVL WINDS CARRY CONVECTION NWD. A SIMILAR SETUP EXISTS FOR FRIDAY...ONLY SLIGHTLY FURTHER EAST AND NORTH. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM DEVELOP A DRY LINE AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY FROM ANTIOCH TO HAYES CENTER. WITH INITIATION ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...BEST TORNADO THREAT WILL BE FURTHER NORTH ACROSS LINCOLN...KEITH...GARDEN AND ARTHUR COUNTIES...WITH VERY LARGE HAIL POSSIBLE AS WELL. 0-2 KM HELICITIES...EVEN THOUGH LOWER THAN WHAT IS FORECAST FOR THURSDAY...ARE IMPRESSIVE AT 500M2/S2 FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT LBF. .LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)...MAIN FORECASTING CHALLENGES DEAL WITH POPS AND TEMPERATURES NEXT WEEK. MODEL SOLUTIONS ARE DIVERGING SOME NEXT WEEK WITH THE DEMISE OF THE WRN TROF. THE ECMWF AND GFS LIFT A LARGE CHUNK OF THE WRN TROF NE ON SUNDAY NIGHT PHASING THIS WITH A COLD CANADIAN TROF. THE TWO MEET OVER THE DAKOTAS...WITH A LARGE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING SOUTH...WELL INTO THE SRN PLAINS BY MONDAY. BOTH THE ECMWF SOLUTIONS AGREE ON THIS SOLUTION WITH THE CANADIAN CONFINING THE HIGH PRESSURE TO THE DAKOTAS. THE DEGREE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE KEY TO PRECIPITATION CHANCES NEXT WEEK. IF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVERHEAD (PER THE ECMWF AND GFS SOLUTIONS)...PRECIPITATION WILL BE SHUNTED SOUTH INTO KANSAS. IF THE CANADIAN VERIFIES...WET CONDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS SRN NEBR. DUE TO DISAGREEMENT...WILL LEAVE SOME LOW POPS IN THE FCST FOR NOW. DID COOL TEMPS OFF SOME FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE AND COOL CANADIAN AIR BUILDS SOUTH. TEMPS WILL MODERATE ON WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVE EAST...ALLOWING SRLY FLOW AND LL WAA TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE SRN AND CENTRAL PLAINS. && AVIATION... VFR AND WINDY CONDITIONS CONTINUE THIS EVENING...WITH LOWER MVFR CIGS TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL STRENGTHEN ACROSS EASTERN CO OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WITH GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS SLOWLY VEERING TO ESE BY TOMORROW. OVERNIGHT THE GUSTINESS MAY SUBSIDE SOME...HOWEVER WINDS GENERALLY TO REMAIN AOA 20KTS. THE SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL USHER IN GULF MOISTURE AND RESULT IN LOW CLOUDS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE REGION. KLBF WILL SEE IMPACT OF MVFR CLOUDS FIRST...SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. MVFR CLOUDS EXPECTED TO SPREAD NORTH REACHING KVTN CLOSER TO SUNRISE. CONFIDENCE OF MVFR CLOUDS DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT ARE HIGH...HOWEVER THE HEIGHT IS STILL IN QUESTION. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR OVERNIGHT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF IFR AND POSSIBLY LIFR CIGS. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY TOMORROW...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA. ALSO THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE FOR ELEVATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOP OVERNIGHT...HOWEVER LIMITED COVERAGE TO PROHIBIT MENTION IN TAFS ATTM. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE .AVIATION...MASEK .SHORT AND LONG TERM...BUTTLER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 351 PM CDT WED MAY 21 2008 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-222100- 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- 351 PM CDT WED MAY 21 2008 /251 PM MDT WED MAY 21 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN IN EASTERN COLORADO TONIGHT...DRAWING GULF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. A LEAD IMPULSE FROM AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE CENTRAL ROCKIES WILL CAUSE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND ADJACENT HIGH PLAINS THIS EVENING. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY DRIFT INTO THE EASTERN PANHANDLE...WEST OF HIGHWAY 61. OVERNIGHT ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. A FEW OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY BRIEFLY CONTAIN HAIL UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH AND GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. ON THURSDAY...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST WESTERN...WITH A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REST OF SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. A SURFACE LOW OVER EASTERN COLORADO WITH A SURFACE FRONT LOCATED ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA IS FORECAST WHILE A DRY LINE WILL EXTEND SOUTH ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS. THE THREAT FOR VERY LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT...ESPECIALLY NEAR AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. LISTEN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ON FRIDAY...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND SURFACE FRONT WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA. THE THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA...WITH THE MAIN FOCUS LOCATED ALONG AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 83. AS THE LARGE STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO ROTATE ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES...THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR DAILY FOR THE WEEKEND INTO MONDAY. MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS LEADING TO A PATTERN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT...HOWEVER SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND AGAIN ON FRIDAY. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE MASEK
The North Platte radar (KLNX), 166 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:51 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm outflow winds tore an awning off a house.
Thunderstorm outflow winds tore a roof off a hay shed, destroyed and damaged grain bins, broke off four power poles, uprooted trees, and tore rain gutters off a house.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, May 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: 92983, 92996, 92998.