A low pressure center that stalled over northeast Colorado and the associated warm front across northern Kansas resulted in showers and thunderstorms into southwest Nebraska May 23, 2008. The persistent southeast surface wind flow provided deep moisture across southwest Nebraska that fueled training thunderstorms resulting in increased runoff from saturated ground and flash flooding.
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.
A low pressure center that stalled over northeast Colorado and the associated warm front across northern Kansas resulted in showers and thunderstorms into southwest Nebraska May 23, 2008. The persistent southeast surface wind flow provided deep moisture across southwest Nebraska that fueled training thunderstorms resulting in increased runoff from saturated ground and flash flooding. In addition, thunderstorms developing in an unstable atmosphere produced isolated large hail.
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 23, 2:44 AM CST, 4 hours 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 344 AM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008 .DISCUSSION... LARGE ANOMALOUS LOW CONTINUES TO SPIN ACROSS WESTERN CONUS IN BLOCKY PATTERN WITH HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGES ON EACH SIDE OF THIS LOW ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA AND OTHER LOW CENTERS NEAR NEW ENGLAND AND THE ALUETIANS. FINAL PIECE OF THIS PUZZLE IS HIGH LAT ENERGY BEGINNING TO DROP SOUTHWARD OUT OF ARTIC CIRCLE AND LOOKS LIKE IT WILL HELP PUSH EASTERN LOW OUT AS WESTERN LOW WEAKENS SOMEWHAT AS REX BLOCK LOOKS TO SET UP ACROSS WESTERN NA INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. LAST BIG FEATURE ON NA WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS STRONG JET DIVING ON BACK SIDE OF THE WESTERN LOW...WHICH LOOKS TO REFORM ON EASTERN SIDE THIS EVENING AND LEAD TO ANOTHER BUSY DAY ACROSS THE HIGH AND CENTRAL PLAINS. RADAR MOSAIC REMAINS BUSY WITH LARGE SHIELD OF PCPN ROTATING INTO MO VALLEY AND CENTRAL SDAKT. NEW CONVECTION FIRING ACROSS WESTERN KS ATTM AND THIS IS DRIFTING NNW TOWARD SOUTHERN CWA. NUMEROUS SHORT TERM MODELS GUIDANCE SHOWS THIS ARE OF PCPN WORKING INTO SOUTHERN CWA THROUGH MID MORNING AND WILL HAVE HIGHEST POPS IN TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. THIS SEEMS TO BE AREA OF ELEVATED WAA AHEAD OF CURVED JET ROTATING INTO EASTERN COLORADO ATTM. MAIN CONCERN...ASSUMING THIS MORNING CONVECTION DOES NOT ALTER THE MAIN PLAN...IS FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF SIGNIFICANT WX THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS WESTERN AND SOUTHERN CWA. STRONG SHEAR REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION WITH STRONG ADVECTIONS OF MOISTURE AND LIFT CONTINUING IN THIS PATTERN AS WELL. SFC ANALYSIS AT 6Z HAD MAIN SFC LOW IN TX PANHANDLE WITH SECONDARY LOW ACROSS SE COLORADO. DRY LINE CONTINUES TO PUSH WESTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS...BUT STILL IN PLACE ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO...AND LOOKING TO FINALLY PUSH WEST OF GLD. THESE LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO MERGE INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO BY MID AFTERNOON AND ENHANCE FRONT ACROSS SE WYOMING INTO NW KS. EXACT POSITION BETWEEN THESE TWO POINTS IS PROBLEM OF THE DAY WITH NAM AND GFS NOT IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT...WITH LAST FEW RUNS OF SREF LEANING TOWARD GFS. WILL LEAN THINKING THIS WAY WITH SFC LOW NEAR FT MORGAN WITH WARM FRONT ARCING INTO FAR CORNER OF SW NEB AND DRY LINE NOT FAR BEHIND. MINIMAL CIN BY LATE AFTERNOON AND SHEAR PARAMETERS SHOWING STRONG LLVL TURNING AND EXPECT LIKE YESTERDAY THAT STORMS WILL QUICKLY ROTATE AND MOVE OFF TO THE NNW. BUFKIT HODOGRAPHS/PROFILES SHOWING RIGHT MOVING STILL THE DOMINANT SUPERCELL THAT WILL MOVE ALMOST STRAIGHT NORTH AT NEARLY 35KTS. NEEDLESS TO SAY MODERATE RISK WITH TORNDOES MORE A THREAT IN OUR CWA THAN YESTERDAY. OTHER CONCERN IS HEAVY RAIN FROM YESTERDAY ACROSS SW CWA. HYDROGRAPHS OF SEVERAL CREEKS HAVE SHOWN RAPID RISES AND REPORTS OF STANDING WATER ACROSS NUMEROUS PLACES. FEEL ADDITIONAL RAINFALL COULD CAUSE SOME PROBLEMS...AND AGAIN PROFILES SHOW FAIRLY DECENT PW CONTENT AND ELONGATED CAPE PROFILE WITH BORDERLINE WARM CLOUD DEPTHS. SO FEEL WATCH IS NOT OUT OF QUESTION AND HAVE PLACE IN FOR TODAY WITH CURRENT CONVECTION MOVING THIS WAY INTO EARLY MORNING HOURS FOR ADDITIONAL THREAT LATER. SATURDAY THE STRONGER RIDGE OVER CENTRAL CANADA IS BREAKING DOWN WITH ARRIVING HIGH LAT WAVE AND THIS LOOKS TO ALLOW SFC HIGH TO PROGRESS INTO NW HIGH PLAINS WITH LEE TRF ACROSS WESTERN NEB IN THE AFTERNOON. FOCUS LOOKS TO SHIFT INTO MAINLY EASTERN CWA AS DRIER AIR LOOKS TO INFILTRATE WESTERN NEBRASKA. MODELS DRIER ON SUNDAY AND TRENDED TO THIS IN CURRENT FCST. && .AVIATION... WIDESPREAD STRATUS SHIELD ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA IN WAKE OF DEPARTED MCS. WILL KEEP LIFR CONDITIONS FOR KLBF THROUGH 12Z AND INCREASE TO IFR 12-16Z...THEN MVFR GRADUALLY GOING TO VFR BY AROUND 21Z. KVTN LOOKS TO BE STUCK IN IFR CIGS TODAY. STRONG EAST WINDS AGAIN TODAY AT 23G30KTS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN NWRN KS WILL BRING CHC FOR OFF AN ON TSRA FOR KLBF TODAY BEFORE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THREATEN KLBF WITH VSBY AS LOW AS 1SM IN +TSRAGS FROM LATE THIS AFTN AND EVENING WITH ENHANCED GUSTS NEAR TSRA. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD EVENTUALLY MOVE INTO KVTN BY MID EVENING. LIFR CIGS ARE LIKELY TO SET IN FOR BOTH TAF SITES AFT 06Z SAT IN WAKE OF SYSTEM. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR NEZ038-057>059-069>071. && 13/KAR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 612 AM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-241130- 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- 612 AM CDT FRI MAY 23 2008 /512 AM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008/ ...AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LIKELY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED ACROSS AREAS GENERALLY SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 2 THIS MORNING. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OCCUR CAUSING FLASH FLOODING DUE TO BRIEF INTENSE RAINFALL ON ALREADY SATURATED GROUND. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL BECOME SITUATED IN EXTREME NORTHEAST COLORADO LATE THIS AFTERNOON. A WARM FRONT WILL EXTEND EAST FROM CHAPPELL IN DEUEL COUNTY...THROUGH GRANT IN PERKINS COUNTY...AND HAYES CENTER IN HAYES COUNTY. THIS WILL BE A FOCUS FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE THROUGH SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA BY LATE AFTERNOON. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LISCO IN GARDEN COUNTY...THROUGH NORTH PLATTE AND BRADY IN LINCOLN COUNTY. LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXTEND AS FAR NORTH AS A VALENTINE THROUGH EWING LINE WHERE LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT. ANOTHER CONCERN WILL BE FOR FLASH FLOODING ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA WHERE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT. RECENT HEAVY RAINS AND THE LIKELIHOOD FOR INTENSE RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME COULD EASILY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING. RESIDENTS RESIDING IN THE MODERATE RISK AREA SHOULD BE ON A HIGH STATE OF ALERT LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES AND TO LISTEN TO RADIO...TELEVISION...AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR POSSIBLE WATCHES...WARNINGS...AND STATEMENTS LATER TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. AS THE LARGE STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO ROTATE ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES...THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR DAILY INTO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. 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 DUE TO ALREADY SATURATED GROUND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN PANHANDLE AND SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE KAR
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:39 UTC.
6 hail, 3 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Slow moving and training thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall with storm totals ranging from 7 to 8.14 inches. Law enforcement reported a large number of road closures due to water over county roads or roads being roads.
The Lincoln County Emergency Manager reported several county roads due to heavy rain and flash flooding. The roads closures included Effenbeck Road, the Brady-Moorefield Road, Fox Creek Road, and Cut Creek Road in east central and southeast Lincoln County.
Thunderstorm outflow winds bent a fiberglass light pole on the southwest side of North Platte, broke off 10 inch diameter tree limbs, and tore siding off a home. As the storm moved northeast of town, it tore siding and shingles off a home north of the airport.
Heavy rain from thunderstorms caused flash flooding to roads on the west side of Chappell and to roads near the fairgrounds. Lodgepole Creek flowed out of its banks and caused lowland flooding.
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: 93017, 93047, 93050, 93042, 94016, 94018, 100476, 94019, 94020, 94015.