Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Nebraska, May 29 to 31, 2008

Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 to 70 mph blew over a large propane tank near Boone and damaged farm outbuildings at several farmsteads. Large tree limbs were also downed in the area which blocked Highway 39 for a while. At least 6 center pivots were flipped in the general area.

Emergency Management estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of around 60 mph between Cedar Rapids and Saint Edwards. The strong winds caused scattered tree damage in the Cedar Rapids area.

Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph overturned 9 center pivots near Monroe and also caused scattered tree damage in the area.

Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph downed numerous tree limbs and a few trees in the Scribner area. The corner of a roof of a chemical building was also severely damaged.

Rainfall of 2 to 3 inches produced areas of flash flooding from around Cedar Rapids east across Highway 14 south of Albion then to near Boone. Debris from the flooding briefly closed Highway 14 with other flooding observed along River Road near Cedar Rapids and the Highway spur into Boone. Flash flooding also closed Highway 32 east of Petersburg for a while and several county roads also experienced flooding which not only closed them this evening, but also washed out their approaches.

The tornado caused tree damage to two farmsteads east of Winslow, which is in Dodge county, and destroyed half of a machine shed. Tree and outbuilding damage was also noted at a church parsonage along its path. The damage path was fairly narrow, generally 25 yards or less.

Heavy rain produced flash flooding along Tracy Creek near Humphrey which flooded across Highway 91.

A brief tornado touchdown was observed by spotters and relayed by the communication center in Seward county. The tornado touched down in open country northeast of Beaver Crossing. According to The Milford Times, a dairy farm north of Beaver Crossing sustained damage when a hay shed was lifted up and flipped onto another shed, but it was unclear whether the damage was due to the tornado or from high winds that spread across the county later in the evening in advance of thunderstorms to the south. This brief tornado was from the same super-cell thunderstorm that spawned several larger tornadoes along Interstate 80 from Kearney through Aurora earlier that night.

Thunderstorm wind gusts, which were estimated at close to 60 mph, downed a few large tree limbs in Lyons which downed a power line and broke a power pole.

Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph in the David City area. The strong winds were from a super-cell thunderstorm that had produced several tornadoes to the west.

Thunderstorm winds of 60 to 70 mph, that were reported by a trained spotter, could have been the rear flank downdraft winds of a tornado that briefly touched down in the area.

Thunderstorm wind gusts, which were measured at 70 mph by the Asos at the Tekamah airport, toppled a garage and knocked down trees, power lines and a few power poles causing areas of damage around the Tekamah area.

A brief tornado touchdown flipped a center irrigation pivot, snapped a few high tension power poles and destroyed a shed and barn a few miles east of Herman.

Heavy rain flooded across Highway 77 near Oakland prompting its brief closure. Rainfall in Oakland was measured at 3.5 inches, which also caused significant ponding of water in parts of Oakland.

Strong south winds developed north of a severe thunderstorm complex that was ongoing to the south. Home weather station equipment measured a wind gust of 70 mph at 908pm CDT at Friend with a peak wind of 74 mph recorded at Dorchester. The winds caused scattered tree damage from Friend to Dorchester and flipped a semi trailer 6 miles north of Tobias. The winds also severely damaged or destroyed a 15,000 bushel steel grain bin, a 20 by 40 wooden building, other farm outbuildings and street signs from around Friend through Dorchester.

Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches caused flash flooding along sections of Verdigre Creek near Verdigre. A local park was flooded and the road leading into it was washed out. Farm fields and county roads were also flooded in the area.

Thunderstorm wind gusts of 70 mph were estimated by the public south of Creston. The winds were accompanied by 3/4 inch hail.

Rainfall of 3 inches fell in a several hour period which flooded roads on both ends of Dodge forcing their closure. Flooding was also observed briefly across Highway 79 southeast of Dodge.

Strong south winds, which were measured at 61 mph at the Lincoln airport Asos, developed ahead of thunderstorms which were ongoing to the south. These strong winds caused scattered tree damage earlier in Saline county.

Asos at the Tekamah airport measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 64 mph.

This tornado was a continuation of a long-tracked tornado that started in Jewel county Kansas and tracked into Thayer county Nebraska before crossing into Jefferson county Nebraska. The tornado did EF3 damage in Kansas and EF2 damage in Jefferson county.

In Jefferson county the tornado started 2 miles west and 1 1/4 mile north of Reynolds, knocking over large tree branches, snapping trees and overturning several center pivot irrigation systems. The storm tracked northeast from there continuing to snap wooden power poles and causing additional tree damage as well as farm outbuilding damage. The tornado crossed the Little Blue River 2 3/4 miles northwest of Fairbury before turning east where it attained EF2 strength. There it tore the roof off of a house and destroyed a garage and shed 1 mile west of Highway 15. Heading east from there it hit the Fairbury airport where hangers were damaged. East of the airport, a large barn was destroyed and large trees snapped. The tornado finally lifted about 3 miles east and 3 miles north of Fairbury. From the there the parent thunderstorm continued to produce additional wind damage from eastern Jefferson county into Gage county. In total the tornado caused serious damage to 5 houses in Jefferson county.

Strong south winds developed ahead of thunderstorms which were ongoing to the south. These strong winds caused scattered tree and building damage from around Goehner to Seward and based on the damage observed, probably approached 70 mph.

Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured at 67 mph by the Asos in Lincoln. The strong winds overturned several semi trailers near Waverly and partially tore the roof and air conditioner off of a warehouse near town. Strong south winds in the wake of earlier thunderstorms, which gusted as high as 61 mph at the Lincoln airport 45 to 60 minutes earlier, were met by another round of thunderstorms which moved in from the southwest. These strong winds caused additional tree damage from Lincoln toward Waverly.

Non-thunderstorm south winds were measured at 62 mph by Awos at the Plattsmouth airport. These winds occurred northeast of a thunderstorm complex that produced severe weather to the southwest.

Power lines were downed along Highway 136 from Jansen to Harbine by thunderstorm gusts estimated at over 60 mph. The strong winds were from the super-cell thunderstorm that produced a tornado a few miles to the west but had lifted by the time it reached the Jansen area. In Harbine large tree was uprooted and a city building was lifted in the air over 2 houses and dropped in the backyard of one of them.

Thundestorm winds estimated at 60 mph flipped a semi trailer on Interstate 80 southeast of Greenwood.

Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches, with some unofficial reports of 8 inches, caused flash flooding from around Lindsay through the Platte Center area along Shell and Elm Creeks. The flooding was most pronounced along Elm Creek in Platte Center where 50 to 70 homes and 10 businesses sustained flood damage. The flood waters also caused propane tanks to float down streets in town and forced most people to evacuate. Two city parks were also flooded Portions of the town remained flooded well through the 30th.

Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 70 mph caused widespread tree damage and farm outbuilding damage from south through east of the Beatrice area. The winds were associated with a bow echo that moved across the Beatrice area. A tornado spun up on the north end of the echo causing more significant damage north through northeast of Beatrice. Especially hard hit with damage from thunderstorm winds was the Rockford Lake State Recreation area, where 6 to 8 campers were blown over and cabin and tree damage was quite substantial. Emergency management estimated that the tornado and straight line winds caused at least a million dollars worth of damage.

A bow echo that moved across the Beatrice area spun up an EF2 tornado just north of town while south through east of town a narrow path of straight line wind damage occurred. The tornado touched down around 2 miles east of Highway 77 near Hackberry Road where it severely damaged two houses. Farm outbuildings were also severely damaged or destroyed. The tornado was rated an EF2 at that location. From there the tornado damaged a church on Elm Road with trees also snapped or uprooted in both areas as well. The tornado continued east northeast causing substantial tree and outbuilding damage to 10 more farmsteads, along with some house damage. Most of the damage occurred along Hackberry Road with the damage path around 1/4 mile wide. As the tornado worked its way east northeast toward Johnson county...the damage gradually weakened and the path narrowed. The tornado was estimated to have lifted a little northeast of Filley. Emergency management estimated that the tornado and the wind damage south through east of town caused at least a million dollars worth of damage.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th caused Pebble Creek to flood from its mouth with the Elkhorn River near Scribner upstream to north of Snyder and then into Cuming county. Pebble Creek at Scribner reached 24.7 feet around 6am CDT on May 30th, flood stage is 18 feet. The creek at Scribner was above flood stage for about 16 hours from late on the 29th until mid afternoon on the 30th. The flooding closed county roads in the area and also flooded farmland. The crest at Scribner was one of the highest on record. Flooding was also observed along a tributary of Pebble Creek in the Dodge area closing a highway spur into town.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th caused Pebble Creek to flood in southern Cuming county west and southwest of West Point downstream into Dodge county. Pebble Creek at Scribner, which is near its mouth with the Elkhorn River downstream in Dodge county, reached 24.7 feet around 6am CDT on May 30th, flood stage is 18 feet. The creek at Scribner was above flood stage for about 16 hours from late on the 29th until mid afternoon on the 30th. The flooding closed county roads in the area and also flooded farmland. The crest at Scribner was one of the highest on record. Some flooding was also observed just to the east of Pebble Creek which closed Highway 275 between Scribner and West Point for a while.

A bow echo that moved across the Beatrice area brought a thunderstorm wind gust that was measured at 61 mph at the Beatrice airport Awos. The strong winds caused scattered tree damage around town. However, the bow echo brought more substantial damage in two paths, one from a tornado on the north end of the cell north through northeast of town, and the other from straight line winds south through east of town.

Heavy rain caused flash flooding across county roads in Stanton county north of Creston. Areas of high water continued well into Friday the 30th.

Heavy rain that fell across northeast Nebraska during the evening and overnight hours of May 29th and 30th caused flooding along Bazile Creek from east of Niobrara to around the Bloomfield area and along Verdigre Creek near Verdigre. County roads along the creeks were flooded with some bridge approaches severely damaged. Highway 12 east of Niobrara was flooded along with agricultural lowlands and a park near Verdigre.

Heavy rain during the evening of May 29th caused the Little Blue River to flood across Jefferson county the next day. The river at Fairbury reached a 17.3 foot crest around 115pm CDT on May 30th, flood stage is 15 feet. The river was above flood stage at Fairbury from the early morning until the late evening hours of May 30th. The flooding affected mainly just agricultural lowlands and any damage was minimal.

Heavy rain produced flash flooding that closed a few county roads and partially flooded four homes, mostly along Rawhide Creek, north of Valley.

Heavy rain that fell across northeast Nebraska during the evening and overnight hours of May 29th and 30th caused flooding along Beaver Creek and its tributaries from near Loretto southeast to around St. Edward. Beaver Creek at Loretto reached 10.3 feet around 745am CDT on May 30th, flood stage is 9 feet. At about this same time the creek climbed about 3 feet above flood stage at Genoa, which is in Nance county just southeast of Boone county. The creek fell below flood stage late in the morning of May 30th at Loretto, but remained above flood stage at Genoa until the late evening hours. The flooding closed many county roads from Loretto to Saint Edward and also briefly closed streets in the Saint Edward area and flooded a few basements and businesses in town. Agricultural lowlands were also flooded.

Heavy rain caused flooding across part of the Two Rivers Campground and roads in the area forcing several campers to evacuate their campsites.

Heavy rain that fell across northeast Nebraska during the evening and overnight hours of May 29th and 30th caused flooding along Bell Creek around the Arlington area. A staff gage near town recorded a crest around 4 feet over flood stage during the morning hours of May 30th, due in a large part to debris that clogged an old bridge south of Highway 30. Some roads around Arlington were flooded, mainly on the east side of town.

Heavy rainfall during the evening and overnight hours of May 29th and 30th caused Union Creek to flood from northeast of Newman Grove to around the Madison area. The creek near Madison reached a 20.8 foot crest around 815pm CDT on May 30th, flood stage is 20 feet. The flooding affected mainly agricultural lowlands, but also crossed a county road or two in the area for a time.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th caused the Big Blue River to flood from near Surprise downstream into Seward county south of Ulysses. The flooding began during the early morning hours of May 30th and in Butler county it continued into the late morning hours of June 1st. The river at Surprise reached a crest of 7.7 feet at 915pm CDT on May 31st, flood stage is 7 feet. The flooding affected mainly just agricultural lowlands, but a few county roads were flooded.

Nearly a week of significant rains culminated with a heavy rain event on May 29th and produced significant flooding along Shell Creek from around Lindsay through Platte Center and then downstream eventually reaching the Schuyler area. Shell Creek northeast of Columbus reached just over 22 feet around 1pm CDT on May 30th, flood stage is 20 feet. The creek had a 6 or 7 hour flat crest centered on its peak of 22.1 feet. The gage northeast of Columbus was above flood stage from around 7am CDT on the 30th through 330pm on the 31st.

The flooding closed numerous county roads northwest through northeast of Columbus and also closed Highway 81 near Platte Center and Highway 91 near Lindsay for a while. Flooding due to Shell Creek and its tributaries in the Platte Center area also forced many residents to evacuate there. Farmland was also flooded prompting rural evacuations as well.

Nearly a week of significant rains culminated with a heavy rain event on May 29th and produced significant flooding along Shell Creek from the Newman Grove area downstream eventually reaching the Schuyler area. Shell Creek northeast of Columbus reached just over 22 feet around 1pm CDT on May 30th, flood stage is 20 feet. The creek had a 6 or 7 hour flat crest centered on its peak of 22.1 feet. The gage northeast of Columbus was above flood stage from around 7am CDT on the 30th through 330pm on the 31st.

The flooding in Madison county closed a few county roads near Newman Grove and also briefly closed Highway 91 near Lindsay. Flooding along Shell Creek was more significant downstream in Platte and Colfax counties.

Nearly a week of significant rain culminated with heavy rain during the evening of May 29th. This caused Wahoo Creek and some of its tributaries, including Sand Creek, to flood from southwest of Wahoo through the Ithaca area and then to near Wahoo Creek's mouth with the Platte River just northeast of Ashland. County roads in the area and sections of Highways 77 and 92 were closed for a while due to flood waters. Three bridges sustained significant damage including one which collapsed completely. Other flooding included agricultural lands and a park near Wahoo. Wahoo Creek at Ithaca crested at 21.8 feet around 445pm CDT on May 30th, flood stage is 19 feet. The creek at Ithaca fell below flood stage during the early morning hours of May 31. Wahoo Creek near Ashland crested at 19.2 feet at 1215pm CDT on May 31, flood stage is 19 feet. The creek near Ashland fell below flood stage during the early afternoon hours of May 31. Total damages to bridges and road repair amounted to around $275,000 over the county.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th caused Maple Creek to flood northeast of North Bend to its mouth with the Elkhorn River near Nickerson. Some lowland flooding was also observed along the Elkhorn River in the Nickerson area as well. The more significant flooding along Maple Creek started late in the morning on May 30th and continued for several days afterward as additional rain aggravated the situation. The creek at Nickerson reached multiple crests of around 11 feet from mid afternoon on May 30th through mid afternoon on June 1, flood stage is 10 feet. The creek dropped below flood stage around 8pm CDT on June 1. The flooding closed county roads in the area and also briefly closed Highway 91 west of Nickerson. Farmland near the creek was also flooded.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th culminated nearly a week of scattered heavy rain producing thunderstorms that occurred along the Platte River basin. The heavy rains caused the Platte River to flood from just northeast of Ashland downstream through the Louisville area then to its mouth with the Missouri River near Plattsmouth. The Platte River reached a crest of 21.1 at Ashland around 9am CDT on May 31st, flood stage is 20 feet. The river crested at 10.6 feet at Louisville around 1pm on May 31st, flood stage is 9 feet. The river remained above flood stage at both points into June 1st. The crest at Louisville was among the highest on record there. The flooding closed a few county roads in the area and also flooded farmland.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th culminated nearly a week of scattered heavy rain producing thunderstorms that occurred along the Platte River basin. The heavy rains caused the Platte River to flood from just northeast of Ashland downstream through the Louisville area then to its mouth with the Missouri River near LaPlatte. The Platte River reached a crest of 21.1 at Ashland around 9am CDT on May 31st, flood stage is 20 feet. The river crested at 10.6 feet at Louisville around 1pm on May 31st, flood stage is 9 feet. The river remained above flood stage at both points into June 1st. The crest at Louisville was among the highest on record there. The flooding forced evacuations at the Beacon View and Linoma Beach areas and also closed a few county roads in the area and flooded farmland.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th culminated nearly a week of scattered heavy rain producing thunderstorms that occurred along the Missouri River basin. The heavy rains caused the Missouri River to flood from near its confluence with the Platte River near Plattsmouth downstream through Rulo which is in extreme southeast Richardson county. The Flooding from this event along the Missouri River in Nemaha county began during the mid afternoon hours of May 30th. Additional heavy rains during the first week of June kept the river above flood stage in Nemaha county until the 3rd week of June. The river at Brownville crested at around 40 feet late in the evening of June 13th, flood stage is 32 feet. The flooding affected agricultural lowlands and also flooded a few county roads in the area.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th culminated nearly a week of scattered heavy rain producing thunderstorms that occurred along the Missouri River basin. The heavy rains caused the Missouri River to flood from near its confluence with the Platte River near Plattsmouth downstream through Rulo which is in extreme southeast Richardson county. The river stage at Plattsmouth reached a 30 foot crest around 10am CDT on May 31st, flood stage is 26 feet. This flooding event lasted into the early morning hours of June 2nd. The flooding affected mainly agricultural lowlands.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th culminated nearly a week of scattered heavy rain producing thunderstorms that occurred along the Missouri River basin. The heavy rains caused the Missouri River to flood from near its confluence with the Platte River near Plattsmouth downstream through Rulo which is in extreme southeast Richardson county. The Flooding from this event along the Missouri River in Richardson county began during the mid afternoon hours of May 30th. Additional heavy rains during the first week of June kept the river above flood stage in Nemaha county until the 3rd week of June. The river at Rulo crested just above 25 feet early in the evening of June 14th, flood stage is 17 feet. The flooding affected agricultural lowlands and also flooded a few county roads in the area.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th culminated nearly a week of scattered heavy rain producing thunderstorms that occurred along the Missouri River basin. The heavy rains caused the Missouri River to flood from near its confluence with the Platte River near Plattsmouth downstream through Rulo which is in extreme southeast Richardson county. The Flooding from this event began along the Missouri River in Otoe county during the late afternoon hours of May 30th. The river at Nebraska City crested just over 21 feet at 1115am CDT on June 1, flood stage is 18 feet. The flooding continued into the evening hours of June 2nd. The flooding affected mainly agricultural lowlands but also flooded a few county roads in the area.

Heavy rain which fell on May 29th eventually worked its way down Shell Creek to just northeast of Schuyler overflowing into a tributary which flooded the northeast section of town late on May 30th. The flooding continued into Saturday, May 31st and forced the evacuation of some people in town. The water mostly flooded basements and garages, but it also affected the main floors of a few homes and several businesses. In all 250 homes and buildings were damaged and 8 families were permanently displaced. The water reached 4 to 5 feet deep on a few streets. Just north of town the flood waters crossed Highway 15 for a while. The dollar damage due to flooding in town and the surrounding rural areas of Colfax county exceeded $1 million.

Heavy rainfall during the evening of May 29th and the early morning hours of May 30th caused the Elkhorn River to briefly flood around the Pilger area on the 31st. The river at Pilger reached a 12.5 foot crest around 415am CDT on May 31st, flood stage is 12 feet. The flooding affected mainly just river bottom-lands.