A cluster of thunderstorms that developed west of the region moved into eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during the early morning hours of June 19th. A fairly strong cap was overcome, aided by a low level jet and an upper level disturbance which provided some cooling aloft.
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 OAX wrote it up.
A cluster of thunderstorms that developed west of the region moved into eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during the early morning hours of June 19th. A fairly strong cap was overcome, aided by a low level jet and an upper level disturbance which provided some cooling aloft. The strongest storms occurred in Butler county Nebraska as a cluster bowed out producing scattered wind damage. Although weakening somewhat, the storms continued to produce occasional wind damage as they progressed into western Iowa.
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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 19, 1:18 AM CST, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 218 AM CDT FRI JUN 19 2009 .DISCUSSION... ONGOING CONVECTION THIS MORNING IS THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN...THEN WHEN TO REINTRODUCE STORMS INTO THE FORECAST WITH LITTLE MODEL CONSENSUS IS THE SECONDARY CHALLENGE. SHORT DISCUSSION DUE TO SEVERE OPERATIONS FOLLOWS. STRONG STORMS IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA AROUND MIDNIGHT HAVE BEGUN TO ROLL EAST INTO THE CWA. SPC MESO ANALYSIS RUC PROGS SHOW INCREASING INSTABILITY AS THOSE STORMS MOVE EAST TOWARD THE MISSOURI RIVER...AND LOW LEVEL JET WAS KICKING IN ACROSS KANSAS INTO SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. THIS ALL SUGGESTS STORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CWA THROUGH AT LEAST SUNRISE AS STORMS LINED UP ACROSS THE STATE FEED ON BETTER MOISTURE/INSTABILITY AS THEY SPREAD EAST. EXPECT CLUSTER OF STORMS TO BE ONGOING AS OF 7 AM ACROSS THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR...THEN SPREAD EAST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER EARLY THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE EXITING OUR EASTERN CWA. HAVE HIT POPS FAIRLY HARD THIS MORNING...THEN TAPERED TO CHANCE POPS THIS AFTERNOON IN THE EAST. SHOULD HAVE A RELATIVELY QUIET PERIOD FOR A SHORT WHILE AFTER STORMS EXIT THIS AFTERNOON. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE CWA BEHIND WEAK COLD FRONT NUDGED BY TODAYS CONVECTION. MODELS ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR IN THIS REGARD...SO HAVE KEPT DRY FORECAST FOR TONIGHT. HOWEVER MODELS DIVERGE ON HOW QUICKLY RETURN FLOW IGNITES STORMS SATURDAY OR SATURDAY NIGHT. GFS IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE IN TRIGGERING STORMS SATURDAY MORNING. THINK THIS IS A BIT TOO FAST...SO HAVE SIDED WITH ECMWF AND NAM IN THE SLIGHTLY SLOWER SOLUTION BRINGING STORMS INTO OUR SOUTH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED DESPITE UPPER 60S DEW POINTS...BUT BETTER MID LEVEL FLOW/SHEAR SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN STORMS IN OUR WEST AND NORTH THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. THE REST OF THE FORECAST WAS LEFT BASICALLY UNCHANGED. AS FAR AS PRECIPITATION GOES...UPPER RIDGING REMAINS OVER THE CWA THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK...BUT SEVERAL RIPPLES ROUNDING TOP OF RIDGE MAY BRING STORMS TO OUR NORTHERN CWA FROM TIME TO TIME. TEMPERATURES SUNDAY INTO MONDAY ARE ANOTHER PROBLEM AS GFS SUGGESTS LIGHT SOUTHEAST LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL HOLD TEMPS IN THE 80S...BUT THE ECMWF HAS GUSTY SOUTHWEST FLOW WHICH WOULD PUSH TEMPS WELL INTO THE 90S. HAVE SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE FOR NOW...BUT EXPECT THE WARMER TEMPS WILL LIKELY WIN OUT. && .AVIATION... FOR TAF SITES KOFK/KOMA/KLNK VALID THROUGH 20/06Z. TSRA ONGOING AT KLNK AND EXPECTED TO EXPAND ACRS ECNTRL NEB AND INTO WRN IA. SFC FNT WAS NOTED WITH AN AREA OF LOW PRES AROUND KLNK AND KOMA WITH THE WRMFNT INTO NCNTRL IA. TSRA...SOME SEVERE (HAIL/WIND) TO AFFECT THE OMAHA/LNK TAF SITES OR IN THE VICINITY OVERNIGHT AND THROUGH AROUND 15Z AS MID LEVEL TROF ADVANCES AND SHIFTS CONVECTION EAST OF THE TAF SITES. REDUCED VSBYS AND CIGS WITH THE TSRA AND HEAVY RAIN TO MVFR AND POSSIBLY IFR. MAINLY VFR CIGS...HOWEVER THERE COULD BE SOME LINGERING SHOWERS DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH DECREASING CLDS AND AFT 00Z. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && DERGAN/ZAPOTOCNY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 547 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-191300- MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT- PAGE-KNOX-CEDAR-THURSTON-ANTELOPE-PIERCE-WAYNE-BOONE-MADISON- STANTON-CUMING-BURT-PLATTE-COLFAX-DODGE-WASHINGTON-BUTLER- SAUNDERS-DOUGLAS-SARPY-SEWARD-LANCASTER-CASS-OTOE-SALINE- JEFFERSON-GAGE-JOHNSON-NEMAHA-PAWNEE-RICHARDSON- 547 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND FRIDAY ALTHOUGH THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING EARLY THIS EVENING OVER THE REGION...A CAP OF WARM AIR ALOFT WAS DETERRING DEVELOPMENT DESPITE VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS THAT WERE PRESENT. A BETTER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT EXISTS FROM LATE EVENING INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS AS A LOW LEVEL JET IMPINGES ON A BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDED FROM SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA INTO WEST CENTRAL IOWA. IN ADDITION...THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN PLAINS THIS EVENING COULD MOVE INTO THE REGION LATER TONIGHT. THE STORMS TONIGHT COULD CONTAIN LARGE HAIL...AND A FEW MAY ALSO PACK STRONG WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER INTO FRIDAY MORNING...ALTHOUGH THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH DURING THE MORNING. OTHERWISE...ON FRIDAY...THE HIGHEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA. HOWEVER...THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN FAR SOUTHWEST IOWA AND FAR SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING ON FRIDAY AS A COLD FRONT SLIDES THROUGH THE REGION. LARGE HAIL WOULD BE THE PRIMARY THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS A WARM FRONT ATTEMPTS TO LIFT NORTH ACROSS THE AREA. AFTER THAT MAINLY NIGHTTIME THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AND TUESDAY BEFORE A WEAK COLD FRONT SETTLES NEAR ENOUGH TO NEBRASKA TO BRING AN ADDITIONAL AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM RISK TO THE REGION WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE THAT SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEED THIS EVENING. CHERMOK
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
248 AM CDT FRI JUN 19 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0225 AM TSTM WND GST 3 S DAVID CITY 41.21N 97.13W
06/19/2009 M78 MPH BUTLER NE DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF ROADS.
&&
CZAPOTOCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
402 AM CDT FRI JUN 19 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0340 AM TSTM WND GST 6 S BLAIR 41.46N 96.14W
06/19/2009 M58 MPH WASHINGTON NE MESONET
&&
DERGANThe Omaha radar (KOAX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:14 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts around 60 mph in the Harlan area.
A spotter in the Irwin area stated that healthy tree branches, some up to a few inches in diameter, were downed by thunderstorm winds that were estimated at close to 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, June 2009
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: 165974, 165975.