A cold front that pushed south was the focus for severe thunderstorms. The slow moving storm produced heavy rainfall and hail across Western Nebraska.
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 cold front that pushed south was the focus for severe thunderstorms. The slow moving storm produced heavy rainfall and hail across Western Nebraska.
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 Aug 3, 2:03 PM CST, 10 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 303 PM CDT MON AUG 03 2009 .SYNOPSIS... H5 ANALYSIS FROM THIS MORNING INDICATING A TROUGH ANCHORED OVER THE EASTERN CONUS...RIDGING AND AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH ALONG THE AZ/NM BORDER...STRONG BERMUDA HIGH AND A TROUGH ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST. AT THE SURFACE...A COLD FRONT EXTENDED SWD FROM SURFACE LOW PRESSURE OVER SWRN ONTARIO...INTO NRN SD. TEMPERATURES AT 2 PM CDT WERE IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S OVER WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. && .DISCUSSION... NEAR TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...MAIN FORECASTING CHALLENGE OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS DEALS WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND CONVECTION RESULTING FROM DISTURBANCES OVER TOPING THE RIDGE OFF TO THE WEST. FOR TONIGHT...UPSTREAM DISTURBANCE PER WV IMAGERY...WILL CROSS WYOMING AND COLORADO...EMERGING OVER WRN NEBRASKA BY 00Z TONIGHT. THOUGH PRECIPITATION CHANCES LOOK FAVORABLE OVER THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA...AM FAVORING THE NRN ZONES AS A COLD FRONT (CURRENTLY OVR THE SD/ND BORDER)...WILL APPROACH NRN NEBRASKA BY MIDNIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL SERVE AS THE BOUNDARY LAYER FOCAL POINT WHICH SEEMS TO BE LACKING ATTM...PER ISOLATED POPCORN LIKE CONVECTION OFF TO THE WEST. DEEP SHEAR BETTER THAN 40 KTS RESIDES NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE FOR TONIGHT...SO SEVERE THREAT SHOULD BE CONFINED TO LOCATIONS NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE. FCST SOUNDINGS FROM NRN NEBRASKA ARE INDICATIVE OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...AS THE BOUNDARY FOCUS SHOULDNT BE A PLAYER TILL OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. THE COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH NORTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT TONIGHT...BEFORE STALLING ACROSS THE CENTRAL CWA TOMORROW. SERLY WINDS WILL PUSH MOISTURE INTO THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN PANHANDLE TOMORROW. THETA E RIDGING..ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...AND A WEAK AFTERNOON CAP...WILL LEAD TO THUNDERSTORM INITIATION OFF TO THE WEST LATE TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THIS ACTIVITY WILL LIFT TO THE ESE TUESDAY EVENING...IMPACTING THE FORECAST AREA. BULK OF THE SEVERE WEATHER TOMORROW AND TOMORROW NIGHT...SHOULD STAY WEST OF HIGHWAY 83...HOWEVER IF THE FRONT DECIDES TO STALL FURTHER EAST...LOCATIONS EAST OF THIS ROUTE WILL SEE THEIR CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER INCREASE. ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA AS THE PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL HIGH SLOWLY TRANSITIONS EAST ACROSS THE SRN ROCKIES. TIMING OF PRECIPITATION WILL BE PROBLEMATIC AS IT WILL BE DEPENDENT ON WAVE TIMING. HOWEVER...FEEL BETTER CHANCES WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTH AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL STALL ACROSS THE DAKOTAS. LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...RIDGING ALOFT WHICH IS LOCKED IN OVER THE FOUR CORNERS AND INTERMOUNTAIN WEST...WILL TRANSITION EWD LATE IN THE WEEK AS A DEEP TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE LIFTS INTO NRN CA AND NEVADA. BASED ON THE LATEST 12Z GFS FROM THIS MORNING...A DECENT POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A TORCH OUT ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...WITH H85 TEMPS ECLIPSING 35C IN THE SOUTHWEST. UTILIZED HPC TEMPS AS A STARTING POINT...BOOSTING THEM 2 TO 4 DEGREES BASED ON THE H85 TEMP REGIME BOTH DAYS. FOR THE SUNDAY AND MONDAY TIME PERIODS...ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS WILL CONTINUE...EVEN WITH EVIDENCE OF A WEAK FROPA EARLY SUNDAY. ENSEMBLE FCSTS CONTINUE TO INDICATE A PERSISTENT TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC COAST WHICH WOULD FAVOR DOWNSTREAM RIDGING ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN CONUS. OTHER EVIDENCE FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS EARLY NEXT WEEK IS THE TRANSITION TO A POSITIVE PHASE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION...WHICH FAVORS INCREASED RIDGING ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS AND RESULTANT WARM TEMPS. && .AVIATION... PROGRESSIVE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CAUSE THE NEXT IN A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES TO MOVE OVER THE REGION THIS EVENING/OVERNIGHT. MAIN AREA OF CONCERN WILL BE NORTHERN NEBRASKA....INCLUDING THE KVTN AREA...ALTHOUGH SW NEBRASKA AND KLBF DOES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SEE SOME STORMS. IN GENERAL VFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED...AS IS THE GOING FORECAST THROUGH THE PERIOD...HOWEVER ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPS WILL BE CAPABLE OF BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS...FROM VSBY IN HEAVY RAIN. THE TAF WILL BE AMENDED TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE CONDITIONS AS TIMING THESE SHORT PERIODS ARE DIFFICULT BEYOND A COUPLE OF HOURS. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE .AVIATION...MASEK .SHORT AND LONG TERM...BUTTLER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 824 PM CDT MON AUG 3 2009 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-050130- 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- 824 PM CDT MON AUG 3 2009 /724 PM MDT MON AUG 3 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. WITH MODERATE INSTABILITY AND FAVORABLE WIND PROFILES IN PLACE ACROSS THE SANDHILLS AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WEST OF HIGHWAY 183...NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80. THIS THREAT WILL SHIFT TO AREAS MAINLY EAST OF HIGHWAY 183 AFTER MIDNIGHT. LARGE HAIL...POSSIBLY AROUND GOLF BALL SIZE IN THE STRONGEST STORMS...AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. AREAS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE INTO SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 SHOULD MAINLY SEE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...WITH A LIMITED THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AGAIN OVER WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG A STATIONARY BOUNDARY AS WEAK WAVES MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST FLOW. THE MAIN THREAT AREA IS ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 NORTH TO THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP WEAK WAVES MOVING ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA THROUGH THE WEEK. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT MAINLY NORTHERN NEBRASKA. NO WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE 13
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
953 PM CDT MON AUG 03 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0903 PM TSTM WND GST 21 SW MERRIMAN 42.71N 101.99W
08/03/2009 M62 MPH CHERRY NE MESONET
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH LASTED AT LEAST FROM 903 PM
UNTIL 924 PM CDT.
&&
CJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
954 PM CDT MON AUG 03 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0745 PM HAIL 28 S MERRIMAN 42.52N 101.70W
08/03/2009 E1.00 INCH CHERRY NE PUBLIC
0750 PM HAIL 32 S MERRIMAN 42.46N 101.70W
08/03/2009 M2.75 INCH CHERRY NE PUBLIC
0830 PM TSTM WND GST 40 SSE MERRIMAN 42.39N 101.40W
08/03/2009 E70.00 MPH CHERRY NE PUBLIC
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS WERE BRIEFLY ESTIMATED TO BE
BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH. ACCOMPANIED BY NICKEL SIZE
HAIL...AS WELL AS HEAVY RAINFALL OF 1.10 INCHES.
0850 PM HAIL 12 N GORDON 42.98N 102.20W
08/03/2009 E1.00 INCH SHERIDAN NE PUBLIC
0850 PM HAIL 40 SW MERRITT RESERVOIR 42.24N 101.42W
08/03/2009 E0.75 INCH CHERRY NE PUBLIC
THE LARGEST HAIL WAS ESTIMATED TO BE NEAR PENNY SIZE.
0855 PM HAIL 8 NE GORDON 42.89N 102.09W
08/03/2009 E1.75 INCH SHERIDAN NE PUBLIC
GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL BROKE OUT ALL OF THE WINDOWS ON THE
NORTH SIDE OF A HOME...AND ALSO CAUSED ROOF DAMAGE.
0855 PM HAIL 9 NE GORDON 42.90N 102.08W
08/03/2009 E2.50 INCH CHERRY NE TRAINED SPOTTER
TENNIS BALL SIZE HAIL.
0903 PM TSTM WND GST 21 SW MERRIMAN 42.71N 101.99W
08/03/2009 M62.00 MPH CHERRY NE MESONET
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH LASTED AT LEAST FROM 903 PM
UNTIL 924 PM CDT.
0905 PM HAIL 6 ENE GORDON 42.84N 102.09W
08/03/2009 E1.00 INCH SHERIDAN NE TRAINED SPOTTER
THE LARGEST HAIL STONES WERE QUARTER SIZE AS OF 905 PM
CDT.
0907 PM HAIL NE GORDON 42.81N 102.20W
08/03/2009 E2.50 INCH SHERIDAN NE PUBLIC
0915 PM HAIL 5 ENE WHITMAN 42.07N 101.45W
08/03/2009 E1.00 INCH GRANT NE PUBLIC
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS LASTED BETWEEEN 5 AND 10
MINUTES.
0924 PM HAIL 17 SW MERRIMAN 42.75N 101.94W
08/03/2009 E1.00 INCH CHERRY NE PUBLIC
0924 PM TSTM WND GST 21 SW MERRIMAN 42.71N 101.99W
08/03/2009 M67.00 MPH CHERRY NE MESONET
&&
CJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
1005 PM CDT MON AUG 03 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0950 PM HAIL 17 WSW MULLEN 41.95N 101.35W
08/03/2009 E1.25 INCH HOOKER NE TRAINED SPOTTER
HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL AT THE DISMAL RIVER GOLF COURSE.
THE HAIL LASTED APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES.
&&
CJSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
1239 AM CDT TUE AUG 04 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1225 AM HAIL NORTH PLATTE 41.13N 100.77W
08/04/2009 E1.00 INCH LINCOLN NE NWS EMPLOYEE
&&
CDCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
1249 AM CDT TUE AUG 04 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1248 AM HAIL 3 N WELLFLEET 40.80N 100.73W
08/04/2009 E2.50 INCH LINCOLN NE TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
CDCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
107 AM CDT TUE AUG 04 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1245 AM HAIL 2 NNW WELLFLEET 40.78N 100.74W
08/04/2009 M2.75 INCH LINCOLN NE TRAINED SPOTTER
NO INJURIES REPORTED NO DAMAGE REPORTED
&&
CDCThe North Platte radar (KLNX), 148 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:09 UTC.
2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured at 70 mph by a storm chaser.
Golf ball size hail caused extensive crop damage. The hail was accompanied by up to 2.5 inches of rainfall.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, August 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: 187805, 187803, 187804.