For the second time in a few days thunderstorms which developed over South Dakota turned southeast along an instability axis and on the edge of a warm mid-level cap. These storms dropped large hail, very heavy rain and gusty winds as they moved along the Missouri River.
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.
For the second time in a few days thunderstorms which developed over South Dakota turned southeast along an instability axis and on the edge of a warm mid-level cap. These storms dropped large hail, very heavy rain and gusty winds as they moved along the Missouri River. This time the storms weakened well north of the Omaha area. However, before they weakened...the storms that tracked across northern Cedar caused extensive crop damage along with flash flooding.
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 Jul 9, 2:25 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 325 AM CDT THU JUL 9 2009 .DISCUSSION... CONVECTIVE CHANCES THROUGH THE FIRST FEW DAYS ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS...AS IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO PIN THIS DOWN AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE FIRST CLUSTER SEEMS TO BE FEEDING ON THE NOSE OF THE LOW LEVEL JET AND RIDING THE MID LEVEL CAP THAT EXISTS ACROSS THE PLAINS... ALTHOUGH CONVECTION HAD NOW MOVED INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND WAS BEGINNING TO TURN SOUTHEAST...FOLLOWING A FAVORED 1000/500 THICKNESS PATTERN. THESE RIVER RUNNERS MAY HOLD TOGETHER THROUGH THE MORNING... SLIDING EAST SOUTHEAST DOWN THE MISSOURI RIVER...BUT WILL HAVE A HARD TIME DEVELOPING SOUTHWEST INTO THE HEALTHY CAP. THE 4KM EMC WRF LIKELY HAD THE BEST HANDLE ON THE EXPECTED CONVECTION EARLY THIS MORNING WHICH COULD LINGER THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. THEREAFTER...THE APPROACHING FRONT SHOULD BECOME THE TRIGGER LATER THIS AFTERNOON IN PRIMARILY NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...ALTHOUGH AGAIN...THE CAP WILL REMAIN STRONG AND COULD BE HARD TO BREAK EARLY ON. THUS...THE EARLY AFTERNOON WILL PROBABLY BE DRY...BUT DID MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS LATE AFTERNOON FOR SOMETHING TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT BOUNDARY...BUT WE MAY HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THIS EVENING BEFORE IT FIRES. WHEN IT DOES THOUGH...WOULD EXPECT SOME SEVERE STORMS ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WITH SUFFICIENT PARAMETERS IN PLACE AND EXTREME INSTABILITY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. FEEL THE STORMS MAY HAVE HARD TIME PUSHING SOUTH AGAINST THE CAP LATE TONIGHT...AND FEEL THE GFS MAY HAVE THE BETTER HANDLE ON EXPECTED PRECIPITATION WHICH MAY NOT MAKE IT TO THE KANSAS BORDER REGION WITH A BETTER THREAT ALONG/NORTH OF I80. FOR FRIDAY...LOOKS LIKE THERE COULD BE A COUPLE OF AREAS OF CONVECTION POSSIBLE...ACROSS THE LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY WHERE ISENTROPIC LIFT IS PROGGED TO CONTINUE...AND A BIT FURTHER NORTH IN THE CWFA CLOSER TO THE UPPER LEVEL JET. BEST SEVERE THREAT APPEARS TO BE ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER EASTWARD THIS DAY. HAVE PULLED POPS FROM FRIDAY NIGHT AS IT APPEARS THE CWFA WILL BE BETWEEN SYSTEMS...WITH SYSTEM PULLING AWAY TO THE EAST...AND NEXT SYSTEM FAR ENOUGH TO THE WEST...ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOW ATTM. KEPT SATURDAY DRY AS NEXT IMPULSE MAY AFFECT THE HIGH PLAINS...BUT NOT GET FAR ENOUGH EAST TO AFFECT US. DO HAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE EVERYWHERE SATURDAY NIGHT AS HIGHP LAINS IMPULSE MAY BE PUSHING EAST...AND THEN NEXT BEST CHANCE COMES SUNDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER MCS LIKELY DEVELOPS TO OUR NORTHWEST AND ROLLS EAST SOUTHEAST WITH TIME...ALTHOUGH THE CONFIDENCE FOR PINPOINTING THE TIMING THIS FAR OUT IS BECOMING QUITE LOW. REGARDING TEMPS...TODAY SHOULD BE HOT WITH TEMPS IN THE UPPER 80S TO MID 90S FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. A MILD NIGHT TONIGHT WITH LOWS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S...AND THEN A BIT COOLER ON FRIDAY AS NORTHEASTERLY FLOW PREVAILS WITH MOST AREAS NORTH OF THE FRONT. && .AVIATION... FOR TAF SITES KOFK/KOMA/KLNK FORECAST VALID THROUGH 10/12Z. CONVECTION MOVING THROUGH NORTHEAST NEBRASKA DURING THE MORNING WILL BE EXITING THE AREA BEFORE 12Z. SOME LINGERING TSRA POSSIBLE NEAR KOFK...BUT HAVE KEPT OUT OF TAF FORECAST AS TRENDS SHOULD TAKE ACTIVITY TO THE NORTHEAST. LOW LEVEL JET IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH 13Z...MAKING WIND SHEAR A POSSIBILITY FOR ALL TAF SITES IN EASTERN NEBRASKA. AS MORNING CONVECTION DECREASES...A COLD FRONT SLIPPING INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA BY 18Z MAY IGNITE STORMS BETWEEN 18Z AND 00Z. HOWEVER WARMING TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL LIKELY CAP ANY DEVELOPMENT ACROSS EASTERN NEBRASKA WITH THE FOCUS MORE IN MN AND IA. HAVE KEPT TSRA OUT OF TAF FORECASTS NOW BASED ON LOW CONFIDENCE OF DEVELOPMENT AND LIKELY ISOLATED COVERAGE...BUT MAY HAVE TO INSERT TSRA INTO KOFK AND KOMA TAFS FROM 21Z ONWARD WITH LATER ISSUANCES AT 12Z OR 18Z. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && DEWALD/DERGAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 1047 PM CDT WED JUL 8 2009 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-091100- ANTELOPE-BOONE-BURT-BUTLER-CASS-CEDAR-COLFAX-CUMING-DODGE-DOUGLAS- FREMONT IA-GAGE-HARRISON IA-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-KNOX-LANCASTER-MADISON- MILLS IA-MONONA IA-MONTGOMERY IA-NEMAHA-OTOE-PAGE IA-PAWNEE-PIERCE- PLATTE-POTTAWATTAMIE IA-RICHARDSON-SALINE-SARPY-SAUNDERS-SEWARD- SHELBY IA-STANTON-THURSTON-WASHINGTON-WAYNE- 1047 PM CDT WED JUL 8 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MOST OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND THURSDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. STORMS COULD MOVE IN FROM THE WEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. IF STORMS OCCUR...SOME COULD BE SEVERE. DAMAGING WINDS WOULD BE THE MAIN THREAT BUT A FEW STORMS COULD ALSO PRODUCE HAIL UP TO AROUND ONE INCH IN DIAMETER. A COLD FRONT WILL SLIP SOUTH INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA AND WESTERN IOWA ON THURSDAY. INCREASING INSTABILITY AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND MODERATE SHEAR WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. HOWEVER...WARM MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO SUPPRESS DEVELOPMENT FOR MUCH OF THE DAY THURSDAY...AND MAY KEEP ANY STORMS FROM FORMING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY IF STORMS DEVELOP LATE THURSDAY...EXPECT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER TO CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT SLOWLY SLIDES SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA. LATER OUTLOOKS WILL ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER FROM FRIDAY INTO NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT BUT MAY BE REQUIRED LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING. MILLER
The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:00 UTC.
5 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Rainfall of 1 to 2 inches fell for the second morning in a row in the Crofton area. Due to saturated ground, the rainfall this morning caused some minor flooding around culverts in and around the Crofton area causing ponding of water in a park and softball complex in town.
Thunderstorms dropped very heavy rain in the Wynot area which produced areas of flash flooding. The cooperative observer near Wynot reported 3.55 inches of rain in a several hour period during the morning of July 9th. The flooding was observed across several county roads and Highway 12 near Wynot. Gravel was washed off of a few roads and some culvert damage was noted.
Hail up to golf ball-size was accompanied by thunderstorm winds estimated at around 60 mph. The winds and hail caused extensive crop damage from around St. Helena to around Wynot and some houses, outbuildings and vehicles also sustained damage. According to a few long-time farmers in the area it was the worst hail they had ever seen and some of the hail remained in shaded areas into the afternoon. A local farm county agent stated that 64 sections in the area were affected, although much of that consisted of timber and pasture. Heavy rain also caused localized flooding in the region.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph from St. Helena to Wynot were accompanied by hail up to golf ball-size and very heavy rain. The wind and hail caused extensive crop damage from near St. Helena to around Wynot.
Hail up to golf ball-size was driven by winds at least at 50 mph causing extensive crop damage in the Bow Valley area. The damage was from the same storm that caused a swath of damage from near St. Helena and Wynot east to the Dixon county line.
Wind equipment on local cable TV measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 62 mph. Rainfall of 2.16 inches also fell from the storm.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at nearly 70 mph north of Bancroft before the storm weakened.
Hail up to penny-size was reported along with very heavy rain which caused some minor street flooding in town.
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, July 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: 178888, 171134, 171124, 171130, 178919, 171126, 171132, 171127, 171131, 171128.