Hot and unstable air, characterized by temperatures in the 90s and dew point temperatures in the 70s, stretched from eastern Kansas into south central Nebraska by mid afternoon on June 17th. Northeast of that region, over most of eastern Nebraska, temperatures were also quite warm, in the upper 80s to lower 90s, but dew point temperatures were a bit lower, mostly in the 60s.
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.
Hot and unstable air, characterized by temperatures in the 90s and dew point temperatures in the 70s, stretched from eastern Kansas into south central Nebraska by mid afternoon on June 17th. Northeast of that region, over most of eastern Nebraska, temperatures were also quite warm, in the upper 80s to lower 90s, but dew point temperatures were a bit lower, mostly in the 60s. Supercell thunderstorms developed along this moisture discontinuity near the Kansas border during the early afternoon hours. At least one of these storms produced a tornado. Later in the afternoon and into the evening other storms that developed in central Nebraska on the nose of the warm and unstable air moved across the region producing mainly large hail but also areas of damaging winds.
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 17, 8:59 AM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 959 AM CDT WED JUN 17 2009 .DISCUSSION... MUCH OF THE CWFA WAS PLACED INTO A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH THE 13Z SPC DAY 1 OUTLOOK. THUS...WE WILL BE DOING AN 18Z UPPER AIR SOUNDING. IN THE MEANTIME...CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPED ALONG THE NOSE OF THE LOW LEVEL JET ACROSS CENTRAL NEBRASKA WAS NOT HANDLED AT ALL BY MOST OF THE MODELS...EXCEPT PERHAPS THE HRRR...AND MOST RECENT RUNS OF THE RUC. THE EASTERN EXTENT OF THIS IS PRODUCING A FEW SPRINKLES IN THE PLATTE RIVER VALLEY CURRENTLY...AND THE REMAINS OF THIS SYSTEM COULD MOVE INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST IOWA THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. THIS IS NOT THE REASON FOR THE MODERATE RISK. FOCUS SHIFTS TO DEVELOPING SEVERE WEATHER SCENARIO FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SUBJECTIVE 12Z UPPER AIR DATA REVEALED A BUILDING RIDGE ACROSS THE PLAINS...WITH A HEALTHY CAP AT H70 NOTED ACROSS KANSAS AND POINTS SOUTH. COMBINED WITH INCREASING HEIGHTS AND BUILDING CAP INTO OUR AREA...CONVECTION INITIALLY MAY BE HARD TO DEVELOP GIVEN THESE NEGATIVE FACTORS. 14Z SUBJECTIVE SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACED A LOW ACROSS SOUTHWEST KANSAS...WITH A CURVY WARM FRONT THAT WAS MOSTLY LIKELY LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF THE NEBRASKA/KANSAS BORDER REGION...BASED ON THERMAL AND MOISTURE PATTERNS. THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BE WATCHED THIS AFTERNOON...AND ALONG OR NORTH OF IT WILL BE THE PRIMARY HOT SPOT DURING THE PEAK HEATING AS H85 MOISTURE NOTED ACROSS THE KS/OK REGION SHIFTS NORTH...IN CONJUNCTION WITH A PLUME OF VERY STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES. BOTH THE 12Z NAM AND LATEST RUC ARE INDICATING THE CAP WILL BREAK IN THIS AREA... AND GIVEN THE HUGE MUCAPE VALUES EXCEEDING 5000 J/KG AND BULK SHEAR VALUES EXCEEDING 50KTS...THE STORMS SHOULD GO EXPLOSIVELY SEVERE. DURING THIS TIME...THE LOW LEVEL 0-1KM SHEAR IS SOMEWHAT UNIMPRESSIVE AROUND 5 KTS AT 21Z...BUT INCREASES TO 15 TO 25 KTS BY 00Z-03Z. GIVEN STORMS PROXIMITY TO A WARM FRONT...THEY CERTAINLY COULD BE TORNADIC EARLY ON THOUGH...AND ESPECIALLY AS THE LOW LEVEL SHEAR INCREASES. SECONDARY FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ACROSS CENTRAL NEBRASKA LATE THIS AFTERNOON TOO...MORE WITHIN THE UPSLOPE REGIME. WOULD EXPECT THESE STORMS TO POSSIBLY BE TORNADIC TOO IN THEIR INITIAL DEVELOPMENT...BUT THEN AS THEY CONGEAL INTO A FORWARD PROPAGATING MCS...THE FOCUS SHOULD SHIFT TO A WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL EVENT AS IT ROLLS EASTWARD THROUGH OUR AREA DURING THE EVENING AND INTO THE EARLY OVERNIGHT. WHILE THE MESOSCALE DETAILS HAVE YET TO BE DETERMINED OF EXACTLY WHERE AND WHEN DEVELOPMENT WILL OCCUR...THESE FACTORS SHOULD REVEAL THEMSELVES THROUGHOUT THE DAY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 314 AM CDT WED JUN 17 2009/ DISCUSSION... BREAK IN WEATHER THIS MORNING IN MIDST OF AN ACTIVE PATTERN. SUBJECTIVE 00Z UPPER AIR ANALYSIS INDICATES BROAD SWLY FLOW ACROSS THE CONUS...WITH UPPER LOW CENTERED IN NRN ND AND STRONG TROUGH/WEAK LOW IN SRN CA. SHORTWAVES WERE ANALYZED FROM SRN ID THROUGH NV/UT BORDER...AS WELL AS IN THE MID-MS RIVER VALLEY...WITH STRONGER WAVE COMING ASHORE IN BC/WA ASSOCIATED WITH 50M 500MB HT FALLS. MOISTURE AXIS REMAINS IN PLACE FROM CTRL TX THROUGH CTRL PLAINS AND EWD INTO THE OH/TN RIVER VALLEYS. 850MB LOW WAS CENTERED IN SRN ND/NRN SD ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LOW WITH WARM FRONT EXTENDING THROUGH IA/IL TOWARD KY/TN...WITH ONLY WEAK 850MB WINDS IN KS/NEB AS LOW-LEVEL JET EXTENDED FROM TX/OK INTO SRN MO. SURFACE LOW AT 07Z WAS CENTERED IN SERN CO/NERN NM...WITH SECONDARY LOW IN CTRL SD. WEAK SFC AND 850MB WINDS WERE NOTED IN AREA OBS AND PROFILERS. MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IS CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL THIS AFTN/TNGT...ALONG WITH EVOLUTION OF PATTERN THROUGH THE WEEKEND. STRONG SFC HEATING IS EXPECTED TODAY WITH SRLY/SERLY WINDS AND MAINLY PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE IS ALREADY IN PLACE AND IS PROGGED TO INCREASE SOMEWHAT THROUGH THE DAYS...PUSHING DEWPOINTS NEAR 70F ACROSS MUCH OF THE SRN CWA. WARM FRONT IS PROGGED TO DEVELOP/LIFT INTO SRN NEB BY THIS AFTN AS SFC LOW SLIDES INTO WRN KS...WITH STRONG INSTABILITY DEVELOPING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BDRY BUT CAPPING ALSO IN PLACE /PARTICULARLY IN THE WARM SECTOR/. HEATING IS PROGGED TO OVERCOME CAP NEAR/N OF FRONT BY LATE AFTN...THOUGH WARM SECTOR MAY REMAIN CAPPED THROUGH THE DAY. WITH 850MB JET RE-FOCUSING NWD INTO SRN NEB AND 500MB FLOW AROUND 40-50KT...DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS MORE THAN ADEQUATE FOR SUPERCELL STRUCTURES. FCST HODOGRAPHS ACROSS THE CWA ARE RATHER IMPRESSIVE WITH STRONGLY VEERED SFC WINDS...GOOD 0-3KM TURNING...AND 0-1KM SHEAR AROUND 20KT ORIENTED AROUND 60-90 DEGREES FROM THE SFC FRONT. MAIN LIMITING FACTOR TODAY IS LACK OF A DEFINED 500MB WAVE...WITH TROUGH DIGGING INTO THE ROCKIES BUT ONLY THE SLIGHTEST RIPPLE OF A WAVE EVIDENT IN 500MB VORTICITY OR 300-500MB Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE FIELDS. OPERATIONAL MODELS AS WELL AS SREF MEMBERS AND HI-RES RUNS DO OVERCOME CAP DESPITE WEAK UPPER-LEVEL FORCING...BREAKING PRECIP OUT IN SERN NEB BETWEEN 22Z- 00Z. STORMS THIS AFTN/EVNG WILL HAVE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE QUICKLY GIVEN STRONG /2500-3500+/ PROGGED CAPE AND STEEP /7-8C/ MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES. WITH PROGGED HODOGRAPHS...STORMS WILL HAVE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE TORNADOES ALONG WITH LARGE HAIL/DAMAGING WINDS. WITH WEAK UPPER FORCING...COVERAGE MAY BE LOW INITIALLY...AND HENCE HAVE KEPT CHC POPS IN THE AFTN...INCREASING TO LIKELIES IN THE NRN HALF OF THE CWA IN THE EVNG AS CONVECTION GROWS UPSCALE. WILL LIKELY SEE PRECIP MOVE THROUGH THE CWA AND OUT BY MORNING HOURS THURS. WARM AIR ADVECTION CONTINUES THURS...WITH WINDS VEERING TO SWLY AS SFC LOW MOVES UP INTO MN. STRONG WAVE WILL SLIDE ACROSS THE DAKOTAS TOWARD THE NRN GT LAKES. HOWEVER...PROGS NOW INDICATE CWA REMAINING CAPPED...WITH PRECIP DEVELOPING MAINLY N/NE OF CWA ON THURS. WITH STRONG WAVE MOVING ACROSS THE NRN PLAINS AND WEAK SFC WIND SHIFTS...HESITATE TO PULL POPS COMPLETELY...BUT DID TONE DOWN ON THURS. BETTER CHANCE NOW LOOKS TO ARRIVE ON THURS NT/FRI AS MID-LEVEL TROUGH AXIS MOVES THROUGH THE CWA...ALONG WITH SECONDARY/REINFORCING WAVE MOVING THROUGH SD/NEB INTO IA. INCREASED POPS ON FRI DAYTIME TO REFLECT THIS TREND...AND INCREASED TEMPS ON THURS TO REFLECT POTENTIAL FOR MORE WARMING AND LESS CLOUDS/PRECIP. QUIETER WEATHER SHOULD BE IN PLACE FRI NT/SAT AS MID/UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE AXES PASS THROUGH THE PLAINS...ALONG WITH SFC HIGH SLIDING THROUGH ON SAT. RETURN FLOW IS PROGGED BEGINNING SAT NT. CURRENT FORECAST IS DRY FOR SAT NT...BUT MAY NEED TO CONSIDER ADDING POPS AS WARM/MOIST AIR ADVECTION INCREASES ON THE NOSE OF LOW-LEVEL JET POINTING INTO NEB. TEMPS FRI/SAT WILL BE COOLED AS MID-LEVEL TEMPS DECREASE IN WAKE OF FRI TROUGH. MADE FEW CHANGES BEYOND SAT GIVEN USUAL LOW PREDICTABILITY OF THIS PATTERN AND EMPHASIS ON MESOSCALE INFLUENCE ON FORECAST. AVIATION... FOR TAF SITES KOFK/KOMA/KLNK VALID THROUGH 18/12Z. VFR CONDS EXPECTED THRU THE PERIOD. MAY SEE SOME MID/HIGH LVL CLDS THRU THE DAY AS WARM AIR ADVECTION INCREASES. AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NWD TOWARD THE TERMINALS LATE THIS AFTN...SOME POTENTIAL FOR ISO CONVECTION TO DVLP...BUT GIVEN THE STG CAP AND LITTLE LARGE-SCALE FORCING WL LEAVE TAFS DRY ATTM FOR THE AFTN. A LITTLE BETTER CHC OF TSRA WL MOV INTO AFTER 03Z AT OMA/LNK AS WRN HI PLAINS CONVECTION SHIFTS EWD THIS EVNG. AGAIN TIMING OF THIS IS UNCERTAIN AND WL LEAVE OUT UNTIL BETTER TIMING CAN BE DEFINED. MVFR CONDS WLD BE POSSIBLE WITH TSRA THIS EVNG THOUGH IF THEY OCCUR. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && DEWALD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 1147 AM CDT WED JUN 17 2009 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-180700- 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- 1147 AM CDT WED JUN 17 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR MOST OF THE AREA FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM NELIGH NEBRASKA TO ONAWA IOWA. THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ALONG A WARM FRONT IN SOUTH CENTRAL TO SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA LATE THIS AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH A STRONG CAP WILL BE IN PLACE WHICH COULD LIMIT THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. IF STORMS CAN MANAGE TO BREAK THE CAP...THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE VERY FAST DUE TO EXTREME INSTABILITY AND HIGH WIND SHEAR IN THE AREA. THESE STORMS WOULD BE SUPERCELL STORMS AND WOULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES. THIS WOULD MAINLY BE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM ABOUT COLUMBUS TO PLATTSMOUTH. A SECONDARY AREA FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ACROSS CENTRAL NEBRASKA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL. THE STORMS SHOULD THEN MERGE INTO A FORWARD MOVING CLUSTER OF SEVERE STORMS MOVING EAST THROUGH MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. THESE STORMS INITIALLY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE TORNADOES ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN NEBRASKA... BUT SHOULD TRANSITION MOSTLY TO A LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND THREAT AS BOWING LINE SEGMENTS DEVELOP WITHIN THE SYSTEM. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD ALSO ACCOMPANY THE STORMS THROUGH THE NIGHT AS THEY MOVE EAST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE VERY LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY ACROSS THE AREA. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT A FEW STORMS ON THURSDAY NIGHT COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREATS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL MOST LIKELY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS MUCH OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. IN ADDITION...A CONFERENCE CALL FOR EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND MEDIA WILL BE CONDUCTED AT 130 PM. DEWALD
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:30 UTC.
24 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
The first round of hail from a multi-updraft supercell thunderstorm that moved across the area this afternoon. The hail caused some crop damage in the area.
The first round of hail from a multi-updraft supercell thunderstorm that moved across the area this afternoon.
Hail up to golf ball-size was reported southeast of Fairbury. This was from the second round of hail from a multi-updraft supercell thunderstorm that moved across the area this afternoon.
From a multi-updraft supercell thunderstorm that moved across the area this afternoon. The hail was up to baseball-size and caused damage to automobiles in the area.
Hail between 1 inch and 3 inches in diameter fell from around 5 miles southwest of Fairbury into Fairbury. The hail fell from a multi-updraft supercell thunderstorm that moved across the area this afternoon and caused house and automobile damage.
From a multi-updraft supercell thunderstorm that moved across the area this afternoon.
A brief tornado touchdown was observed south of Odell and caused no apparent damage. The tornado, or funnel before it touched down, had two vorticies for a while.
Hail up to baseball-size and even a few maybe up to softball-size fell from west of Odell across the south part of town and then to 2 miles south of town. The hail caused house and automobile damage in and around town. Some crop and tree damage was also reported. The hail was driven by winds that were estimated to be at least 50 mph.
Hail up to golf ball-size was reported from southwest of Falls City into town. Many vehicles in town sustained hail damage, some substantially, along with roofs and sidings of homes. The hail was from a multi-updraft supercell thunderstorm that moved across the area that afternoon.
The ground was covered in hail up to golf ball-size.
Hail up to 1 inch in diameter fell north of North Bend for over 10 minutes.
Hail up to half dollar-size fell north of Battle Creek.
Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at nearly 60 mph caused scattered tree damage from west of Battle Creek into the Norfolk area. The winds were accompanied by hail up to half dollar-size.
Hail up to half dollar-size fell in the Norfolk area for at least 5 minutes.
Accompanied by thunderstorm wind gusts of at least 60 mph.
Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph downed two trees onto a house along Highway 57. The winds were accompanied by hail up to 2 inches in diameter.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 2009Warnings in Nebraska, 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: 165342, 165343, 165344, 165345, 165348, 165349, 165355, 165354, 165356, 165358, 165361, 165363, 165365, 165366, 165368, 165371, 165373, 165374, 165375, 165376, 165378, 165379, 168888, 165381, 165384, 165386, 165385.