Although severe weather in the form of hail or damaging winds was not an issue, thunderstorms, some producing flooding rains, were widespread across South Central Nebraska between the evening of Monday the 29th and pre-dawn hours of Tuesday the 30th. 50 inches common.
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 GID wrote it up.
Although severe weather in the form of hail or damaging winds was not an issue, thunderstorms, some producing flooding rains, were widespread across South Central Nebraska between the evening of Monday the 29th and pre-dawn hours of Tuesday the 30th. By far the heaviest rainfall targeted southern counties, generally between the Highway 6 corridor and the Kansas border, with amounts of 1.50 to 2.50 inches common. A narrow zone tallied even higher amounts of at least 3-4 inches, including parts of Harlan, Franklin, Webster and far southern Adams Counties. A few of the highest measured 24-hour totals included 3.90 inches near Bladen, and 3.80 inches near Republican City. An unofficial report indicated that 6 inches fell north of Macon in Franklin County. As a result, northern and eastern portions of Franklin County bore the brunt of localized flooding issues. These issues included water overflowing a small portion of Highway 10 near Macon, causing a car to go in the ditch, and also the flooding of Thompson Creek. The gauge along the Thompson Creek at Riverton crested several inches above flood stage around 9 AM on the 30th, with water gradually receding through the day.
The majority of heavy rain during this event fell between midnight and 5 AM CDT, corresponding to a period of enhanced warm air advection and moisture transport focused into the area along the nose of a 30 knot low level jet evident at 850 millibars. Although weak mid-level lapse rates likely precluded a severe weather threat, the atmosphere was primed for heavy rain with precipitable water values averaging around 2 inches. In the mid-levels, the main forcing mechanism was a modest shortwave passing through quasi-zonal flow.
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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 29, 5:23 AM CST, 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 623 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2011 .AVIATION...12Z TAF. DESPITE HIGHER CLOUDS MOVING IN OVER TOP OF THE FOG AND LOW CLOUDS THEY HAVE PERSISTED. SOMEWHAT CONCERNED THAT WITH THE HIGHER CLOUDS THAT THE FOG MAY TAKE A BIT TO BURN OFF THIS MORNING. HAVE IT MOVING OUT BY MID MORNING...BUT WILL HAVE TO WATCH TO SEE WHEN IT DOES. THE NEXT CONCERN DURING THIS PERIOD WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE BEST CHANCE SEEMS TO BE LATER TONIGHT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 453 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2011/ DISCUSSION...HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH DEEP CONVECTION ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS OVERNIGHT CONTINUE TO STREAM ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA THIS MORNING. THIS CLOUD COVER HAS HELPED TO LIMIT WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE REGION THE PAST FEW HOURS...ALTHOUGH A FEW SPOTS HAVE STILL MANAGED TO FALL TO NEAR ONE QUARTER OF A MILE AT TIMES. WHILE CONDITIONS REMAIN VERY FAVORABLE FOR DENSE FOG DEVELOPMENT IF SKIES WERE TO CLEAR OUT...DO NOT EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN AS LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATED THAT MID/UPPER LEVEL CLOUD COVER SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. AS A RESULT...OPTED TO COVER FOG THIS PATCHY DENSE FOG WITH A MENTION OF VISIBILITIES BELOW 1 MILE IN LATEST FORECAST AS WELL AS ADVERTISED IN HWO/SHORT TERM FORECAST...AND SHIED AWAY FROM AN ADVISORY AT THIS TIME. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR OBS THOUGH...AS AN ADVISORY MAY BECOME NECESSARY IF CONDITIONS WORSEN OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. FOR TODAY...EXPECT A FAIRLY POTENT UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TO CROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES...EVENTUALLY TRACKING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THIS DISTURBANCE...EXPECT CONTINUED MID/UPPER LEVEL HIGH CLOUD COVER TO STREAM ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA DURING THE DAY...WITH SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT EXPECTED TO REMAIN MAINLY ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. BY THIS EVENING...AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA...EXPECT CONVECTION TO OUR WEST TO ATTEMPT TO WORK ITS WAY INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. WITH MODERATE SHEAR AND INSTABILITY FORECAST TO BE IN PLACE...EXPECT A FEW OF THESE APPROACHING STORMS TO BE ON THE STRONG SIDE...WITH SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS BOTH POSSIBLE. MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT BRINGING CONVECTION ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA OVERNIGHT...WITH THIS CONVECTION CLEARING OUT EARLY IN THE DAY ON TUESDAY AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL ONCE AGAIN ATTEMPT TO BUILD ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA. THIS SCENARIO WILL LIKELY RESULT IN A RETURN TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE MIDDLE PORTION OF THE WEEK. AFTER TONIGHT/EARLY TUESDAY...THE NEXT GOOD CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION APPEARS TO BE LATE IN THE WEEK WHEN ANOTHER POTENT UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT PUSH ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THE LATEST GFS IS A LITTLE MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH THIS DISTURBANCE THAN EUROPEAN...SO EXACT TIMING STILL A BIT UNCERTAIN...AND SUBSEQUENTLY FEW CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE EXTENDED PERIODS OF THE FORECAST THIS MORNING. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 510 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2011 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 301015- PHILLIPS-SMITH-JEWELL-ROOKS-OSBORNE-MITCHELL-VALLEY-GREELEY-NANCE- SHERMAN-HOWARD-MERRICK-POLK-DAWSON-BUFFALO-HALL-HAMILTON-YORK- GOSPER-PHELPS-KEARNEY-ADAMS-CLAY-FILLMORE-FURNAS-HARLAN-FRANKLIN- WEBSTER-NUCKOLLS-THAYER- 510 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. PATCHY DENSE FOG DEVELOPMENT WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO ONE QUARTER OF A MILE OR LESS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. THE MOST DENSE FOG WILL AFFECT LOW LYING SPOTS...SUCH AS RIVER VALLEYS...AND IS EXPECTED TO BURN OFF BY AROUND 9 AM CDT. IN ADDITION...POTENTIALLY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT...WITH HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKLES AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH BEING THE PRIMARY CONCERNS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR NON-SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER INTO THE MORNING HOURS ON TUESDAY...WITH ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ARRIVING THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT. && MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HASTINGS (ALL LOWERCASE) ROSSI
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 heavy rain, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm total rainfall of 3.90 inches was reported by a Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network observer.
Storm total rainfall of 3.80 inches was reported by a Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network observer.
Storm total rainfall of 3.68 inches was reported by a Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network observer.
Storm total rainfall of 3.25 inches was reported by a Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network observer.
Storm total rainfall of 3.20 inches was reported by a Nebraska Rainfall Assessment and Information Network observer.
Storm total rainfall of 3.38 inches was reported.
Rainfall totals ranging from 2 to as high as 6 inches were reported across the area. Just south of the intersection of Highways 10 and 4 north of Macon, water was reported over the road, causing one car to go into the ditch. Several county roads around the area were affected by running water, causing some minor damage and gravel loss. This heavy rain eventually ran into the Thompson Creek basin, and the gauge near Riverton rose above flood stage during the morning hours of the 30th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, August 2011
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: 342267, 342268, 342269, 342270, 342271, 344341, 342082.