Although no damaging winds or large hail occurred on this Friday afternoon, a small, very localized cluster of thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall and flooding to a small portion of Greeley County. 30 inches of rain between 1 PM and 230 PM CDT, with most of this falling in one hour.
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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 no damaging winds or large hail occurred on this Friday afternoon, a small, very localized cluster of thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall and flooding to a small portion of Greeley County. A gauge report from the public 5 miles northwest of Wolbach indicated 3.30 inches of rain between 1 PM and 230 PM CDT, with most of this falling in one hour. As a result, rapid runoff resulted in the brief flooding of the west branch of Spring Creek in this area. However, the highly localized nature of rainfall prevented notable downstream flooding into the community of Wolbach. This small cluster of storms rapidly started to weaken and dissipate after 230 PM CDT, and ended up being the only strong convection anywhere within the 24-county area during the daylight hours.
The development of this storm cluster was focused on the sunnier and rapidly destabilizing side of a differential heating boundary in the area, in the presence of a weak mid-level shortwave centered across the region. As storms first developed in southeast Greeley County, surface-based CAPE values were on the order of 2000-3000 J/kg, with precipitable water around 1.5 inches.
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 Jul 29, 11:16 AM CST, 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 1216 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011 .AVIATION...KGRI 18Z TAF FORECAST. CEILINGS ARE BEGINNING TO LIFT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...WITH INTERMITTENT VFR CONDITIONS OBSERVED AT THE KGRI TERMINAL. FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST...-RA WITH OCCASIONAL MVFR/IFR CEILINGS ARE HANGING ON BEHIND THE DECAYING CONVECTIVE COMPLEX. STILL CANNOT ENTIRELY RULE OUT A STRAY SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING AT KGRI...ESPECIALLY SINCE LOOKING AT RADAR TRENDS...PULSE TYPE SHOWERS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING. FOR NOW WILL COVER THE POTENTIAL WITH A TEMPO GROUP...BUT A AMENDMENT MAY BE NEEDED IF THESE TRENDS CONTINUE. FOR THE OVERNIGHT...MODELS STILL SUGGESTING STRATUS/FOG DEVELOPMENT EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...WILL CONTINUE THE MENTION MVFR CEILINGS AT KGRI DURING THE TIMEFRAME. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 351 AM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011/ DISCUSSION...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LINGERED ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN CWA AND ACROSS LOCATIONS MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 IN NEBRASKA. THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WAS NEAR THE BAROCLINIC ZONE ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND AIDED BY A 30KT LLVL JET. ACTIVITY HAS BEEN SUB SEVERE HOWEVER THE STORMS HAVE BEEN EFFICIENT RAIN PRODUCERS WITH KUEX ESTIMATING ISOLATED AREAS IN EXCESS OF 1 AND 2 INCHES. THE CONVECTION STILL LOOKS TO LINGER SOME AFTER DAYBREAK AS A MID LEVEL WAVE TRANSLATES EASTWARD AND WILL HOLD ONTO LOW POPS FOR AT LEAST THE MORNING. THE FRONT LIFTS NORTHWARD TONIGHT AND IN THE INCREASING MID LEVEL WAA REGIME COULD SEE SOME HIT OR MISS CONVECTION TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. SREF INSTABILITY PAR MATERS INDICATE MUCAPES BETWEEN 2500 J/KG AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR NEAR 30 KTS. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE PROGGED AT 1.5 INCHES OR MORE AND STORMS WHICH DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OR PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS...WITH SMALL HAIL NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MORE SEASONAL TODAY WITH HIGHS FORECAST IN THE UPPER 80S ACROSS THE CWA. THE HEAT RETURNS FOR THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEKEND AS THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS REBUILDS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND REMAINS ANCHORED ACROSS OUR REGION INTO NEXT WEEK. THE HEAT REALLY TURNS ON SUNDAY...WITH H85 TEMPS SOARING TO THE MIDDLE AND UPPER 20S...AND THE HEAT CONTINUES TO SPREAD EAST AND REMAIN ENTRENCHED INTO TUESDAY UNTIL COOL FRONTAL BOUNDARY ARRIVES. HEAT INDICES BEGIN TO APPROACH HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA ON SUNDAY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...WITH THE WARMEST HEAT INDEX READINGS NEAR OR ABOVE ADVISORY CRITERIA FORECAST ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF THE CWA ON MONDAY. READINGS DROP SOME ON TUESDAY IN OUR WEST BUT REMAIN TOASTY IN THE SOUTH AND EAST. WILL NEED TO MONITOR TRENDS ON WHETHER TO GO AHEAD WITH AN EXCESS HEAT WATCH SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY OR ISSUE A HEADLINE FOR THE APPROPRIATE AREA EACH DAY...AS DETAILS ARE REFINED. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. && .18Z AVIATION...JACOBS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 815 AM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 301200- 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- 815 AM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE THIS MORNING ANYWHERE WITHIN THE OUTLOOK AREA...BUT THEY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE STRONG OR SEVERE. THEN THIS AFTERNOON AND ESPECIALLY TONIGHT...THE REDEVELOPMENT OF STORMS IS POSSIBLE. ALTHOUGH SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...A FEW STRONG STORMS COULD OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. HOT TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN TO THE OUTLOOK AREA BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. HEAT INDICES OF 102 TO 107 ARE FORECAST SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE HEAT WILL PERSIST ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND FAR SOUTHERN NEBRASKA ON TUESDAY WITH HEAT INDICES OF 100 TO 105 EXPECTED. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES LINGER INTO SATURDAY MORNING...AND RETURN AGAIN IN THE TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY TIME FRAME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. && MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HASTINGS (ALL LOWERCASE) PFANNKUCH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1101 AM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0347 AM HEAVY RAIN OSBORNE 39.44N 98.70W
07/29/2011 M3.04 INCH OSBORNE KS TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
GUERREROPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1214 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 7 N OSCEOLA 41.28N 97.55W
07/29/2011 M2.62 INCH POLK NE TRAINED SPOTTER
24-HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL MAINLY FROM OVERNIGHT STORMS.
COURTESY NEBRASKA RAINFALL ASSESSMENT AND INFORMATION
NETWORK.
&&
PFANNKUCHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1217 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0614 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 WNW PLAINVILLE 39.26N 99.37W
07/29/2011 M2.33 INCH ROOKS KS CO-OP OBSERVER
24-HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL...PRIMARILY FROM OVERNIGHT
0623 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 SSE OSBORNE 39.43N 98.69W
07/29/2011 M2.56 INCH OSBORNE KS OTHER FEDERAL
12-HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL...AUTOMATED GAUGE ALONG SOUTH FORK
SOLOMON RIVER.
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 7 N OSCEOLA 41.28N 97.55W
07/29/2011 M2.62 INCH POLK NE TRAINED SPOTTER
24-HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL MAINLY FROM OVERNIGHT STORMS.
COURTESY NEBRASKA RAINFALL ASSESSMENT AND INFORMATION
NETWORK.
&&
PFANNKUCHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm total rainfall over a 90 minute period was 3.30 inches. The heavy rainfall resulted in Spring Creek flooding.
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, July 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: 330692.