An upper level disturbance and warm front lifting northeast across western Nebraska triggered isolated severe thunderstorms during the evening hours on October 6th, 2011.
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.
An upper level disturbance and warm front lifting northeast across western Nebraska triggered isolated severe thunderstorms during the evening hours on October 6th, 2011.
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 Oct 6, 2:00 PM CST, 3 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 300 PM CDT THU OCT 6 2011 .SYNOPSIS... H5 ANALYSIS THIS MORNING INDICATING A VIGOROUS CLOSED LOW OVER SERN OR WITH ANOTHER STRONG WAVE LOCATED OVER SRN NEVADA. A 90 KT JET STREAK EXTENDED FROM SRN CA INTO CENTRAL AZ. AT THE SURFACE...LOW PRESSURE CONTINUES TO DEEPEN THIS AFTERNOON OVER SERN WYOMING WITH VERY STRONG WINDS OVER WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. AS OF 3 PM CDT...A PEAK GUST OF 53 MPH WAS RECORDED AT NORTH PLATTE WITH A PEAK GUST OF 56 MPH AT IMPERIAL. TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE 70S AND LOWER 80S AND SKIES WERE PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY. .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT... FOR TONIGHT...H5 LOW WILL LIFT FROM WYOMING INTO THE WESTERN DAKOTAS OVERNIGHT. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK ACROSS THE PANHANDLE INTO WRN SD. EAST OF THIS FEATURE...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ANCHORED ON A DRYLINE...WILL TRAVERSE THE FORECAST AREA LATER THIS EVENING. ATTM...IT APPEARS THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE TSTMS WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST IN PROXIMITY TO THE SURFACE LOW AND TRACK. THESE AREAS...ROUGHLY OVER SHERIDAN...GRANT...WESTERN CHERRY AND GARDEN COUNTIES WILL SEE THE BEST DIRECTIONAL SHEAR AND HIGHEST PROBABILITY OF DISCRETE STORMS. THOUGH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS...CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED TORNADO IN THESE AREAS GIVEN THE FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL HELICITY PARAMETERS THIS EVENING. FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST...STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONGEAL ALONG A DRYLINE TOWARD SUNDOWN. TORNADO THREAT WILL BE DIMINISHED FURTHER EAST...AS STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS UNIDIRECTIONAL IN NATURE. STORMS WILL BE FAST MOVING GIVEN THE 50 TO 70 KT H5 WINDS...SO DAMAGING WINDS WITH THE LINE WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE CWA. AS THE LINE MOVES INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA OVERNIGHT...LESS FAVORABLE DYNAMICS WILL DIMINISH THE SEVERE POTENTIAL FOR THE NORTHEASTERN CWA. FOR FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT...INTENSE SUBSIDENCE BEHIND THE EXITING DRYLINE AND CONVECTION WILL COMMENCE FRIDAY MORNING. VERY DRY BL RELATIVE HUMIDITY FRIDAY AFTERNOON WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FIRE CONCERNS. BASED ON DEW POINTS IN THE 20S AND FCST HIGHS IN THE 70S...RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE 15 TO 20 PERCENT RANGE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON. BASED ON THIS AND EXPECTED WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WOULD NORMALLY ISSUE A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR THIS PERIOD. HOWEVER...WET FUELS MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH RAIN THAT IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AND WOULD LIKE THE EVENING CREW TO EVAL RAIN COVERAGE AND MAKE THE CALL LATER TONIGHT. THIS WILL ALSO AVOID CONFUSION WITH ANY CONVECTIVE WATCHES THAT MAY BE ISSUED THIS EVENING...AS WELL AS OVERLAP WITH THE HIGH WIND WARNING WHICH EXPIRES THIS EVENING AT 03Z. DRY CONDS WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY NIGHT FOR WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AS CONVECTION REMAINS SOUTHEAST OF THE AREA INVOF OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY ANCHORED FROM NRN KS INTO ERN NEBR. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE WILL LIFT NORTH NORTHEAST INTO WESTERN COLORADO SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. EAST OF THIS FEATURE...ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY ALONG THE BEFORE MENTIONED FRONT...SPREADING NORTH SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. STRONG UPGLIDE AND LOW CONDENSATION PRESSURE DEFICITS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR WIDESPREAD SHOWERS SATURDAY IN THE SOUTH AND EAST...THEN OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA FOR SATURDAY EVENING AND SATURDAY NIGHT. LIFT AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE INTO SUNDAY AND SUNDAY EVENING WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES CONTINUING INTO EARLY MONDAY. DECIDED ON THE SLOWER NAM SOLN WHICH HAS BETTER AGREEMENT WITH LAST NIGHTS ECMWF SOLN. LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...WEEKEND SYSTEM WILL TRACK EAST MONDAY...FOLLOWED BY A SECONDARY TROUGH MIDWEEK. MOISTURE WILL REMAIN ANCHORED ACROSS FAR EASTERN NEBRASKA AND AND POINTS EAST...SO A DRY FCST WILL CONTINUE. && .FIRE WEATHER... A DRY LINE AND ATTENDANT SURFACE TROUGH WILL PUSH ACROSS WESTERN NEBRASKA EARLY FRIDAY...USHERING SIGNIFICANTLY DRIER AIR BACK ACROSS THE REGION. STRONG MODEL CONSENSUS WOULD INDICATE MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES OF LESS THAN 20 PERCENT FROM THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE NORTHEAST THROUGH CHERRY COUNTY. WHILE RED FLAG RELATIVE HUMIDITY CRITERIA MAY BE MET TOMORROW AFTERNOON ACROSS FIRE ZONES 204...206...210 AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF ZONE 208...WIND CRITERIA WILL BE LESS CERTAIN. BEHIND THE SURFACE TROUGH...MAXIMUM WIND SPEED OF 20 MPH OR LESS IS LIKELY...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NORTHERN PORTIONS OF ZONE 204...WHERE WIND GUSTS MAY EXCEED 25 MPH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY...WILL FORGO A RFW AT THIS POINT IN TIME...ESPECIALLY SINCE CONVECTION IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...WHERE MEASURABLE RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE OVER THESE AREAS. && .AVIATION... TWO CONCERNS GOING FOR THE 18Z TAF ISSUANCE...THE FIRST IS THE ONGOING GUSTY WIND. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS ALL OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...WITH GUST POTENTIAL OF GREATER THAN 40KTS AT BOTH THE KLBF AND KVTN TERMINALS. THE SECOND CONCERN REVOLVES AROUND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. A SURFACE LOW CONTINUES TO DEEPEN ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS OF COLORADO AND WYOMING EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. WITH MOISTURE INCREASING AHEAD OF THIS LOW...STORMS WILL DEVELOP FIRST ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS...THEN DRIFT INTO A MORE FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT OVER WESTERN NEBRASKA. ISOLATED SUPERCELLS MAY BE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHWEST NEBRASKA AFTER 21Z AS SUGGESTED BY THE HRRR...THEN FURTHER STORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST ALONG A EASTWARD PROGRESSING DRYLINE. THE STORMS SHOULD CONGEAL INTO A LINE THAT WILL QUICKLY PUSH EAST ACROSS THE REGION. USING NEAR TERM MODEL SOLUTIONS...STORMS WOULD IMPACT THE VTN AND/OR LBF TERMINAL SHORTLY AFTER 00Z TONIGHT WITH HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. WITH THE QUICK MOVING NATURE OF THIS LINE OF STORMS...WOULD EXPECT A RETURN TO VFR BEFORE OR SHORTLY AFTER 09Z TONIGHT AS DRIER AIR WORKS IN FROM THE WEST. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING NEZ004>006-008-009-022>027-035>038-056>059-069>071-094. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR ZONES NEZ007-010-028-029. SYNOPSIS...SHORT AND LONG TERM...BUTTLER AVIATION AND FIRE...JACOBS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 349 PM CDT THU OCT 6 2011 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-072100- 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- 349 PM CDT THU OCT 6 2011 /249 PM MDT THU OCT 6 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE ACROSS EASTERN COLORADO WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN AND MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS WESTERN NEBRASKA THOUGH THE EVENING. IN RESPONSE A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT CONTINUES OVER WESTERN NEBRASKA WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH EXPECTED THROUGH 10 PM CDT. A HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MOST OF WESTERN NEBRASKA. ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED WHERE WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH MAY BE POSSIBLE. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE WEST OF A LINE FROM AINSWORTH TO BROKEN BOW LATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN NEBRASKA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD EAST OVERNIGHT. INDIVIDUAL STORMS WILL QUICKLY PUSH NORTH NORTHEAST AND BE ABLE TO PRODUCE DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS WITH LARGE HAIL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHWEST NEBRASKA THROUGH EARLY EVENING...GENERALLY WEST AND NORTH OF A MERRIMAN TO ELLSWORTH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG AND EAST OF AN O'NEILL TO MASON CITY LINE. STRONG THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS AND HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THE STORMS FRIDAY. EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR MAY BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND WEST OF A AINSWORTH TO STOCKVILLE LINE ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS EXCEEDING 20 MPH WILL COMBINE WITH DRY ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AND CURED FUELS TO PROMOTE EXTREME FIRE GROWTH. A RED FLAG WARNING MAYBE NEEDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THOSE PLANNING HARVESTING OPERATIONS NEED TO CONTINUE TO EXERCISE CAUTION. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AS AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM EJECTS OUT OF THE FOUR CORNERS AREA SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF HEAVY RAINFALL SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM VALENTINE TO OGALLALA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHWEST NEBRASKA. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE JACOBS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
543 PM CDT THU OCT 06 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0355 PM HIGH SUST WINDS 4 ENE JOHNSTOWN 42.59N 99.99W
10/06/2011 M40 MPH BROWN NE AWOS
KANW AWOS SITE
&&
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</html>PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
558 PM CDT THU OCT 06 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0543 PM NON-TSTM WND GST KINGSLEY DAM 41.21N 101.66W
10/06/2011 M61 MPH KEITH NE TRAINED SPOTTER
SUSTAINED WINDS AT TIME OF REPORT WERE 46 MPH. SPOTTER
REPORTED HUGE PLUMES OF DUST AND SAND BEING LIFTED INTO
THE AIR.
&&
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</html>PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
621 PM CDT THU OCT 06 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0545 PM NON-TSTM WND GST VALENTINE 42.87N 100.55W
10/06/2011 M53 MPH CHERRY NE ASOS
&&
JAHSENMAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
622 PM CDT THU OCT 06 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0551 PM NON-TSTM WND GST BROKEN BOW 41.41N 99.64W
10/06/2011 M54 MPH CUSTER NE ASOS
&&
JAHSENMAThe North Platte radar (KLNX), 141 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:20 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds estimated at 60 to 70 mph combined with pea size hail and very heavy rain.
Hail ranging in size from quarter to ping pong occurred in Merriman. Rescue unit reported highway green from stripped leaves.
Winds estimated at 70 mph with pea size hail and heavy rain.
Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph by public.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph by public.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 65 mph by public.
Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph by public.
Strong winds blew shingles off roof.
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, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 344699, 344694, 344700, 344701, 344697, 344698, 344702, 344703, 344707, 344709, 344708, 347376, 347374.