Isolated thunderstorms developed over the southern Nebraska Panhandle and became severe as they tracked east into Deuel County. A brief tornado touch down was reported east of Chappell in an open field.
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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 LBF wrote it up.
Isolated thunderstorms developed over the southern Nebraska Panhandle and became severe as they tracked east into Deuel County. A brief tornado touch down was reported east of Chappell in an open field.
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 Jul 3, 4:28 PM MST, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 628 PM CDT TUE JUL 3 2012 .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT BOTH KLBF AND KVTN TERMINALS THROUGH THE CURRENT TAF PERIOD. SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS AT KVTN THIS EVENING...AND AT KLBF TOMORROW AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...GIVEN THE ISOLATED COVERAGE OF ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ANY MENTION OF TSRA WILL BE LEFT OUT OF THIS TAF PACKAGE. STORM TRENDS WILL BE MONITORED AND MAY BE UPDATED AT A LATER TIME. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE FOR MOST OF THE AREA UNTIL A FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE STATE TOMORROW MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THIS WILL SWITCH THE WINDS AT KVTN TO OUT OF THE WEST...AND EVENTUALLY OUT OF THE NORTHWEST. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 359 PM CDT TUE JUL 3 2012/ SYNOPSIS... A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM NEAR AKRON AND STERLING IN FR NORTHEAST COLORADO NORTHWARD THROUGH THE EASTERN PANHANDLE WITH TOWERING CUMULUS DEVELOPING. THIS TO BE A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. OTHER CUMULUS CLOUDS HAVE FORMED IN NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA NEAR A STATIONARY FRONT ALONG THE NEBR/SOUTH DAKOTA LINE. HOT TEMPERATURES ONCE AGAIN WITH SEVERAL LOCATIONS REACHING OR EXCEEDING 100 DEGREES. SMOKE FROM WESTERN FIRES CONTINUES TO PUT A SLIGHT HAZE ON THE SKY. SHORT TERM DISCUSSION... TONIGHT...HAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE EASTERN PANHANDLE/EASTERN SANDHILLS AND ALSO ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL THIS EVENING. ANY STORMS WHICH FORM MAY CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS. ANY ACTIVITY SHOULD DISSIPATE BY MIDNIGHT FOR A DRY OVERNIGHT. WEDNESDAY...CONTINUED HOT. UPPER RIDGE CENTER MOVES SLIGHTLY EAST TOWARD MISSOURI ALSO RIDGE AXIS WILL STILL EXTEND WEST INTO COLORADO. WIDESPREAD HIGHS NEAR 100 NEAR AND SOUTH OF AN ONEILL THROUGH NORTH PLATTE AND OGALLALA LINE WITH HEAT INDICES NEAR 100 ONCE AGAIN. STORMS MAY INITIATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON NEAR A WEAK BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM BROKEN BOW THROUGH NORTH PLATTE AND IMPERIAL AND HAVE PLACED LOW CHANCE POPS ACROSS THESE AREAS INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING. VERY WARM TEMPERATURES ALOFT SHOULD INHIBIT STORMS FROM SURVIVING VERY LONG MUCH FURTHER NORTHEAST OF WHEELER AND GARFIELD COUNTY AND ONLY PLACED A SLIGHT CHANCE INTO HOLT COUNTY. A SLIGHT CHANCE. THURSDAY...STILL HOT. UPPER RIDGE CENTER TO MOVE SLIGHTLY WEST TOWARD EASTERN KANSAS. NO REAL CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES WITH HIGHS NEAR 100 SOUTHWEST WITH MID TO UPPER 90S ELSEWHERE. KEPT A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTHWEST. SOUTHEAST TO STILL REMAIN DRY CLOSER BENEATH UPPER RIDGE CENTER. FRIDAY...CONTINUED HOT. UPPER RIDGE TO WEAK AND MOVE SLIGHTLY SOUTHEAST AS NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH FLATTENS RIDGE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR LATE AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTHWEST...THEN A CHANCE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AN SLIGHT CHANCE SOUTHEAST AS SURFACE FRONT FORECAST TO DROP TOWARD SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTHWEST KANSAS BY EVENING. THE NORTHWEST THEN SHOULD SEE HIGHS FROM THE LOW 90S NORTHWEST TO NEAR 100 SOUTHWEST. GIVEN THAT TEMPERATURES AND CORRESPONDING HEAT INDICES WILL BE NEAR OR EXCEEDING 100 DEGREES WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...A LONG DURATION HEAT ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE. THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL POSE A RISK FOR HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES...ESPECIALLY DUE TO THE EXTENDED PERIOD OF THESE CONDITIONS. LONG TERM DISCUSSION... FOR SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. UPPER RIDGE TO STILL HAVE A STRONG INFLUENCE SATURDAY AS HIGHS REACH THE 90S. FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY...THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BE SUPPRESSED SOUTHWARD DUE TO LARGE LONG WAVE TROUGH DEVELOPING FROM AROUND HUDSON BAY ACROSS EASTERN CANADA...THUS LOWERING UPPER HEIGHTS ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND NORTHERN PLAINS. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL TRANSITION WESTWARD INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST BY TUESDAY. THIS SYNOPTIC SETUP WOULD BRING A PATTERN SHIFT AND POTENTIAL FOR MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. KEPT MAINLY A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THE NORTHWEST THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...THEN ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. HAVE FORECAST HIGHS BY SUNDAY COOLING TO THE UPPER 80S/LOWER 90S...THEN MID/UPPER 80S MONDAY/TUESDAY. FIRE WEATHER... THE HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE...RESULTING IN DANGEROUS CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY FOR FIRE WORKS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. AFTERNOON MINIMUM RH VALUES DROP TO AROUND 20 PERCENT WHILE SOUTHERLY WINDS GUST TO AROUND 20 MPH...SO NO RED FLAG CRITERIA EXPECTED. ALTHOUGH THE LACK OF RAINFALL AND UNUSUALLY HOT CONDITIONS HAVE RESULTING IN VERY DRY FUELS. CAUTION IS ADVISED FOR ALL OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM CDT THURSDAY FOR NEZ005>010-025>029-037- 038-059-070-071. && SHORT TERM/EXTENDED...ROBERG AVIATION...MARTIN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 351 PM CDT TUE JUL 3 2012 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-042100- 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- 351 PM CDT TUE JUL 3 2012 /251 PM MDT TUE JUL 3 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING IN WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE ANY THUNDERSTORMS ARE THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN SANDHILLS AND THE EASTERN PANHANDLE...ALONG AND WEST OF A VALENTINE...TO OGALLALA...TO IMPERIAL LINE. STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...BUT STRONG WIND AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES CAN BE EXPECTED WHERE THEY DEVELOP. HEAT IS THE ANOTHER HAZARD EXPECTED THIS EVENING. UNUSUALLY HOT WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TO PRESENT A RISK OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESS. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED AROUND 100 DEGREES WITH HEAT INDEX VALUES AROUND 100 DEGREES. FIRE DANGER WILL CONTINUE TO BE HIGH AS WELL DUE TO THE HEAT AND RESULTING LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY. EXTREME CAUTION IS ADVISED WHEN LIGHTING FIREWORKS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A FRONT WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK...AND AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA THROUGH MONDAY. UNUSUALLY HOT WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS WILL KEEP THE FIRE DANGER HIGH AND CONTINUE TO PRESENT A RISK OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESS. WEDNESDAY WILL SEE NUMEROUS FIREWORK SHOWS...EXTREME CAUTION IS ADVISED WHEN USING FIREWORKS. THE RECENT HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS HAS MADE THE AREA EASY TO CATCH FIRE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT IS NOW AVAILABLE...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER... HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATOLOGICAL INFORMATION...AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE MASEK
The North Platte radar (KLNX), 175 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:50 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Tornado briefly touched down in open range land with no damage reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 2012Warnings in Nebraska, July 2012
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: 392719.