A short line segment of four thunderstorms moved into portions of South Central Nebraska late on this Saturday evening. At 10 pm, the line extended from Lexington to McCook.
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.
A short line segment of four thunderstorms moved into portions of South Central Nebraska late on this Saturday evening. At 10 pm, the line extended from Lexington to McCook. Two of the storms, over Gosper county, triggered a new storm which took over and become the dominant cell. While all other cells weakened substantially, this storm intensified over Phelps county. Strong winds, associated with this storm, broke off a significant portion of a large tree, in the city of Holdrege, around 11:30 pm CST. Peak winds at the airport were measured at 54 mph. The storm then weakened.
These storms developed as a weak cold front was sliding southeast through Nebraska. Just ahead of these storms, temperatures were in the upper 70s with dewpoints in the lower 70s. Mid-level lapse rates were steep (7.5 degrees/km in the 700-500 mb layer), resulting in MLCAPE between 2000 and 2500 J/kg. Deep layer shear was around 30 kts.
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 31, 5:40 PM CST, 5 hours 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 640 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 215 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 THE PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN WILL CENTER AROUND THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A SFC COLD FRONT TRACKS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS COLD FRONT WILL FINALLY BRING SOME RELIEF FROM THE HEAT BEGINNING ON SUNDAY...IN ADDITION TO CARRYING WITH IT A DECENT CHANCE OF SOME NEEDED PRECIPITATION THIS EVENING. MLCAPE VALUES OF 2000 TO 2500 J/KG ALONG WITH DEEP LAYER SHEAR OF 30 TO 35 KTS IS INDICATIVE OF A POTENTIALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ENVIRONMENT. A COOL FRONT TRACKING ACROSS THE AREA FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST WILL ACT AS A LIFTING MECHANISM. THERE WILL ALSO BE AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVERHEAD...ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE DYNAMIC ENERGY WITH THIS TROUGH WILL BE WELL TO OUR NORTHEAST ACROSS MINNESOTA INTO SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. GIVEN THE BETTER UPPER SUPPORT BEING WELL TO OUR NORTHEAST...WILL JUST CALL FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING RATHER THAN ANYTHING WIDESPREAD. CONVECTION WILL LIKELY FORM TO OUR NORTHWEST AND WEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVE INTO OUR NORTHWESTERN ZONES AFTER 6 PM WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE TRI CITIES BETWEEN 7 PM AND 11 PM. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK SOUTHEAST INTO NORTHERN KANSAS DURING THE LATE EVENING AND EARLY MORNING HOURS. SUNDAY...THE COLD FRONT WILL BE WELL SOUTH OF OUR FORECAST AREA AND HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE A GOOD 10 OR MORE DEGREES COOLER THAN TODAY. IN ADDITION...IT WILL BE LESS HUMID AND ONCE AGAIN DRY. HIGH TEMPERATURES SHOULD RANGE FROM THE LOWER 80S NORTH OF HIGHWAY 92 TO THE UPPER 80S ACROSS NORTHERN KANSAS. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 215 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 DRY CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST ACROSS OUR AREA FOR THE MOST PART DURING THE LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD. THAT BEING SAID...THERE STILL APPEARS TO BE A CHANCE FOR MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS OF OUR AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS SUBTLE THERMAL ADVECTION ALONG THE AXIS OF A WEAK LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPS ACROSS THE AREA. ALLBLEND RESPONDED BY PRESENTING ~20% POPS FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY NORTH OF I-80 AND THESE POPS WERE LEFT UNCHANGED FOR THE MOST PART. ALLBLEND ALSO PROVIDED ~20% POPS TO OUR SOUTHWEST FOR NEXT SATURDAY...LIKELY INFLUENCED BY THE EC WHICH PRESENTS PRECIPITATION TO PORTIONS OF THE AREA DUE TO THE EMERGENCE OF A MID LEVEL PERTURBATION. THE POPS FOR SATURDAY WERE ALSO LEFT UNCHANGED FOR THE MOST PART. MONDAY APPEARS AS THOUGH IT WILL BE THE COOLEST DAY OF THE LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD AS WEAK SURFACE RIDGING LINGERS OVER THE REGION. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 80S ARE FORECAST ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA FOR MONDAY AS A RESULT. LOW LEVEL RETURN FLOW AND RESULTANT THERMAL ADVECTION HOWEVER SHOULD PROMOTE WARMER WEATHER TO FINISH THE FORECAST PERIOD...WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE LOW TO MID 90S CURRENTLY FORECAST TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 630 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 COOL FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SLOWLY SAG SOUTH ACROSS NEB TONIGHT. THE FRONT WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR SCATTERED TSTMS AND A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE FRONT SHLD REACH KGRI AROUND 07Z OR 08Z AND WILL BRING A WIND SHIFT TO THE NORTH. CONDITIONS DRY OUT BEHIND THE FRONT. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...WESELY LONG TERM...BRYANT AVIATION...FAY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 704 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 011200- 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- 704 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT...AND A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS FROM THE STORMS WILL BE QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS NEAR 60 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...PRIMARILY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT. && MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HASTINGS (ALL LOWERCASE)
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1057 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013
NEZ046-061-010445-
BUFFALO NE-SHERMAN NE-
1057 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN SHERMAN AND
NORTHWESTERN BUFFALO COUNTIES UNTIL 1145 PM CDT...
AT 1057 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF ANSLEY...OR 33 MILES NORTHEAST
OF LEXINGTON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
LITCHFIELD...
MILLER...
HAZARD...
PLEASANTON...
RAVENNA...
POOLE...
LAT...LON 4105 9888 4092 9895 4087 9912 4089 9942
4105 9942 4105 9922 4115 9922 4116 9921
4117 9904
TIME...MOT...LOC 0357Z 315DEG 29KT 4117 9941
ROSSISPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1126 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013
NEZ060-072-010500-
DAWSON NE-GOSPER NE-
1126 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN GOSPER AND SOUTHERN
DAWSON COUNTIES UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT...
AT 1124 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR JOHNSON LAKE...OR 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
LEXINGTON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
JOHNSON LAKE...
ELWOOD...
THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 80 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 230 AND 237.
LAT...LON 4072 10006 4079 9997 4079 9981 4068 9965
4058 9966 4060 9998 4062 9999 4069 9999
4069 10004
TIME...MOT...LOC 0427Z 313DEG 17KT 4071 9988
ROSSISPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1159 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013
NEZ072-073-010530-
GOSPER NE-PHELPS NE-
1159 PM CDT SAT AUG 31 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN PHELPS AND EASTERN
GOSPER COUNTIES UNTIL 1230 AM CDT...
AT 1159 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BERTRAND...OR 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF
HOLDREGE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
BERTRAND...
LOOMIS...
LAT...LON 4059 9953 4048 9949 4036 9964 4053 9989
4059 9970 4066 9968
TIME...MOT...LOC 0500Z 304DEG 21KT 4054 9964
ROSSIThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts estimated near 60 mph resulted in tree damage in Holdrege. A multi-branch portion of one tree split from the main trunk and was estimated at 15 inches in diameter. This portion of the tree landed on the corner of a home, damaging the roof.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, August 2013
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: 477056.