The drought that began in June 2012 continued across western Nebraska through November. The greatest impacts were across the southwest where Extreme Drought (D3) conditions were observed.
Every event with a place to put it; 18 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued across western Nebraska through November. The greatest impacts were across the southwest where Extreme Drought (D3) conditions were observed. Generally less than normal rainfall occurred during the month for little change in the drought. The drought continued into December.
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 31, 10:44 PM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 1144 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 314 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. FORECAST CHALLENGE IN THE SHORT TERM PERIODS IS WIND SPEEDS. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE FOR THE ENTIRE CWA FROM 15-23Z FRIDAY. FOR TONIGHT...GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL SUBSIDE SLIGHTLY AS WE HEAD INTO THE EVENING HOURS AND MOMENTUM TRANSFER ALOFT WEAKENS WITH THE SETTING SUN. MODEL GUIDANCE REMAINS IN GOOD AGREEMENT OF 10-15KT WINDS WITHIN THE BOUNDARY LAYER THROUGH THE EARLY HOURS OF FRIDAY. HOWEVER UNDER FAIRLY PROGRESSIVE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL PROGRESS THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PLAINS...PROVIDING FOR AN ADDITIONAL SHOT OF COOLER AIR AND INCREASING MOMENTUM ALOFT. SHORT TERM GUIDANCE REMAINS IN GOOD AGREEMENT OF GREATER THAN 40KTS AT H85 ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AT 15Z FRIDAY. AND WHEN COMBINED WITH SUBSIDENCE BEHIND THE PASSING WAVE...CAA...AND STEEP LAPSE RATES WITHIN THE LOWER TROPOSPHERE...SOLID MIXING IS ANTICIPATED LEADING TO A GUSTY DAY. USING A BLEND OF NUMERICAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS ALL LOCATIONS ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WOULD FLIRT OR SURPASS WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA. MAV GUIDANCE REMAINS STRONGEST WITH THE GFS OPERATIONAL SUGGESTING A GREATER COVERAGE OF INCREASED WINDS ALOFT /INTO THE EASTERN PANHANDLE/...BUT THE MAV OVERESTIMATED THE SITUATION TODAY. MET GUIDANCE IS WEAKER...BUT DID UNDERESTIMATE THE WINDY CONDITIONS TODAY /THURSDAY/...THUS THE BLENDED APPROACH FOR NOW. ALL IN ALL...CURRENT THINKING IS THE ADVISORY WILL BE SOLID ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...BUT A BIT MORE MARGINAL ACROSS THE EASTERN PANHANDLE AND SOUTHWEST. SINCE WERE CLOSE ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA...WILL GO AHEAD AND COVER ALL COUNTIES WITH THE ADVISORY. WINDS DECOUPLE QUICKLY FRIDAY NIGHT AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS FROM THE WEST. TEMPERATURES...10-15KT WINDS WILL KEEP THE LOWER TROPOSPHERE FAIRLY MIXED TONIGHT...WITH LOWS MAINLY IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S. UNDER A CAA REGIME ON FRIDAY HIGHS WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN TODAY...H85 T/S WILL BE 2-3C COOLER THAN THURSDAY...WITH LOWER TO UPPER 50S ANTICIPATED FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE CWA. SHORT TERM MODELS ARE HINTING AT LIGHT QPF OVER NORTHWEST NEBRASKA OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AS OMEGA SPREADS SOUTHEAST WITH THE APPROACHING WAVE. PROXIMITY SOUNDINGS FROM NEAR MERRIMAN INDICATE A BRIEF PERIOD OF SUFFICIENT SATURATION FOR SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES. WILL KEEP THE FORECAST DRY AS QPF AMOUNTS SHOULD BE TRACE AMOUNTS AT BEST. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 314 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD EAST ACROSS THE PLAINS THIS WEEKEND...AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM POISED TO MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS EARLY NEXT WEEK. THROUGH THE WEEKEND...CONDITIONS WILL BE DRY AS THE THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGING MOVES ACROSS. IT SHOULD BE FAIRLY MILD AS WELL...WITH H85 TEMPERATURES WARMING FROM AROUND 5C ON SATURDAY TO NEAR 10C ON SUNDAY. IT WILL BE RATHER WINDY...ESPECIALLY SUNDAY...AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS DUE TO A STRENGTHENING SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS. AS MENTIONED THE NEXT SYSTEM ARRIVES EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE GEM AND ECMWF MODELS REMAIN THE MOST AMPLIFIED WITH THE SYSTEM...AND CONTINUE TO GENERATE A FAIRLY DECENT SWATH OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. IT DOES APPEAR COLD ENOUGH THAT AT LEAST SOME OF THIS PRECIPITATION WOULD FALL AS SNOW. THE GFS CONTINUES TO REMAIN WEAKER AND MORE OPEN WITH THE UPPER WAVE...WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPITATION REMAINING EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA. WITH THE DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS...WILL KEEP POPS OUT OF THE LIKELY RANGE AT THIS TIME. WE WILL TAP INTO A BIT OF ARCTIC AS THE SYSTEM PULLS EAST...SO CHILLY CONDITIONS EXPECTED. OVERNIGHT LOWS LIKELY FALLING INTO THE LOW AND MID 20S IN THE WAKE OF THE SYSTEM BY MIDWEEK. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1143 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 BROKEN MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS IS LIKELY ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. CLOUD DECKS WILL BE IN THE 8000 TO 10000 FT AGL RANGE AT BOTH THE KVTN AND KLBF TERMINALS. NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL BE UNDER 10 KTS THROUGH 15Z FRIDAY WITH A QUICK INCREASE IN WIND SPEED EXPECTED BY LATE MORNING. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE BY MIDDAY TO 20 TO 30 KTS. GUSTS MAY APPROACH 40 KTS FRIDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH FRIDAY EVENING TO 10 TO 20 KTS WITH CLEARING SKIES FORECAST FRIDAY EVENING. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM CDT /9 AM MDT/ TO 6 PM CDT /5 PM MDT/ FRIDAY FOR NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094. && SHORT TERM...JACOBS LONG TERM...TAYLOR AVIATION...CLB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 339 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-012045- 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- 339 PM CDT THU OCT 31 2013 /239 PM MDT THU OCT 31 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP LATE FRIDAY MORNING ACROSS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA. GUST POTENTIAL OF GREATER THAN 35 MPH IS EXPECTED...HOWEVER LOCATIONS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA MAY SEE GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 45 MPH BY EARLY AFTERNOON. WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE SETTING SUN. SNOW MAY BE POSSIBLE EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND COLD AIR IS PULLED SOUTH FROM CANADA. AT THIS TIME...THE STORM TRACK WOULD SUGGEST SNOW WITHIN THE REGION LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY...BUT THE EXACT STORM TRACK REMAINS UNCERTAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && GET YOUR WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL...AND CLIMATE INFORMATION AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NORTHPLATTE (ALL LOWERCASE) JACOBS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
18 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering in western Blaine County. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering in far western Custer County. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering in the southern half of eastern Cherry County. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a quarter inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) to Extreme Drought (D3) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a quarter inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) to Extreme Drought (D3) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted Severe Drought (D2) to Extreme Drought (D3) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) and Extreme Drought (D3) conditions lingering in western Chase County. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering in eastern Deuel County. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in the Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted in mostly Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering. The exception was far southeast Keith County where Extreme Drought (D3) conditions were observed. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted Severe Drought (D2) to Extreme Drought (D3) conditions. The drought continued into December.
The drought that began in June 2012 continued into November 2013. Less than normal precipitation fell with a half inch observed that resulted Severe Drought (D2) conditions lingering over much of western Cherry County. The drought continued into December.
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, November 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: 479087, 479089, 479091, 479092, 479095, 479098, 479099, 479100, 479103, 479086, 479088, 479090, 479093, 479094, 479096, 479097, 479101, 479104.