A seasonably strong upper level storm system swept across the northern Plains during the day on Sunday August 31st. Ahead of the storm system low pressure developed over the high Plains and allowed for warm and moist air to pool over the mid Missouri River Valley creating strong instability by mid to late afternoon.
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 OAX wrote it up.
A seasonably strong upper level storm system swept across the northern Plains during the day on Sunday August 31st. Ahead of the storm system low pressure developed over the high Plains and allowed for warm and moist air to pool over the mid Missouri River Valley creating strong instability by mid to late afternoon. As a cold front and associated upper level jet streak interacted with the instability, thunderstorms developed from northeast Nebraska into Northern Kansas. These thunderstorms moved east through the rest of the afternoon and evening hours, crossing eastern Nebraska and western Iowa produced mainly hail and wind damage, but heavy rainfall also occurred in parts of the area as well.
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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 1:46 PM CST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 246 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 245 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 CONVECTION LOOKS LIKELY FOR THE AREA TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY ACROSS CENTRAL NEBRASKA INTO EXTREME EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA MOVES EAST INTO MINNESOTA AND IOWA. LATEST SHORT RANGE MODELS HAVE MOST OF THE ACTIVITY EAST AND SOUTH OF THE AREA BY 06Z. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE AREA ON MONDAY BUT SOME CHANCE OF MORE CONVECTION FOR NORTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA MONDAY EVENING AS ANOTHER WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. WARMER TEMPERATURES RETURN TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS BROAD RIDGE ACROSS THE SOUTH BUILDS A BIT TO THE NORTH. SOME SLIGHT POPS IN PLACE WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR FAR SOUTH ASSOCIATED WITH WARM ADVECTION ZONE ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS AND WESTERN MISSOURI. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 245 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA ON THURSDAY WITH POPS INCREASING INTO THURSDAY NIGHT FOR THE AREA AND CONTINUING INTO FRIDAY FOR SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA AS FRONT SAGS SLOWLY SOUTH. EXPECT RAIN TO STAY SOUTH OF THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT INTO THE WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. && .AVIATION...(06Z TAFS FOR KOFK...KLNK AND KOMA.) ISSUED AT 1125 PM CDT SAT AUG 30 2014 VFR CONDITIONS WITH SCATTERED TO BROKEN HIGH CLOUDS ARE FORECAST THROUGH MID MORNING. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS LIKELY 09Z TO 15Z AT ALL TAF SITES AS SOUTHWESTERLY LOW LEVEL JET KICKS UP TO 40 TO 50KT RANGE. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 25KT ARE EXPECTED AFTER 15Z AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA. THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO FIRE ALONG THAT FRONT AFTER 21Z...MOST LIKELY JUST SOUTHEAST OF KOFK AREA. STRONG STORMS COULD MOVE THROUGH KOMA AND KLNK TAF SITES AFTER 00Z. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...FOBERT LONG TERM...FOBERT AVIATION...CHERMOK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 410 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-011115- MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT- PAGE-KNOX-CEDAR-THURSTON-ANTELOPE-PIERCE-WAYNE-BOONE-MADISON- STANTON-CUMING-BURT-PLATTE-COLFAX-DODGE-WASHINGTON-BUTLER- SAUNDERS-DOUGLAS-SARPY-SEWARD-LANCASTER-CASS-OTOE-SALINE- JEFFERSON-GAGE-JOHNSON-NEMAHA-PAWNEE-RICHARDSON- 410 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA...WEST CENTRAL IOWA...EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA...NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE AND STRENGTH WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY WITH ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE THROUGH 700 PM. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WITH MOST STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS AS STORMS CONSOLIDATE INTO A LINE CONFIGURATION BY EARLY THIS EVENING. MINOR FLOODING SHOULD CONTINUE ALONG SOME SMALL STREAMS IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. THAT FLOODING MAY BE AGGRAVATED OR NEW FLOODING COULD DEVELOP TONIGHT DUE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE THE RESULT OF A COLD FRONT PUSHING INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY NIGHT FOR NORTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA AND FOR THE SOUTH TUESDAY NIGHT. MORE WIDESPREAD STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTERS WILL BE NEEDED DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. FOBERT
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
647 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0645 PM HAIL BENNET 40.68N 96.51W
08/31/2014 E1.00 INCH LANCASTER NE TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
JBSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA 657 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 IAZ055-069-NEZ045-010045- HARRISON IA-POTTAWATTAMIE IA-WASHINGTON NE- 657 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN POTTAWATTAMIE... SOUTHERN HARRISON AND SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL 745 PM CDT... AT 657 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR FORT CALHOUN...OR 16 MILES NORTH OF OMAHA...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... BLAIR...MISSOURI VALLEY...LOGAN...FORT CALHOUN...PERSIA...MODALE... DESOTO BEND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE...HISTORICAL VILLAGE WELCOME CENTER AND WILSON ISLAND STATE PARK. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. && A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN NEBRASKA. LAT...LON 4147 9555 4140 9612 4159 9614 4170 9559 TIME...MOT...LOC 2357Z 267DEG 27KT 4151 9603 KERN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
702 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0656 PM TSTM WND GST 3 W FORT CALHOUN 41.46N 96.08W
08/31/2014 M58 MPH WASHINGTON NE TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
DFOBERTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
707 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0655 PM HAIL PALMYRA 40.71N 96.39W
08/31/2014 M1.75 INCH OTOE NE BROADCAST MEDIA
&&
VDEWALDSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA 707 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 NEZ066-089-090-010030- GAGE NE-JOHNSON NE-LANCASTER NE- 707 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL JOHNSON...NORTHERN GAGE AND SOUTHEASTERN LANCASTER COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM CDT... AT 706 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR PICKRELL...OR NEAR BEATRICE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... BEATRICE...FIRTH...CORTLAND...PICKRELL AND ADAMS. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT SUNDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN NEBRASKA. LAT...LON 4028 9690 4044 9690 4058 9651 4035 9639 TIME...MOT...LOC 0006Z 242DEG 49KT 4035 9682 CHERMOK
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
709 PM CDT SUN AUG 31 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0645 PM HAIL LINCOLN 40.82N 96.69W
08/31/2014 M0.75 INCH LANCASTER NE TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
VDEWALDThe Omaha radar (KOAX), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:07 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A local road mesonet station at the intersection of highway 30 and interstate 29 recorded a 60 mph wind gusts. Trained spotters in the area reported that 5 inch tree limbs were downed in the city of Missouri Valley.
The gust was estimated by the a trained spotter.
The emergency manager estimated the gust to 65 mph.
A trained spotter reported wind gusts to 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, August 2014
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: 531843, 531846, 531847, 531849, 531851.