A brief tornado touched down in Osborne County late this Thursday afternoon. m.
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 brief tornado touched down in Osborne County late this Thursday afternoon. Between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. CDT, several small thunderstorms formed from southwest to northeast across Osborne County. At 5:30 p.m., the southernmost storm produced a weak, brief tornado that touched down in open country, near the town of Natoma. The track was short and no damage occurred. Based on detailed radar analysis and a photograph obtained from Facebook, this appeared to be a non-supercell tornado. There was no pre-existing mesocyclone associated with the storm. Deep layer shear and winds in the low-levels were too weak to support mid-level mesocyclone formation. A regional radar mosaic showed a very lengthy fine line, which extended south-southwest to north-northeast across multiple Plains states, including central Kansas. This storm, along with its neighbors, initiated along this boundary. This further suggests the tornado was non-supercellular given the presence of localized shear and the possible presence of misocyclones along the boundary.
A wavy frontal boundary extended across the Ohio and mid-Mississippi River valleys to a weak low pressure center over Nebraska. The front then turned southward over the western third of Kansas. The fine line appeared to be a separate feature within the warm sector, not associated with the front. In upper levels, the main band of westerlies was zonal over southern Canada. Small substropical highs were just off the coast of California and over the Tennessee Valley. A trough was exiting the Rockies and extended from western South Dakota to western Texas. Prior to thunderstorm development, temperatures were in the lower to middle 80s, with dewpoints in the 60s. Mid-level lapse rates were poor, resulting in MLCAPE around 1500 J/kg. 0-6 km shear was weak, estimated around 25 knots.
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 28, 2:52 PM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 352 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2014 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 309 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2014 THE PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN THROUGH TONIGHT WILL ONCE AGAIN CENTER AROUND THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND POSSIBLE FLOODING. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE LESS WIDESPREAD AND OVERALL LESS HEAVY THAN WHAT WE SAW LAST NIGHT. THE PRIMARY TRIGGERING MECHANISM CONTINUES TO BE AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THAT HAS VERY SLOWLY BEEN SLIDING EAST ACROSS NEBRASKA. THE 500 MB TROUGH AXIS WILL EVENTUALLY SLIDE EAST INTO OUR CWA BY DAWN. AS LONG AS WE ARE OUT AHEAD OF THIS TROUGH AXIS WE WILL SEE AT LEAST SOME CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WHICH WILL BE THE CASE THROUGH THE NIGHT. THE 18Z NAM AND A RUN OR TWO OF THE HRRR ARE NOW HINTING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS FORMING WITHIN A FEW HOURS AFTER SUNSET AROUND HIGHWAY 281 OR A LITTLE EAST OF HIGHWAY 281. IF THESE STORMS FORM THEY WILL TRACK NORTHEAST AND COULD BE HEAVY RAIN PRODUCERS WITH AN OUTSIDE CHANCE OF A LOW END SEVERE HAIL OR WIND EVENT. INSTABILITY HAS BEEN RATHER LOW TODAY DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER...WHICH IS THE PRIMARY LIMITING FACTOR FOR SEVERE POTENTIAL. IN ADDITION...THE DEEP LAYER WIND SHEAR IS ONLY AROUND 30 KTS...WHICH IS WEAK TO MODEST AND CERTAINLY NOT OVERLY IMPRESSIVE FOR SEVERE POTENTIAL. THEREFORE...GIVEN A FAIRLY SIMILAR MOIST ENVIRONMENT TO LAST NIGHT BEING LOCATED OUT AHEAD OF THE UPPER TROUGH...WITH JUST A BIT LESS LIFT OUR PRIMARY CONCERN WILL REALLY CONTINUE TO BE HEAVY RAIN...BUT JUST LIKELY NOT AS WIDESPREAD AS THE OTHER NIGHT. THE GROUND IS VERY SATURATED ACROSS PRETTY MUCH OUR ENTIRE FORECAST AREA SO ANY HEAVY RAIN WILL RESULT IN RUNOFF AND POSSIBLE FLOODING. AM MOST CONCERNED FOR THE AREA ALONG AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 281 BASED ON THE LATEST 18Z NAM. OVERALL...THE PROBABILITY OF RAIN IS LOWER TONIGHT THAN LAST NIGHT GIVEN THAT THE COVERAGE AREA WILL BE LESS AND IT IS HARD TO PIN POINT EXACTLY WHERE THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP WITHIN THE MORE BROAD FAVORABLE ZONE. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 309 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2014 FORECAST FOCUS IS ON THE CHANCES OF STORMS FRIDAY AND THEN CHANCES OF SEVERE STORMS ON SUNDAY. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH MOVING AND TIMING OF MAJOR FEATURES AT LEAST THROUGH MONDAY. IN GENERAL THE ATMOSPHERE IS FORECAST TO MORPH FROM A CUTOFF LOW PATTERN BACK TO A MORE ZONAL FLOW...SO OUT OF A HEAVY RAIN PATTERN AND BACK INTO A SEVERE WEATHER TYPE REGIME. THE LOW PRESSURE AREA THAT HAD BEEN PARKED OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS WILL EJECT EASTWARD ON FRIDAY AND LEAVE DRY WEATHER BEHIND. AS IT MOVES THROUGH THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF STORMS...BUT MAINLY OVER THE EASTERN THIRD OF THE AREA ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. A RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE AREA ON SATURDAY BRINGING THE FIRST DRY AND WARM DAY IN QUITE A WHILE. LOW CHANCES OF STORMS ARE BACK IN THE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING WITH A WEAK WAVE MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. HOWEVER...THE CHANCE OF STORMS FROM MID DAY SUNDAY INTO THE EVENING IS MORE IMPRESSIVE. A COLD FRONT AND FAIRLY STRONG MID LEVEL WAVE MOVE THROUGH DURING THAT TIME FRAME. MOST MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE THE TIMING AN STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM. THE STRONG INSTABILITY AND GOOD SHEAR ARE MORE COMMON FOR MAY THAN AUGUST. SO THERE IS A THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WITH STORMS THAT DEVELOP. AS WITH ANY FORECAST OF CONVECTION SO MANY DAYS OUT THE MODELS WILL LIKELY CHANGE...SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR IT. AS FOR THE WORK WEEK (MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...OVERALL...MUCH DRIER THAN THIS LAST WEEK...BUT HARD TO RULE OUT A HIT AND MISS AFTERNOON AND EVENING STORM ESPECIALLY MONDAY...BUT THE MODELS ARE STILL WAFFLING WITH TIMING AND STRENGTH OF FEATURES SO WILL LEAVE DRY OR LOW PROBABILITIES UNTIL OUR CONFIDENCE RISES MORE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 117 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2014 THIS IS A DIFFICULT FORECAST PERIOD WITH CEILINGS BOUNCING AROUND BETWEEN VFR AND MVFR THIS AFTERNOON AND THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER...THE PRECIPITATION CHANCES HAVE COME DOWN SOME WITH STORMS BEING LESS WIDESPREAD THAN IN RECENT DAYS. WILL SEE A SFC TROUGH AXIS TRACK THROUGH THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT...WHICH WILL RESULT IN LIGHT WINDS THAT COULD BE RATHER VARIABLE. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...WESELY LONG TERM...EDDY AVIATION...WESELY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 335 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2014 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 292045- 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- 335 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE WITH THE PRIMARY CONCERN BEING HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE LOCALIZED FLOODING. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT A FEW STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH...PRIMARILY PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA FRIDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS WITH SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS MOST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HAIL AS LARGE AS TENNIS BALLS AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 70 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. PERIODIC CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS EXIST FOR SOME OF THE AREA FOR THE REST OF THE FORECAST...MAINLY AT NIGHT. IT IS TOO SOON TO DETERMINE SEVERE WEATHER CHANCES WITH MUCH CONFIDENCE...BUT STRONG STORMS CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING. IN ADDITION...ANY REPORTS OF FLOODING OR HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD BE APPRECIATED. && MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HASTINGS (ALL LOWERCASE) WESELY/EDDY
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
123 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0600 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 S MCCOOL JUNCTION 40.73N 97.60W
08/28/2014 M3.34 INCH YORK NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL ENDING AT 6 AM FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 13 NW STOCKTON 39.57N 99.44W
08/28/2014 M6.25 INCH PHILLIPS KS PUBLIC
24 HOUR RAINFALL REPORT VIA FACEBOOK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN FAIRFIELD 40.43N 98.10W
08/28/2014 M3.40 INCH CLAY NE PUBLIC
24 HOUR RAINFALL REPORT VIA FACEBOOK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 WSW AGRA 39.74N 99.17W
08/28/2014 M3.04 INCH PHILLIPS KS PUBLIC
24 HOUR RAINFALL REPORT VIA FACEBOOK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN RIVERTON 40.09N 98.76W
08/28/2014 E3.00 INCH FRANKLIN NE PUBLIC
24 HOUR RAINFALL REPORT VIA FACEBOOK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 E FAIRMONT 40.64N 97.55W
08/28/2014 M4.21 INCH FILLMORE NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN GUIDE ROCK 40.07N 98.33W
08/28/2014 M3.00 INCH WEBSTER NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 SSE GRAFTON 40.59N 97.69W
08/28/2014 M3.02 INCH FILLMORE NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 SE EDGAR 40.35N 97.94W
08/28/2014 M3.12 INCH NUCKOLLS NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 7 SSE LAWRENCE 40.20N 98.21W
08/28/2014 M3.17 INCH NUCKOLLS NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 6 N NELSON 40.29N 98.07W
08/28/2014 M3.54 INCH NUCKOLLS NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN CLAY CENTER 40.52N 98.05W
08/28/2014 M3.20 INCH CLAY NE CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 6 ESE CLAY CENTER 40.49N 97.95W
08/28/2014 M3.22 INCH CLAY NE CO-OP OBSERVER
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 WSW AGRA 39.74N 99.17W
08/28/2014 M3.04 INCH PHILLIPS KS PUBLIC
RECEIVED VIA FACEBOOK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 9 NW STOCKTON 39.53N 99.39W
08/28/2014 M5.78 INCH ROOKS KS TRAINED SPOTTER
WATER OVER COUNTY ROADS
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 NW EDGAR 40.39N 98.00W
08/28/2014 M3.20 INCH CLAY NE MESONET
24 RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN CLAY CENTER 40.52N 98.05W
08/28/2014 M3.23 INCH CLAY NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 NE FAIRFIELD 40.46N 98.06W
08/28/2014 M3.47 INCH CLAY NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 S FAIRFIELD 40.40N 98.10W
08/28/2014 M3.60 INCH CLAY NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN 5 SSE DEWEESE 40.29N 98.10W
08/28/2014 M3.93 INCH NUCKOLLS NE MESONET
24 HOUR RAINFALL FROM NERAIN NETWORK
0801 AM HEAVY RAIN FAIRMONT 40.64N 97.58W
08/28/2014 E5.00 INCH FILLMORE NE PUBLIC
FROM FACEBOOK
0801 AM HEAVY RAIN SUTTON 40.61N 97.86W
08/28/2014 E4.50 INCH CLAY NE PUBLIC
FROM FACEBOOK
&&
DOXEYThe Grand Island radar (KUEX), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:27 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
This tornado briefly touched down in open country and caused no damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2014Warnings in Kansas, 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: 539471.