Isolated thunderstorms formed on the evening of March 28th across the eastern Nebraska Panhandle. As they moved east, they produced a downburst over portions of Garden County which led to damage.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Isolated thunderstorms formed on the evening of March 28th across the eastern Nebraska Panhandle. As they moved east, they produced a downburst over portions of Garden County which led to damage. As the thunderstorms moved east, they touched off a wildfire in far eastern Arthur County. Aided by strong northerly winds, the fire burned over 35,000 acres of range land in eastern Arthur, western McPherson and eastern Keith Counties.
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 Mar 28, 4:20 AM MST, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 620 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2015 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 408 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2015 TODAY AND TONIGHT...A STRONG PACIFIC COLD FRONT IS ACROSS ERN OR/WA AT 06Z AND THE MODELS BRING THAT FRONT THROUGH THE FCST LATE TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THE FRONT A SURGE OF VERY WARM DRY MOVES INTO WRN NEB WITH H700MB TEMPERATURES RISING TO 4-7C SUPPORTING HIGHS CLOSE TO 80F. THE NAM CONTINUES TO INDICATE MOISTURE POOLING AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH K INDICES 30 TO 35C WHICH WOULD SUPPORT ISOLATED HIGH BASED TSTMS WITH GUSTY WINDS GIVEN THE STRONG WINDS ALOFT AROUND 60KT AT 500MB. THERE IS ALSO A 1.5 PV PRESSURE ANOMALY NEAR 450MB ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD FRONT. THUS GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE CONVECTION AND WITH THE COLD FRONT. LOWS TONIGHT FALL INTO THE 30S AND 40S WITH ATMOSPHERE REMAINING WELL MIXED. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 408 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2015 FORECAST CONCERNS DEAL WITH THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ON WEDNESDAY...THEN WITH ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK AND TEMPERATURES AS THE MODELS ARE INDICATING A FAIRLY ACTIVE UPCOMING PATTERN. MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH SPREADS ACROSS THE MODELS BECOMING MORE ABUNDANT THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND AS THEY START HAVING DIFFICULTIES IN TIMING OF SPECIFIC SHORTWAVE TROUGHS MOVING ACROSS THE CONUS. A POTENT SHORTWAVE WILL HAVE PASSED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA BY 12Z SUNDAY MORNING WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION ONGOING THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY. GOOD SUBSIDENCE WILL ALSO BE OCCURRING TO HELP TRANSPORT STRONGER WINDS TO THE SURFACE AS THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL BE WELL MIXED. THE STRONGEST WINDS ALOFT WILL BE ONGOING IN THE MORNING HOURS IN THE IMMEDIATE WAKE OF THE PV ANOMALY AS IT MOVES ACROSS NEBRASKA AS 850MB WINDS ARE LOOKING TO BE 45-50KTS. NOT TERRIBLY CONFIDENT ON HOW STRONG THE WINDS WILL BE YET BUT DID CONTINUE WITH THE STRONGER SIGNAL FOR HIGHER WINDS OVER NORTH CENTRAL INTO CENTRAL NEBRASKA WHICH WILL HAVE A TIGHTER PRESSURE GRADIENT AND BE CLOSER TO THE PRIMARY PV ANOMALY PASSING ACROSS MINNESOTA. AGAIN...THE WINDS WILL WEAKEN THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS THE SYSTEM PULLS AWAY FROM THE AREA. HIGH PRESSURE THEN BUILDS IN OVERNIGHT...FURTHER WEAKENING THE WINDS AND CLEARING SKIES OUT FOR AN EXPECTED COOL NIGHT DESPITE WARM AIR ADVECTION OCCURRING ALOFT. WARM AIR CONTINUES TO MOVE IN ON MONDAY...WITH 850MB TEMPERATURES INCREASING TO BETWEEN 11C AND 16C. ONE CONCERN WITH HOW WARM TEMPERATURES WILL GET IS THAT AS THE MODELS MOVE THE WARM FRONT ACROSS NEBRASKA WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE FAIRLY LIGHT SO HAVE A BIT OF A QUESTION AS TO HOW HIGH THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL MIX TO BRING DOWN THE MUCH WARMER AIR. WENT ON THE LOWER END OF MODEL GUIDANCE WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 70S MOST PLACES. AGAIN MONDAY NIGHT...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE OVERHEAD TO HELP DROP TEMPERATURES...ALTHOUGH ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE AS COLD AS SUNDAY NIGHT. TUESDAY IS STILL LOOKING TO BE A VERY WARM DAY AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE PLAINS AND SOUTHERLY FLOW IN THE LOW LEVELS TAKES OVER AHEAD OF A SURFACE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE ROCKIES. MODELS ARE SHOWING 850MB TEMPERATURES APPROACHING 19-20C OVER SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA TUESDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS DON/T LOOK OVERLY STRONG...BUT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO HELP MIX TO AT LEAST 750MB...BRINGING TEMPERATURES UP INTO THE UPPER 70S TO AROUND 80 DEGREES. WINDS SHOULD STAY UP TUESDAY NIGHT TO KEEP LOWS MILD IN THE 40S. THEN THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH IN THE MID LEVELS WILL MOVE FROM THE CENTRAL ROCKIES INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY WHICH WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA. INSTABILITY WILL BUILD AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT AS THE MODELS ARE PULLING DECENT MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE A BIT ROBUST...THE ECMWF BRINGS 50-55 DEGREE DEWPOINTS UP INTO NEBRASKA AHEAD OF THE FRONT. EVEN WITH LOWER MOISTURE...THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR THE INSTABILITY NEEDED FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THE MODELS DON/T HAVE GOOD TIMING CURRENTLY FOR THESE STORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE LOCAL AREA...AS IT MOVES THE FRONT THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA BY PEAK HEATING SUGGESTING INITIATION EAST OF THE AREA. THE CURRENT FORECAST HAS SLIGHT CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. AGAIN...BEYOND THE PASSAGE OF THIS COLD FRONT...THE MODELS WANT TO KEEP THE PATTERN QUITE ACTIVE AND ATTEMPTING TO BREAK DOWN THE WEST COAST RIDGE. NOT REAL CONFIDENT THAT THIS WILL IN FACT OCCUR...AND ALSO...THE MODELS ARE THEN HAVING SOME ISSUES WITH TIMING THESE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE CONUS. THAT BEING SAID...SOME OF THE SYSTEMS DO LOOK QUITE POTENT...WHICH WILL KEEP THE UP AND DOWN TEMPERATURE TREND GOING WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM ABOVE TO BELOW NORMAL EVERY FEW DAYS. ALSO...THERE WILL BE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION OFF AND ON THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK...AND WITH THE STRONGER SYSTEMS MAY SEE ANOTHER SHOT FOR SNOW IN SOME AREAS THURSDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER DON/T CURRENTLY ANTICIPATE ANY CHANCES FOR SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 620 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2015 VFR IS EXPECTED ALL AREAS TODAY AND TONIGHT. A STRONG PACIFIC COLD FRONT ACROSS IDAHO WILL MOVE THROUGH WRN AND NCNTL NEB TONIGHT. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AS THE FRONT APPROACHES...MAINLY FROM KIML-KVTN AND EAST BETWEEN 03Z-09Z. SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS TO 45KT. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 408 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2015 A CHECK ON THE 06Z RAP SHOWS WIND GUSTS OVER 25 MPH AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY BELOW 15 PERCENT THIS AFTN ACROSS THE ERN PANHANDLE SUPPORTING A RED FLAG WARNING FOR THAT ONE ZONE. HUMIDITY IS LOW ACROSS THE FRENCHMAN BASIN ALSO BUT THE WIND CRITERIA IS ABSENT. THUS RED FLAG CONDITIONS WOULD MORE LIKELY AFFECT THE NRN HALF OF THE ERN PANHANDLE WITH MARGINAL BUT ELEVATED FIRE DANGER FARTHER SOUTH. STRONG PACIFIC COLD FRONTS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN VERY DRY AIR ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. ELEVATED FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED DAILY SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY PRESENTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRITICAL FIRE DANGER WHENEVER WINDS INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR NEZ204. && SHORT TERM...CDC LONG TERM...BROOKS AVIATION...CDC FIRE WEATHER...CDC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE 535 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2015 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-291045- 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- 535 AM CDT SAT MAR 28 2015 /435 AM MDT SAT MAR 28 2015/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. CRITICAL FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS THE EASTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE AND WESTERN SANDHILLS. ANY RANGE FIRE MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BURN OUT OF CONTROL AND EXHIBIT EXTREME BURNING BEHAVIOR A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA TONIGHT. THE FRONT WILL BE CAPABLE OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND DRY LIGHTNING WHICH COULD CAUSE A RANGE FIRE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. VERY DRY AIR WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY PRESENTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRITICAL FIRE DANGER WHENEVER WINDS INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH. .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) CDC
The North Platte radar (KLNX), 143 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:56 UTC.
3 wildfire, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A dry thunderstorm produced down burstwinds estimated at 60 MPH. Tree limbs of 4 to 5 inches in diameter were downed. Pieces of tin blew off of a calving shed and a wooden fence was destroyed.
Dry lightning started a fire 13 miles east of Arthur around 830 PM MST. The fire quickly spread south aided by strong northerly winds. By the morning of the 29th, around 30000 acres of range land was burned over eastern Arthur, western McPherson and eastern Keith counties.
Dry lightning started a fire 13 miles east of Arthur around 930 PM CST. The fire quickly spread south aided by strong northerly winds. By the morning of the 29th, around 30000 acres of range land was burned over eastern Arthur, western McPherson and eastern Keith counties.
Dry lightning started a fire 13 miles east of Arthur around 830 PM MST. The fire quickly spread south aided by strong northerly winds. By the morning of the 29th, around 30000 acres of range land was burned over eastern Arthur, western McPherson and eastern Keith counties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, March 2015
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: 559441, 559442, 559443, 559444.