Two heavy rain events, one of the 20th through 21st, and the second on the 27th allowed for significant rises on the Missouri River and minor flooding over southeast Nebraska that started at the end of April and continued into early May.
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.
Two heavy rain events, one of the 20th through 21st, and the second on the 27th allowed for significant rises on the Missouri River and minor flooding over southeast Nebraska that started at the end of April and continued into early May.
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 Apr 30, 6:23 AM CST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 723 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 315 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 THE CONTINUATION OF RAIN THROUGH TONIGHT...THEN ENDING PRECIPITATION SUNDAY...ARE THE PRIMARY POINTS OF THIS FORECAST. MID LEVEL LOW CENTER WAS MOVING INTO WESTERN KANSAS THIS MORNING. LARGE PLUME OF MOISTURE WAS IMPLIED ON SATELLITE LOOPS ARCING AROUND THE LOW FROM ARKANSAS INTO MISSOURI THEN NORTHWEST AND WEST ACROSS IOWA AND NEBRASKA...COINCIDENT WITH BROAD DIFFLUENT MID LEVEL FLOW. MID LEVEL DRYING WAS NOTED FROM KANSAS SOUTH...WHICH WILL SPREAD NORTH INTO OUR SOUTHERN CWA LATER THIS MORNING...DECREASING RAIN CHANCES AND COVERAGE THERE. LOW CENTER IS FORECAST TO DRIFT NORTHEAST THEN EAST INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA LATER THIS AFTERNOON...THEN ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA OVERNIGHT. TROWAL/DEFORMATION REGION IN THE NORTHEAST THROUGH NORTHWEST QUADRANTS OF THE LOW WILL CONTAIN WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINS BOTH TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH THAT AREA ROTATING NORTH INTO NORTHERN NEBRASKA DURING THE DAY TODAY AS LOW MOVES EAST...THEN SINK BACK TO THE SOUTHEAST AS LOW PULLS EAST THROUGH OUR SOUTHERN CWA TONIGHT. OUR CURRENT FORECAST ADVERTISES THIS TREND NICELY...SO ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WERE NEEDED. ONE ADJUSTMENT WAS TO DECREASE RAIN CHANCES ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA DURING THE DAY AS DRY SLOT REGION INVADES THOSE AREAS. WILL STILL LIKELY SEE SCATTERED SHOWERS POP UP THIS AFTERNOON UNDER COOLING ALOFT AS LOW APPROACHES. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES NEAR AN INCH THIS MORNING WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE TO NEAR 0.75 INCH TONIGHT BEFORE DROPPING BELOW A HALF INCH ON SUNDAY. SO EXPECT RAIN AMOUNTS TO GENERALLY TOP OUT AROUND AN INCH IN MANY SPOTS OVER OUR NORTHEAST NEBRASKA FROM 12Z SATURDAY THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY...BUT SOME LOCAL AREAS COULD CERTAINLY SEE MORE. LOW THEN WEAKENS ON SUNDAY AS IT IS ENVELOPED INTO BROADER TROUGH IN THE GREAT LAKES...TAKING LINGERING PRECIPITATION CHANCES WITH IT DURING THE AFTERNOON. WHAT IS LEFT BEHIND FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK WEEK IS GENERALLY BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW OVER THE PLAINS ATTENDANT TO GREAT LAKES TROUGH. SOME MODELS INDICATE A WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL DROP THROUGH THAT FLOW WHICH COULD TRIGGER AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR TWO...BUT COVERAGE LOOKS TO BE MINIMAL. OTHERWISE TEMPERATURES WILL CHANGE VERY LITTLE FROM MORNING READINGS TODAY GIVEN WIDESPREAD CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION...AS WELL AS GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS. SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA COULD SNEAK OUT A FEW MORE DEGREES WHERE PRECIPITATION COVERAGE WILL NOT BE AS GREAT. SAME SMALL DIURNAL CHANGE FOR LOWS TONIGHT...WITH A LITTLE BETTER WARMING INTO THE MIDDLE 50S SUNDAY WHEN SOME BREAKS IN CLOUD COVER AND LOSS OF PRECIPITATION WILL ALLOW FOR A LITTLE MORE INSOLATION. HIGHS MONDAY SHOULD REACH THE 60S WITH LOTS MORE SUNSHINE. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 315 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 MAINLY DRY AND WARMER IS IN THE FORECAST FOR NEXT WEEK. OMEGA BLOCKING PATTERN IS STILL ADVERTISED BY MEDIUM RANGE MODELS TO DEVELOP THROUGH THE WEEK. MOST OF OUR AREA WILL BE UNDER A NORTHWEST MID LEVEL FLOW PATTERN TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY BEFORE RIDGE BETWEEN UPPER LOWS FIRMLY TAKES HOLD ACROSS THE PLAINS BY FRIDAY. CAN NOT RULE OUT A STRAY SHOWER FROM TIME TO TIME WITH WEAK IMPULSES RIDING THROUGH THE AREA...BUT CHANCES ARE FAR TOO SLIM TO MENTION WITH ANY CONVICTION. TEMPERATURES SHOULD GENERALLY REACH THE 70S EACH DAY TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...AND COULD GET EVEN WARMER LATE IN THE WEEK. && .AVIATION...(12Z TAFS FOR KOMA...KLNK...KOFK THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 719 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 IFR TO MVFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD AS SYSTEM TRACKS SLOWLY EAST. KLNK AND KOMA SHOULD SEE SOME DECREASE IN RAIN COVERAGE BY 15Z BUT FOG AND OCCASIONAL RAIN WILL STILL BE LIKELY DURING THE PERIOD. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...DERGAN LONG TERM...DERGAN AVIATION...FOBERT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 1115 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 IAZ043-055-056-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045-010615- MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-KNOX-CEDAR-THURSTON-ANTELOPE-PIERCE-WAYNE- BOONE-MADISON-STANTON-CUMING-BURT-PLATTE-COLFAX-DODGE-WASHINGTON- 1115 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA...WEST CENTRAL IOWA...EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. IAZ069-079-080-090-091-NEZ050>053-065>068-078-088>093-010615- POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE-BUTLER-SAUNDERS- DOUGLAS-SARPY-SEWARD-LANCASTER-CASS-OTOE-SALINE-JEFFERSON-GAGE- JOHNSON-NEMAHA-PAWNEE-RICHARDSON- 1115 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA...EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE MAIN AREA OF RAIN HAS PUSHED TO THE NORTH...HOWEVER A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND DRIZZLE CAN BE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. THERE MAY BE AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM IN FAR SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA OR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA THIS AFTERNOON. MINOR FLOODING IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER FROM NEAR PLATTSMOUTH DOWNSTREAM TO THE KANSAS BORDER. WITH THE RECENT HALF TO ONE AND A HALF INCHES RAIN...ELEVATED RIVER LEVELS CAN BE EXPECTED ON THE ELKHORN AND PLATTE RIVERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MINOR FLOODING ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER FROM NEAR PLATTSMOUTH DOWNSTREAM TO THE KANSAS BORDER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MID WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. ZAPOTOCNY
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor flooding was observed along the Missouri River near Rulo. The river rose above flood stage at the end of April, but the flooding continued into early May when the crest was observed.
Minor flooding was observed along the Missouri River near Brownville. The flooding continued into early May when the crest was observed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, April 2016
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: 627853, 627851.