This Sunday afternoon featured very windy conditions across most of the 24-county South Central Nebraska area, with several hours of sustained northwesterly speeds averaging 25-40 MPH and frequent gusts mainly as high as 45-55 MPH. m.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 GID wrote it up.
This Sunday afternoon featured very windy conditions across most of the 24-county South Central Nebraska area, with several hours of sustained northwesterly speeds averaging 25-40 MPH and frequent gusts mainly as high as 45-55 MPH. Although there was little evidence of widespread high wind warning criteria being met, Hastings airport briefly touched this threshold with a peak 58 MPH gust at 2:47 p.m. A few other automated airport sites clocked peak gusts in excess of 50 MPH, including 56 MPH at Ord and 51 MPH at Aurora. Winds eased somewhat across the area by the evening hours, but gusts up to around 40 MPH persisted well into the night. Other than maybe a few brief snow showers brushing far northeastern local counties such as Nance and Polk, no precipitation fell in conjunction with these strong winds.
As is often the case during the cold season, these strong northwest winds were associated with a series of upper-level disturbances diving southward out of Canada into the Central Plains and Midwest states on northwesterly flow aloft. At the surface during the afternoon, a fairly decent pressure gradient was in place across Nebraska between a 999 millibar low centered over western Lake Superior and a 1028 millibar high evident in northeast Colorado. This pressure gradient, in concert with deep afternoon mixing up to around 800 millibars and efficient downward-momentum transfer, proved efficient at promoting 50+ MPH gusts at the surface.
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 Feb 7, 12:41 PM CST, 2 hours 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 1241 PM CST SUN FEB 7 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 442 AM CST SUN FEB 7 2016 THE MAIN FORECAST ISSUE WILL BE WIND TODAY/TONIGHT. STRONG WIND IS EXPECTED WITH THE CLIPPER SYSTEM COMING THROUGH TODAY. NORMALLY THE MOMENTUM TRANSFER WOULD CONJURE UP WIND GUSTS OF PERHAPS 45 TO 55 MPH...BUT THE SNOW COVER WILL HELP TAMP THIS DOWN...AND I EXPECT THE GUSTS TO BE A BIT LESS IN THE 40 TO 50 MPH...AND SAME GOES FOR SUSTAINED WINDS WHICH I AM EXPECTING TO FALL IN THE 20 TO 30 MPH RANGE...RATHER THAN 25 TO 35 MPH. I AM GOING WITH PEAK WINDS SIMILAR TO MAV GUIDANCE HERE AS IT WOULD BE QUITE DIFFICULT TO GO ABOVE MAV GUIDANCE WITH SUCH A THICK LAYER OF SNOW ON THE GROUND. MIXING WILL JUST NOT BE VERY EFFICIENT. THIS IS BASED ON PREVIOUS SITUATION ENCOUNTERED WITH SIMILAR SCENARIOS. I DID ACTUALLY GO WITH SLIGHTLY STRONGER WIND GUSTS FOR TONIGHT THAN FOR TODAY IN OUR FAR NORTH/NORTHEAST WITH EXPECTED SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT...AND GENERALLY FOLLOWED CONSRAW WIND GUSTS TODAY/TONIGHT...SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE STANDARD WIND GUST TOOL. STILL LOOKS LIKE ENOUGH INSTABILITY AND LIFT FOR POSSIBLE SNOW SHOWERS/FLURRIES NORTHEAST/EAST TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS LIKE THIS WOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE AS SNOW ON THE GROUND SEEMS GENERALLY QUITE HEAVY...I OPTED TO KEEP THIS IN THE FORECAST AS THERE WERE SOME REPORTS OF A LITTLE DRIFTING SATURDAY...AND WIND WILL BE STRONGER TODAY. FOR TEMPERATURES...I GENERALLY WENT WITH RECENT NUMERICAL MODEL PERFORMANCE AND TOOK INTO ACCOUNT THE SNOW FIELD ON THE GROUND. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 442 AM CST SUN FEB 7 2016 MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW A WELL AMPLIFIED UPPER LEVEL PATTERN IN PLACE ACROSS THE CONUS TO START OFF THE LONG TERM PERIOD. MONDAY MORNING...THE PLAINS ARE SITTING UNDER N/NWRLY FLOW...SET UP BETWEEN LOW PRESSURE SPINNING OVER THE GREAT LAKES/MIDWEST REGION...AND HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING ALONG THE WEST COAST. LITTLE CHANGE IN THAT IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE DAY...WITH THE CONTINUING POTENTIAL FOR A FEW FLURRIES IN FAR ERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA...MAINLY DURING THE MORNING. AT THE SFC...WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO STILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS THE CWA...DRIVEN BY A TIGHTENED PRESSURE GRADIENT AND A CORRIDOR OF STRONGER WINDS ALOFT. SPEEDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH REMAIN A POSSIBILITY THROUGH AT LEAST THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY...WITH A GRADUAL DIMINISHING TREND THROUGH THE LATER AFTERNOON HOURS...AS MODELS SHOW THE PATTERN STARTING TO RELAX A BIT. AS FAR AS TEMPS GO...HASNT BEEN MUCH CHANGE WITH MODELS SHOWING THE BRUNT OF THE COLDEST AIR OFF TO THE EAST OF THE AREA...BUT FORECAST HIGHS REMAIN IN THE LOWER/MID 30S. TUES/WED...THE FORECAST REMAINS A DRY ONE...MODELS SHOWING LITTLE CHANGE IN THE SHARP UPPER LEVEL FLOW OVER THE REGION ESP THROUGH TUES/TUES NIGHT...WITH SOME SLIGHT DEAMPLIFICATION SHOWN THROUGH WED. NOT COMPLETELY CONFIDENT IN THE DRY FORECAST...WHILE THERE DOESNT LOOK TO BE ANY NOTABLE DISTURBANCES MOVING THROUGH THE REGION DURING THIS TIME FRAME...CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LIGHT PRECIP AFFECTING ESP NRN PORTIONS OF THE CWA VIA THE EXIT REGION OF A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK IN THE AREA. EXPECTING A BUMP UP IN TEMPS BOTH DAYS AS THE COLDER AIR CONTINUES TO PUSH OFF TO THE EAST...30S/40S IN THE FORECAST BOTH DAYS...BUT CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF LINGERING SNOW COVER...SO CONFIDENCE REMAINS ON THE LOW SIDE. WHILE NOT AS AMPLIFIED...THE NWRLY FLOW IN THE UPPER LEVELS LOOKS TO REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. LIKE TUE/WED...THE FORECAST REMAINS DRY...BUT ANOTHER BOUT OF UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK ENERGY WILL BRING QPF CLOSE TO THE NRN PORTIONS OF THE CWA. AT THIS POINT MODELS CONTINUE KEEPING THINGS TO THE NORTH...SO NO POPS ARE IN THE FORECAST. SOMETHING TO MONITOR OVER THE COMING DAYS. STILL NOT LOOKING TO BE ANY NOTABLE SWINGS IN TEMPS THURS-SAT...MID 30S/NEAR 40 IN THE EAST TO MID/UPPER 40S FURTHER WEST. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1241 PM CST SUN FEB 7 2016 CONFIDENCE REMAINS RATHER HIGH IN VFR VISIBILITY THROUGH THE PERIOD...LEAVING CEILING AND WIND AS THE MAIN AVIATION ISSUES. WINDS: THIS WILL BE A RATHER WINDY PERIOD OUT OF THE NORTHWEST. ALTHOUGH THE OVERALL-STRONGEST SPEEDS WILL LIKELY OCCUR RIGHT AWAY THIS AFTERNOON WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS GENERALLY 25-30KT AND GUSTS POSSIBLY NEARING 40KT...TONIGHT/MONDAY MORNING SHOULD STILL FEATURE SUSTAINED SPEEDS AVERAGING 20-25KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ALTHOUGH WINDS A FEW THOUSAND FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE WILL BE CONSIDERABLY STRONGER YET STRONG WITH SPEEDS AVERAGING AROUND 50-55KT...THE STRENGTH OF THE SURFACE WIND SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO KEEP LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR (LLWS) JUST MARGINAL ENOUGH THAT IT MAY NOT JUSTIFY A FORMAL TAF MENTION. SOMETHING FOR LATER TAF ISSUANCES TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THOUGH. CEILING: ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE REMAINS HIGH IN VFR THROUGH AT LEAST THESE FIRST 6 HOURS...THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD BECOMES A BIT MORE QUESTIONABLE (ESPECIALLY AT KGRI). VARIOUS MODELS NOW SUGGEST THAT AT THE VERY LEAST...A LOW-END VFR CEILING SHOULD MOVE IN FROM THE NORTH THIS EVENING/TONIGHT...WHICH SHOULD AT LEAST AFFECT KGRI BUT MAY OR MAY NOT REACH AS FAR WEST AS KEAR. THERE ARE ALSO SUGGESTIONS THAT SOME OF THIS CLOUD DECK COULD LOWER INTO HIGH-END MVFR TERRITORY...BUT FOR NOW HAVE ONLY "HINTED" AT THIS MVFR POSSIBILITY WITH A "SCT025" MENTION. AGAIN...SOMETHING THE NEXT FEW TAF CYCLES WILL NEED TO CLOSELY EXAMINE. LASTLY...ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT COMPLETELY OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT A ROGUE FLURRY/SNOW SHOWER COULD AFFECT MAINLY KGRI...HAVE OMITTED ANY PRECIP MENTION AS BETTER CHANCES FOR PASSING SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD FOCUS 50-100+ MILES TO THE EAST. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...HEINLEIN LONG TERM...ADP AVIATION...PFANNKUCH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 1223 PM CST SUN FEB 7 2016 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 081200- 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- 1223 PM CST SUN FEB 7 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE QUITE WINDY OUT OF THE NORTHWEST...WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS AVERAGING 25 TO 35 MPH...AND GUSTS RANGING FROM 40 TO AS HIGH AS AROUND 55 MPH. THE OVERALL-STRONGEST WINDS SHOULD GENERALLY FAVOR COUNTIES IN NEBRASKA ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 281...AND ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 6. ALTHOUGH THE EXISTING SNOW PACK DOES NOT SEEM VERY CONDUCIVE TO BLOWING AROUND...AT LEAST PATCHY BLOWING SNOW OVER ROADWAYS IS POSSIBLE. ALTHOUGH WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE SLIGHTLY TONIGHT...SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF GENERALLY 25 TO 30 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO AROUND 40 MPH...WILL CONTINUE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. MONDAY...NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH REMAIN IN THE FORECAST ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. PATCHY BLOWING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HASTINGS (ALL LOWERCASE) PFANNKUCH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1200 PM CST SUN FEB 07 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1152 AM NON-TSTM WND GST ORD AIRPORT 41.62N 98.95W
02/07/2016 M54 MPH VALLEY NE ASOS
PEAK NORTHWESTERLY GUST SO FAR TODAY
&&
PFANNKUCHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A 58 mph wind gust was recorded at the Hastings Municipal Airport.
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, February 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: 612269.