Following a brief break from morning and early afternoon thunderstorms, additional storms developed across portions of central Kansas late this Wednesday afternoon. While much of the late afternoon activity stayed along and south of Interstate 70, a few drifted through north central Kansas.
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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.
Following a brief break from morning and early afternoon thunderstorms, additional storms developed across portions of central Kansas late this Wednesday afternoon. While much of the late afternoon activity stayed along and south of Interstate 70, a few drifted through north central Kansas. The strongest of these storms passed through northwestern Osborne County, dropping quarter size hail approximately 6 miles northwest of Alton. Hail was reported to be up to 4 inches deep in spots.
A subtle mid-level shortwave trough was working east through the Central and Northern Plains through the day, with these late afternoon storms developing on the southern edge of the disturbance in an area of subtle convergence. At the surface, low pressure was located over southeastern Colorado, with a trough axis extending northeast into far south central Nebraska. This boundary was likely reinforced by outflow from convection earlier in the afternoon. These storms formed along a narrow axis of instability along the surface boundary, with MLCAPE values up to 1000 j/kg. Deeper layer shear was right around 30 knots. These storms developed a little after 4 PM CDT, but with overall weak forcing and waning instability and shear with time, were fairly scattered in nature and dissipated by 7:30 PM CDT.
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 Apr 12, 3:45 PM CST, 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hastings NE 445 PM CDT Wed Apr 12 2017 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Thursday) Issued at 358 PM CDT Wed Apr 12 2017 Showers and thunderstorms moved across much of the local area earlier today. As of 4 PM CDT, the associated wave/front is stalling out along the southern and eastern fringes of the local area...with some redevelopment evident on its southern edge. With plenty of instability to work with across this area...and modest shear...expect to see additional showers and thunderstorms develop across this area and propagate to the northeast...some of which could be severe. While a few reports of quarter or slightly larger sized hail along with strong thunderstorm wind gusts are possible...this activity should be limited to areas along and south of a line from Phillipsburg to Geneva...where the boundary will likely continue to remain stalled through the evening hours. As instability fades late in the evening...expect any additional development to be focused south and east of the local area...as the boundary drifts further south...with dry conditions expected locally after midnight. Overnight...do expect some low stratus to develop and spread across much of the local area...with some patchy dense fog even possible as indicated by the HRRR. As a result...will need to continue to monitor model trends and satellite data for the potential of more widespread dense fog development early Thursday morning. Otherwise...expect a cloudy and slightly cooler day across the local area tomorrow as the thick low level stratus is expected to persist throughout the day. At the same time...expect the disturbance producing shower and thunderstorm activity across portions of New Mexico and West Texas this afternoon...to lift north across the local area...spreading additional chances for showers and thunderstorms across much of the central plains tomorrow. While there will be some instability to work with... wind shear locally is very minimal...and severe weather is not anticipated tomorrow. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Wednesday) Issued at 358 PM CDT Wed Apr 12 2017 While the long term portion of the forecast is not expected to be overly active...there is just enough uncertainty in anticipated pattern to justify the mention of showers and thunderstorms across portions of the local area just about every period. At this time...the best chance for any severe weather will be Friday afternoon through the overnight hours as a disturbance moves out of the Rockies and into the plains. With plenty of instability and good shear progged across the local area ahead of this wave...it's not surprising that we are highlighted in a marginal risk for severe weather Friday/Friday night. Thereafter...multiple small chances for thunderstorms exist through the end of the period...with Easter Sunday looking to be the best day of the extended periods...with minimal chances for precipitation that day along with light winds...only partly cloudy skies...and temperatures possibly topping out near 70. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS through 18Z Thursday afternoon) Issued at 1244 PM CDT Wed Apr 12 2017 Skies will slowly clear at both terminals over the next couple of hours as a line of showers and thunderstorms continues to push eastward into southeastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas. Expect the possibility for some re-development during the evening hours along an approaching boundary...but overall...chance of this is pretty low as most models keep this secondary convection well east of the terminals. That said...did include a VCTS for a few hours this evening at KGRI if some redevelopment does occur that far west. Otherwise...expect mainly clear skies to start the overnight hours with the likelihood for some low level stratus development across the local area by early Thursday morning. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. KS...None. && SHORT TERM...Rossi LONG TERM...Rossi AVIATION...Rossi
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Hastings NE 350 PM CDT Wed Apr 12 2017 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 132100- 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- 350 PM CDT Wed Apr 12 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Nebraska and portions of north central Kansas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Thunderstorms will be possible across much of the outlook this afternoon and evening. There will be the potential for some of these storms to be strong to severe, mainly along and south of a line extending from Phillipsburg, Kansas to Geneva, Nebraska. The primary hazards with any severe thunderstorms will be hail up to the size of ping pong balls and 60 MPH wind gusts. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. There will be multiple chances for thunderstorm across the local area beginning Thursday and continuing through next Tuesday. Friday afternoon into Friday night, there is a chance for some of the storms to be strong to severe, with large hail and strong thunderstorm wind gusts being the primary concerns. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this evening south of a line from Phillipsburg, Kansas to Geneva, Nebraska. && More information may be obtained at the following web page: https://www.weather.gov/hastings Rossi
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Hastings NE 121 PM CDT WED APR 12 2017 KSZ019-121900- Mitchell KS- 121 PM CDT WED APR 12 2017 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHERN MITCHELL COUNTY... At 120 PM CDT, National Weather Service meteorologists were tracking a strong thunderstorm near Glen Elder, or 8 miles northwest of Beloit, moving east at 20 mph. Dime size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. This strong thunderstorm will be near... Beloit around 140 PM CDT. Scottsville around 200 PM CDT. If threatening weather approaches...move indoors to safety. LAT...LON 3944 9837 3957 9840 3957 9793 3942 9793 TIME...MOT...LOC 1820Z 288DEG 18KT 3955 9823 Kelley
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
454 PM CDT WED APR 12 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0450 PM HAIL 4 NE WOODSTON 39.50N 99.04W
04/12/2017 E0.50 INCH OSBORNE KS TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
REEDThe Grand Island radar (KUEX), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:11 UTC.
2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail up to the size of quarters was reported and was four inches deep on the ground northwest of Alton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, April 2017
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: 689570, 690546.