A northeast to southwest orientated stationary front over eastern Nebraska was the focus for the development of isolated severe thunderstorms on the afternoon of the 24th. Trees were blown down by damaging wind in the Columbus area.
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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 OAX wrote it up.
A northeast to southwest orientated stationary front over eastern Nebraska was the focus for the development of isolated severe thunderstorms on the afternoon of the 24th. Trees were blown down by damaging wind in the Columbus area. The same storm produced hail up to golfball size which stripped trees and damaged crops. Another isolated storm produced wind damage at Yutan and also near Valley.
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 Sep 24, 11:35 AM CST, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE 1235 PM CDT Sun Sep 24 2017 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Tuesday) Issued at 308 AM CDT Sun Sep 24 2017 A prominent mid-level trough centered over the Great Basin early this morning will edge east into the central Rockies by tonight before ejecting northeast across the northern and central Plains Monday and Monday night. Meanwhile, the associated surface front which stretches from central MN through northeast NE into northwest KS as of 07z will begin to advance east/southeast later today into tonight. The front is expected to eventually progress south of our forecast area Monday night into Tuesday morning. A band of post-frontal showers and a few thunderstorms are ongoing early this morning across western parts of SD/NE/KS, aided by a belt of forcing for ascent associated with a vorticity lobe pivoting through the eastern semi-circle of the parent midlevel trough. The passage of this perturbation into the northern High Plains will encourage the movement of the deeper-layer cold front into the forecast area this afternoon into tonight with a corresponding increase in measurable precipitation chances along and behind the boundary. Clouds will increase across the pre-frontal warm sector today. But given the continued presence of an anomalously warm air mass, afternoon temperatures will rise into the mid to upper 80s. There will likely be a sharp temperature gradient across the front by afternoon with readings in our far northwest counties hovering in the 60s. Tonight into Monday night, the cold front will slowly progress southeast through the forecast area, yielding a prolonged period of shower and thunderstorm activity, primarily on the cool side of the boundary. Highest storm-total precipitation amounts are expected across northeast NE where 2.0-2.5 inches are possible. As we have eluded to in past discussions, mesoscale processes will likely contribute to locally higher amounts and some flooding remains possible. Precipitation chances should begin to diminish from north to south across the area late Monday night into Tuesday as the cold front continues south into KS and MO. As far as temperatures are concerned, we expect a fairly substantial gradient across the forecast area again on Monday with readings ranging from around 80 over far southeast NE and southwest IA to upper 50s near the NE-SD border. By Tuesday, afternoon highs will be mainly in the 60s areawide. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday night through Saturday) Issued at 308 AM CDT Sun Sep 24 2017 Medium-range guidance remains in relatively good agreement through mid week, depicting a shortwave trough over Ontario with a closed midlevel system over the lower CO Valley. However, by late week, model solutions begin to diverge. The ECMWF develops a deep low over the Great Lakes whereas the GFS, GEFS, and Canadian models suggest a more progressive pattern with the lower CO Valley low ejecting into the central Plains and undercutting a longer- wavelength ridge over central Canada. The upshot is that predictability from about Friday into next weekend is low. We will maintain a generally dry forecast with slightly below normal temperatures. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Monday afternoon) Issued at 1231 PM CDT Sun Sep 24 2017 Deteriorating aviation conditions are expected through Monday morning across all of eastern Nebraska. Scattered showers or an isolated thunderstorm are expected to develop by 00Z near all sites, and continue off-and-on through 18Z Monday. Generally VFR conditions with this activity. However as a cold front drifts southeast, southerly winds will turn northwest or north, and will draw in MVFR to IFR cigs. Timing of the front is still in question as any convective activity could interrupt or accelerate progression. Expect MVFR cigs at KOFK before 00Z, then IFR after 06Z, while KOMA and KLNK will likely hold VFR cigs through 06Z, with potential IFR cigs before 12Z. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. IA...None. && SHORT TERM...Mead LONG TERM...Mead AVIATION...Dergan
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE 1238 PM CDT Sun Sep 24 2017 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-250745- Monona-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie-Mills-Montgomery-Fremont- Page-Knox-Cedar-Thurston-Antelope-Pierce-Wayne-Boone-Madison- Stanton-Cuming-Burt-Platte-Colfax-Dodge-Washington-Butler- Saunders-Douglas-Sarpy-Seward-Lancaster-Cass-Otoe-Saline- Jefferson-Gage-Johnson-Nemaha-Pawnee-Richardson- 1238 PM CDT Sun Sep 24 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest Iowa...west central Iowa...east central Nebraska...northeast Nebraska and southeast Nebraska. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Showers and isolated thunderstorms in northeast Nebraska at early afternoon will expand east and southeast this afternoon and evening, and will overspread all of eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa by this evening. This activity is expected to continue off- and-on through the night. No severe weather is expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Episodic shower and thunderstorm activity will continue from Monday into Tuesday morning before ending. While no organized severe weather is expected, the prolonged period of rainfall could lead to localized flooding. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Storm spotter activation will not be needed this afternoon or tonight.
The Omaha radar (KOAX), 9 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:41 UTC.
4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A camper was flipped over by damaging thunderstorm winds just south of Yutan.
There was shingle damage to a home in the Valley Shores subdivision in Valley. In addition, outdoor furniture was blown around as well. The event was isolated as there was no damage to other homes in the same housing subdivision.
Half dollar size hail fell just east of Columbus.
Ping Pong Ball size hail fell east of Columbus.
A semi trailer, u-haul trailers, and a power pole were blown over by damaging thunderstorm winds.
Hail up to golfball size fell north of Richland. Crops and tree leaves were stripped due to the large hail.
Penny size hail was reported just south of Howells.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, September 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: 722236, 722237, 722231, 722233, 722238, 722234, 722235.