This was a fairly windy Thursday afternoon across North Central Kansas, with several hours of sustained northerly speeds commonly 20-30 MPH and frequent gusts around 40 MPH. However, thanks largely to the development of scattered high-based rain showers and a few weak thunderstorms, which enhanced the ambient wind fields, several places experienced brief gusts of 50+ MPH.
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 was a fairly windy Thursday afternoon across North Central Kansas, with several hours of sustained northerly speeds commonly 20-30 MPH and frequent gusts around 40 MPH. However, thanks largely to the development of scattered high-based rain showers and a few weak thunderstorms, which enhanced the ambient wind fields, several places experienced brief gusts of 50+ MPH. This included peak gusts at area airports of 51 MPH in Smith Center and Phillipsburg and 55 MPH near Stockton. In addition, one unofficial personal weather station north of Bellaire clocked a severe-criteria gust of 58 MPH around 2 p.m. CDT. There were no known reports of damage from these winds. It is likely that without the presence of shallow convection, wind gusts in most places would have topped out no higher than 45 MPH. Wind profiles from the surface to the mid-levels were modestly strong and unidirectional, but ambient speeds at the 850 millibar level were no higher than 30-40 knots. In addition, the west-east surface pressure gradient at mid-afternoon across the state of Kansas was not overly-supportive of severe winds, averaging only 7-9 millibars.
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 18, 11:24 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hastings NE 1224 PM CDT Thu Apr 18 2019 ...AVIATION UPDATE... .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 359 AM CDT Thu Apr 18 2019 Clear and noticably cooler temperatures are being observed across the region this morning as winds have diminished a bit more than expected. Otherwise, the short term forecast looks on track with good daytime heating combined with a passing shortwave out of the northwest expected to help initiate some mid level cumulus with some showers and thunderstorms possible during the afternoon hours. With very meager instability, do not expect hail of any significance, but strong thunderstorm wind gusts in excess of 50 MPH could be possible given the classic inverted V profile. With instability fading by 00Z, removed the mention of thunder thereafter, but could conceivably see showers continue into the early evening hours as forcing from the aforementioned wave continues. Outside of thunderstorms, do not expect much in the way of accumulation, with only a few hundredths of an inch of total precipitation forecast. For tonight, once again clearing skies along with lighter winds will make for a cool night across the region, with some patchy frost not out of the question as lows dip into the lower to middle 30s. Due to the climatological time frame, however, did not include the mention of frost in the forecast as we are just now approaching the average last freeze dates across our northern Kansas zones, with another week or two until our Nebraska counties typically see their last freeze. .LONG TERM...(Friday through Wednesday) Issued at 359 AM CDT Thu Apr 18 2019 High pressure will transition across the plains over the upcoming weekend...peaking on Saturday...when widespread temperatures near 80 degrees are forecast. The ridge will continue transitioning east on Sunday, when a small chance for precipitation creeps back into the forecast thanks to a weak wave moving out of the southwest along with cold front out of the north. With marginal instability, there will be a chance for thunderstorms roughly south of interstate 80 Sunday, with off an on additional chances for showers continuing through at least Tuesday as additional systems transition across our area from the west. That said, the following system does not have much in the way of dynamics to work with, so widespread or heavy precipitation does not appear likely at this time. Temperature wise...after a warm Saturday, near seasonal temperatures return to finish out the weekend and start the new work week...with temperatures near 60 degrees Monday afternoon returning to the lower to middle 70s by Thursday as a gradual warming trend is expected over the period. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS through 18Z Friday) Issued at 1223 PM CDT Thu Apr 18 2019 Significant Wx: G35 kt likely with lightning psbl This afternoon: SCT-BKN VFR CU 6-7K ft with sct shwrs. Small hail psbl. Can't rule out an isolated lightning strike here and there. NNW winds 20-30 kt and G35-40...espcly near shwrs. Confidence: High Tonight: VFR. Diurnal shwrs and any cld debris will dissipate leaving SKC. Winds diminish to less than 10 kt from NW. Confidence: high Fri AM: VFR with no clds at or below 10K ft. Light NW winds under 10 kt. Confidence: High && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. KS...None. && SHORT TERM...Rossi LONG TERM...Rossi AVIATION...Kelley
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Hastings NE 457 AM CDT Thu Apr 18 2019 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 191000- 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- 457 AM CDT Thu Apr 18 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Nebraska and portions of north central Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Isolated thunderstorms are expected to develop across the local area this afternoon. While severe weather is not expected, pea sized hail along with wind gusts to 50 mph are possible with the strongest storms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Low end chances for thunderstorms return to portions of the forecast area on Sunday, generally for areas south of interstate 80 during the afternoon and evening hours. Severe weather is not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight. && More information may be obtained at the following web page: https://www.weather.gov/hastings Rossi
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1150 AM CDT THU APR 18 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0838 AM HAIL 3 S DEWEESE 40.31N 98.14W
04/17/2019 E1.25 INCH NUCKOLLS NE PUBLIC
DELAYED REPORT VIA TWITTER. TIME ESTIMATED
FROM RADAR.
&&
THIESPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1253 PM CDT THU APR 18 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1249 PM HAIL 2 N KEARNEY 40.73N 99.08W
04/18/2019 E0.70 INCH BUFFALO NE PUBLIC
REPORT VIA MPING.
&&
THIESThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A 58 MPH wind gusts was measured by a mesonet station located 8 miles north of Bellaire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, April 2019
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: 817760.