m. CDT, a fairly compact storm complex swept from west-to-east across far northern sections of South Central Nebraska, bringing damaging winds to portions of Valley and Greeley counties.
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 GID wrote it up.
During the very early morning hours of Tuesday the 25th, mainly between 1:00-2:30 a.m. CDT, a fairly compact storm complex swept from west-to-east across far northern sections of South Central Nebraska, bringing damaging winds to portions of Valley and Greeley counties. Ord airport clocked a peak gust of 74 MPH, and in town there were reports of several damaged trees and a few downed power lines. A bit later and one county to the east, an NeRAIN observer in Spalding noted trees down around town. This small storm complex initiated over the far northern Nebraska Panhandle during the early evening, before steadily tracking east-southeast and eventually infiltrating the local area. This was a sneaky severe weather event, mainly given that radar signatures were not very suggestive of intense outflow winds, due in part to shallow storm cores (especially by June standards). In addition, instability was seemingly limited, with most-unstable CAPE only analyzed around 500 J/kg. However, other factors were more favorable for storm organization and sustenance, including steep mid-level lapse rates and the presence of a low amplitude disturbance embedded within fairly strong west-northwest flow aloft.
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 Jun 24, 11:49 PM CST, 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Hastings NE 1249 AM CDT Tue Jun 25 2019 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Tuesday Night) Issued at 334 PM CDT Mon Jun 24 2019 Been a pretty nice day across the area today, with plenty of sunshine for all. Aloft, flow has been gradually turning more zonal, with satellite imagery showing the continued departure of the shortwave disturbance which brought the weekend precip...currently moving toward the western Great Lakes. At the surface, the CWA sits between frontal boundaries, the main one extending from WI southward into TX, with a weaker boundary across central SD into the panhandle of NE. Hasn't been any big surprises with temperatures with 3PM obs ranging from the upper 70s-mid 80s. Some uncertainty exists with the forecast tonight. Kept the evening hours dry, but with some of the 12Z models and neighbor collab, decided to throw a 20% chance of precipitation in the forecast across portions of south central NE. Some of the models suggest there being enough lift accompanying another weak upper level wave and sfc boundary to allow for some isolated/scattered activity to pass through the area. Not all models agree that anything would develop/linger into the CWA, but enough of them do that felt a slight chance mention was warranted. While thunderstorms will be possible, models show better instability values don't start building in until tomorrow...so any storms that do affect the CWA aren't expected to become severe. As we get into tomorrow, any activity that does develop is expected to push east of the area, and most of (if not all) of the CWA should be dry during the day. The exception to this may be across southern portions of the CWA late in the day. Confidence isn't high with this either, but there is the potential a few thunderstorms may develop along a sfc frontal boundary that is expected to sink south through the day. Some models have those chances affecting our CWA, others keep it east of us. While that activity would wane in the evening with the loss of heating, additional chances move in overnight from the west with yet another weak disturbance/eastward moving activity from the High Plains. Again there are questions with the coverage/whether the CWA is affected at all...but don't think the slight chances in the forecast is unreasonable. These chances look to mainly affect areas south of I-80. Models show better instability in the area and at least a bit of an increase in shear...so there will be the potential for a few storms to become strong/severe, but the best chances for severe weather would likely be tied to anything that happened to develop during that late afternoon/evening period in the S-SErn CWA. Roughly the southern half is included in the Day 2 Marginal risk area. Temperature-wise, still looking at a bump up, with forecast highs tomorrow in the mid 80s to lower 90s. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Monday) Issued at 334 PM CDT Mon Jun 24 2019 Models are in good agreement at 12Z Wednesday, showing generally zonal flow in place across the region, sitting on the northern edge of broad upper level ridging. The forecast for the daytime hours Wednesday remains dry, with thunderstorm chances returning that night. Activity looks to develop mid-late afternoon out west along the High Plains as an upper level shortwave disturbance approaches...then pushes east during the evening/overnight hours. At this point most models have it looking more scattered in nature, so only have PoPs in the 20-30% range. Not seeing a lack of instability in the area, but overall deeper layer shear appears weak across the majority of the CWA as any activity moves in. Western portions of the CWA are included in the Day 3 Marginal risk, where shear is a touch better. Once those precip chances slide out of the area, the forecast Thursday through the upcoming weekend is a dry one. Good agreement among models showing ridging taking over as the primary feature in the upper levels...set up between a large low pressure system sitting over the Pac NW and another low eventually sliding out of the Hudson Bay area into the extreme NErn CONUS. At this point it looks like the ridge would be strong enough to keep the better precip chances well north of the CWA. As far as temperatures go, forecast still on track turning up the heat...with highs Fri-Sun in the lower-mid 90s. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS through 06Z Wednesday) Issued at 1241 AM CDT Tue Jun 25 2019 A modest LLJ is developing ahead of a weak trough/cold front forecast to cross the area overnight. Expect a few VCSHs or VCTSs as this front passes by...with LLWS associated with the LLJ diminishing around daybreak. Already seeing some returns approach the forecast area...and with modest instability aloft...think a few of these showers and thunderstorms will hold together as they cross the terminals over the next 6 hours. Surface winds overall will be light and fairly variable through the period...with the trough stalling across the local area during the daytime hours Tuesday...generally resulting in a weak pressure gradient and winds less than 10 KTS. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. KS...None. && SHORT TERM...ADP LONG TERM...ADP AVIATION...Rossi
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Hastings NE 534 PM CDT Mon Jun 24 2019 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 252245- 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- 534 PM CDT Mon Jun 24 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Nebraska and portions of north central Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Mainly after midnight tonight, there will be the potential for a few thunderstorms north of Highway 6 in south central Nebraska. Severe weather is not expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Thunderstorm are also possible late Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night, then again Wednesday night. There will be the potential for a few storms to be strong to severe both days. Large hail and damaging wind gusts would be the primary hazards. .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 ADP/Kelley
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Hastings NE 113 AM CDT Tue Jun 25 2019 NEZ039-040-046-047-250700- Valley NE-Howard NE-Greeley NE-Sherman NE- 113 AM CDT Tue Jun 25 2019 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR GREELEY...VALLEY...SHERMAN AND HOWARD COUNTIES UNTIL 200 AM CDT... At 112 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from 16 miles north of Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area to near Comstock to near Ansley. Movement was east at 50 mph. Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with these storms and associated outflows. Locations impacted include... Ord, Greeley, St. Paul, Loup City, Spalding, Scotia, Arcadia, Dannebrog, North Loup, Wolbach, Litchfield, Elba, Ashton, Farwell, Rockville, Hazard, Elyria, Cotesfield, Cushing and Fort Hartsuff State Park. LAT...LON 4174 9829 4105 9829 4105 9921 4174 9921 TIME...MOT...LOC 0612Z 272DEG 44KT 4210 9923 4163 9923 4124 9942 Rossi
The North Platte radar (KLNX), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:27 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts were estimated to be near 70 MPH. Tree branches were downed and significant green snap of corn stalks was reported in the area.
Wind gusts as high as 74 MPH were reported by the Ord Airport ASOS. There were several reports of tree damage and downed power lines in Ord.
Wind gusts were estimated to be near 70 MPH, causing tree damage in town.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, June 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: 837458, 837462, 837475.