Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds affected areas along Interstate 80 during the early morning hours of July 10th. Thunderstorms initially developed over the western Sandhills in central Nebraska during the late afternoon and early evening hours of July 9th.
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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.
Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds affected areas along Interstate 80 during the early morning hours of July 10th. Thunderstorms initially developed over the western Sandhills in central Nebraska during the late afternoon and early evening hours of July 9th. Two supercells merged northwest of North Platte, which resulted in one, forward moving supercell that transitioned to produce intense winds. 80-90mph winds were noted in the North Platte area, including an 87mph gust measured at the North Platte Airport. This activity continued to produce intense damaging wind as it moved southeastward into western Dawson County around 1am CDT on July 10th. The most intense winds occurred in the Cozad area with measured gusts up to 75mph resulting in widespread, significant tree damage in addition to building, power pole, and crop damage. Also, a semi tractor trailer was overturned on Interstate 80 west of Cozad. Another overturned semi tractor trailer was reported just west of Lexington. No injuries or fatalities were reported. Damage in Lexington was not as intense and limited to mainly tree damage with a measured gust at the Lexington Airport of 59mph, respectively. Thunderstorms continued to weaken as they shifted east, with only sporadic, minor tree damage noted in Kearney around 2am CDT. Thunderstorms dissipated to weak showers by 3am CDT.
Overall, it appears that this thunderstorm activity overachieved it’s meteorological environment, at least thermodynamically. The main instability axis of moderate MLCAPE of 1000-2000 J/kg was located primarily across the western High Plains, with generally less than 1000 J/kg of MLCAPE noted across western portions of the Hastings CWA. Instability quickly decreased with eastern extent, which likely led to the rapid decrease in thunderstorm intensity between Lexington and Kearney. However, what was lacking in the thermodynamic environment was likely compensated for kinematically as deep layer shear was impressive at 50-60 kt owing to significant veering of winds from southeast near to surface to west-northwest in the mid levels.
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 Jul 10, 12:09 AM CST, 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Hastings NE 109 AM CDT Fri Jul 10 2020 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Friday) Issued at 409 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2020 So far it's been a quieter day today with light winds and slightly cooler temps in the 80s. This quiet weather has the potential to continue through the weekend, though there are still a few key uncertainties. Tonight: SW of a line from Ravenna to Hastings NE to Beloit KS is in a SPC Marginal Risk for severe weather tonight. Overall the risk appears to be rather low and fairly short lived. Upslope flow will help to develop a few strong to severe storms over western NE later this evening which will begin to propagate eastward. Throughout the day today short term models have come into better agreement regarding these storms. It's looking increasingly like they will die off as they approach us from the west, and any that do make it into the CWA will likely be non-severe and short lived. Have kept weak PoPs in there for tonight to account for this potential. Wind would be the main concern again, but not nearly as much as last night, much more of an isolated potential tonight. Tomorrow: Expecting a rather seasonal day with highs in the upper 80s to near 90 with light winds turning back to southerly. Tomorrow evening is where there is still a bit of uncertainty. A second cold front, that is over the Dakotas, is expected to progress southeastward with convection developing along the front in the late afternoon and evening. There has been some flip-flopping in the models as to whether or not this convection passes through the northeastern portions of our CWA. Currently it looks like the main system will stay just far enough east that we may only be "grazed" by a few storms. SPC adjusted the severe weather outlook so that now only the northern most portion of our CWA is in the Slight Risk area. The NAMNEST and the ECMWF look to be the most aggressive solutions, with storms passing through portions of our area mainly east of HWY 281. Again the main threat would be wind, along with the potential for large hail initially. .LONG TERM...(Friday night through Thursday) Issued at 409 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2020 As we head into the weekend the summer like weather continues as a strong ridge builds over the SW CONUS and sets us up under NW flow. Hit and miss storm chances show up in several days during the long term as minor perturbations crest over the ridge and slide southeastward across the Central Plains. The next day to really focus on would be Tuesday as the ridge begins to break down and flow becomes more zonal aloft. A shortwave trof looks to pass through the Central and Northern Plains bringing our next major cold front and decent chance for storm development. This is still far enough out though that quite a bit could change between now and then. Flow then looks to remain fairly zonal with regular isolated summer storm chances, but nothing out of the ordinary for now. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS through 06Z Saturday) Issued at 1217 AM CDT Fri Jul 10 2020 VFR conditions are expected at both terminals through the period. Expect thunderstorm activity early this morning entering Dawson county to scoot mainly west and south of Kearney over the next hour or so as it dissipates. May need to update KEAR TAF if the activity holds together, but model data is very skeptical that it will. Otherwise...once these storms pass tonight...expect mainly clear skies and light and variable winds early Friday morning...with increasing southerly winds gusting to near 20 KTS Friday afternoon as the pressure gradient tightens across the region. The next upper level disturbance could bring some thunderstorm activity to both terminals late Friday night...and will monitor this possibility for the 12Z TAFs later this morning. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...Shawkey LONG TERM...Shawkey AVIATION...Rossi
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Hastings NE 618 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2020 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 101200- 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- 618 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Nebraska and portions of north central Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight. While not widespread, there is the potential for an isolated strong to severe thunderstorm this evening, mainly after 10pm, for locations southwest of a Kearney to Superior line in Nebraska. Large hail of quarter size or greater and damaging winds of 60 mph will be the primary storm hazards. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Severe thunderstorms are also possible Friday night, bringing a continued threat for large hail and damaging winds. Additional chances for thunderstorms continue intermittently across portions of the outlook area from Saturday through Thursday. Be sure to stay up to date on the latest forecasts as storm details are refined. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may needed on an isolated basis after 10 pm tonight southwest of a line from Kearney to Superior Nebraska. && More information may be obtained at the following web page: https://www.weather.gov/hastings Heinlein
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
802 PM CDT THU JUL 9 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1202 AM TSTM WND DMG 4 N OAK 40.29N 97.92W
07/09/2020 NUCKOLLS NE PUBLIC
DELAYED REPORT AND PHOTO OF A LARGE GRAIN
BIN DESTROYED. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&
PFANNKUCHThe North Platte radar (KLNX), 128 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:08 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts estimated to be near 65 MPH caused an overturned semi trailer near Interstate 80 mile marker 218. This overturned trailer blocked Interstate 80 traffic.
Emergency management estimated wind gusts to be at least 70 MPH, a mesonet station located 1 mile north-northeast of Cozad measured a peak gust of 75 MPH at 1:18 AM CDT. Damage in and near Cozad was reported, including roof, outbuilding, tree and crop damage. The town square gazebo was pushed over to a 45 degree angle. Power outages were also reported in the area.
A metal outbuilding was damaged near Darr.
Wind gusts estimated to be near 60 MPH downed a few tree limbs ranging from 2 to 5 inches in diameter.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, July 2020
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: 898796, 898801, 898810, 898816, 898817.