A stalled out stationary front served as the focal point for thunderstorm development mid afternoon on June 3rd. Thunderstorms first developed just south of the Nebraska/South Dakota border, then tracked southeast.
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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 LBF wrote it up.
A stalled out stationary front served as the focal point for thunderstorm development mid afternoon on June 3rd. Thunderstorms first developed just south of the Nebraska/South Dakota border, then tracked southeast. Severe storms were first reported in north central Nebraska. Additional development took place further south along the front in portions of central, then southwestern Nebraska. Hail up to 2 inches in diameter and thunderstorm wind gusts of 70 MPH were reported.
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 North Platte, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 3, 11:56 AM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service North Platte NE 1256 PM CDT Wed Jun 3 2020 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Thursday) Issued at 338 AM CDT Wed Jun 3 2020 The severe weather potential will be the main focus both today and Thursday. A decaying cluster of thunderstorms continues to move eastward across south central Neb. and northern KS early this morning. Meanwhile a weak vort max tracking across northern WY will continue to track eastward today and arrive in SD this evening. A weak surface low will develop ahead of this wave across far south central SD this afternoon. A weak cold front/wind shift line will extend southwest from this low, and be roughly along a Valentine to Mullen to Ogallala line by early this evening. This will be the focus for scattered convective development mid to late afternoon. Southeast low-level flow will gradually increase through the day to the east of this wind shift line. A gradual moistening of the airmass will take place with upper 50s to near 60F dew points ahead of the boundary by late this afternoon. An EML moving east off the Rockies will help to steepen mid-level lapse rates, and this will combine with heating and increasing moisture to yield around 2500 J/KG of surface based CAPE mid to late afternoon. Winds aloft will be strong with favorable bulk shear values in the 40 to 50 kt range. Scattered supercells will be the storm mode as storms form mid to late afternoon near the boundary. These could contain very large hail (2+ inches in diameter or greater). The 00Z NAM forecast sounding at North Platte supports large hail potential. Tornado threat, while not zero, looks low. Storms will be relatively high based with large temperature/dew point spreads, which could support strong outflow wind potential. Storms could grow upscale somewhat this evening across south central Nebraska with a damaging wind potential - but this would be mostly east/southeast of our area. Round two possible late Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening. It appears that several weak disturbances will be embedded within moderately strong westerlies aloft. Hard to pinpoint these, but one may be moving into western Nebraska around peak heating per the new 06Z NAM. At the surface the NAM has been indicating a fairly substantial dry line mixing eastward to at least HWY 83 by later Thursday afternoon. Appears an initiation point could be where steep low-level lapse rates nose east around the Ainsworth area near the dry line. If a storm develops here it would be a supercell and the environment downstream from this would support very large hail potential. The lack of significant large scale forcing could be a limiting factor in development however - so this is conditional. Another scenario would be for storms to form across western SD and then move southeast into northern Neb. during the evening. These would have more of a damaging wind potential and less of a hail threat. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Tuesday) Issued at 338 AM CDT Wed Jun 3 2020 Upper level ridging builds back northward across the Plains Friday into the weekend. This is ahead of a deep trough across the western U.S. Warm temperatures aloft will spread across the region which will likely keep any convection isolated at best. A warm front will slowly lift northward across KS Friday and into southern Neb. by Saturday. The front then lifts north of the area Sunday. Moist east to southeast low-level flow will advect moisture westward with widespread 60s to near 70F dew points by Saturday. Strong instability is expected but so is a strong capping inversion. Forcing is very weak and again these factors will limit convective potential. Cannot completely rule out but can't pinpoint anything specific at this point. The storm potential increases Monday afternoon and evening as the upper trough begins to lift toward the Northern Plains - severe weather will be possible. Then in the wake of the upper trough, a sprawling strong Canadian high pressure system will spread across much of the central and eastern CONUS. This will put an end to 90s for awhile with highs back into the 70s Tuesday and Wednesday. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Thursday afternoon) Issued at 1244 PM CDT Wed Jun 3 2020 VFR conditions are expected through this evening across western and north central Nebraska. However, thunderstorms are expected to develop by mid to late afternoon and evening. Erratic strong winds and large hail are likely with these storms. Best timing for thunderstorms to impact both KVTN and KLBF will be between 03/23Z and 04/04Z. Storms move out by mid to late evening with quiet conditions returning for the overnight period. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...Taylor LONG TERM...Taylor AVIATION...Boatwright
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service North Platte NE 1109 AM CDT Wed Jun 3 2020 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-041615- Sheridan-Eastern Cherry-Keya Paha-Boyd-Brown-Rock-Holt-Garden- Grant-Hooker-Thomas-Blaine-Loup-Garfield-Wheeler-Arthur-McPherson- Logan-Custer-Deuel-Keith-Perkins-Lincoln-Chase-Hayes-Frontier- Western Cherry- 1109 AM CDT Wed Jun 3 2020 /1009 AM MDT Wed Jun 3 2020/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north central Nebraska. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. Isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms are possible late this afternoon and evening. Large hail, possibly 2 inches in diameter or greater, could occur for areas along and west of Highway 83. Damaging winds are also possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. Isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms are possible late Thursday afternoon and evening. Large hail, possibly 2 inches in diameter or greater, and damaging winds could occur. The greatest threat will generally be along and east of a line from Valentine to Broken Bow. Severe storms are possible early next week, most likely Monday afternoon and evening. Later forecasts will better pinpoint this potential. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Reports of wind damage and hail will be appreciated tonight. && Get your weather, hydrological, and climate information at http://www.weather.gov/northplatte
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service North Platte NE 222 PM MDT Wed Jun 3 2020 NEZ094-032045- Western Cherry NE- 222 PM MDT Wed Jun 3 2020 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL CHERRY COUNTY UNTIL 245 PM MDT... At 221 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 10 miles southwest of Medicine Lake, or 32 miles east of Gordon, moving east at 35 mph. Nickel size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Indian Hill and Highway 61 crossing the Snake River. This includes Highway 61 between mile markers 201 and 206. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 700 PM MDT for north central Nebraska. LAT...LON 4258 10175 4274 10168 4271 10129 4250 10139 TIME...MOT...LOC 2021Z 283DEG 32KT 4264 10161 Gomez
The North Platte radar (KLNX), 140 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:27 UTC.
10 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm wind gusts, estimated at 60 MPH, brought 8 to 10 inch diameter tree limbs down at this location.
Thunderstorm wind gusts, estimated at 60 MPH, brought 8 to 10 inch diameter tree limbs down at this location.
Ping pong ball sized hail reported at this location.
Dime to quarter sized hail covering the ground at this location.
Dime to quarter sized hail covering the ground at this location.
Thunderstorm wind gusts around 60 MPH were reported by the Burwell Fire Department along with heavy rain and zero visibility.
Thunderstorm wind gusts, estimated at 70 MPH, brought 12 inch diameter tree limbs down at this location.
Strong winds and quarter sized hail reported at this location.
Trained spotter reported thunderstorm wind gusts to 70 MPH at this location.
Thunderstorm wind gusts, estimated at 65 MPH, were reported at this location.
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, June 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: 892764, 892765, 892753, 892754, 892755, 892756, 892757, 892758, 892766, 892760, 892767, 892761, 892768, 892769, 892763, 892762.