At midnight on the 16th, non-severe thunderstorms were ongoing across portions of northeast Nebraska and western Iowa. With these storms being rooted in a nearly stationary boundary co-located with the exit region of a low-level jet, this area saw prolonged periods of moderate to heavy rain.
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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.
At midnight on the 16th, non-severe thunderstorms were ongoing across portions of northeast Nebraska and western Iowa. With these storms being rooted in a nearly stationary boundary co-located with the exit region of a low-level jet, this area saw prolonged periods of moderate to heavy rain.
A second round of scattered thunderstorms brought heavy rain and gusty winds between 7 and 11 in the morning. These storms were non-severe as well. By the afternoon, the cut-off low in central Nebraska began to drift to the northeast. A region of light to moderate rain moved into southwest Iowa after 3 pm, likely enhancing surface winds by bringing down higher momentum flow aloft. This resulted in strong non-thunderstorm winds across southwest Iowa including one severe wind gust recorded on a personal weather station.
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 Apr 16, 2:56 PM CST, 13 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE 356 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Strong wind gusts of up to 50 mph are possible through 9 PM as gusty winds become enhanced by dying showers in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. - Cooler temperatures expected through the weekend with chances for rain Wednesday night into Thursday morning. - Highs in the 70s return to start the upcoming work week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 346 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024 Today and Tomorrow: Radar trends over the last hour or so have decreased in intensity across the board, with lightning trends following likewise. Looking at a recent surface analysis, the surface low associated with the large-scale system currently sits over northeast Nebraska, with plenty of wraparound moisture in the low levels around the low and a corridor of dry air over southeast Nebraska. Ongoing shower and storm activity has become more progressive, and is moving through far eastern Nebraska into western Iowa. This cluster of storms has helped kick eastward the main outflow boundary rather than interacting with it to increase tornadic potential. SPC Mesoanalysis fields indicate that there is still some CAPE to be realized with the ambient vorticity, but without any stronger storms due the messy environment, it seems as though it will go unrealized. Regardless, ambient wind speeds have been allowing areas with only weak storms reach over 50 mph due to strong evaporative cooling, and this threat will continue into the evening. Steep lapse rates in the mid-levels also indicate that we could still see chances for quarter-sized hail through 8 PM in northeast Nebraska. Remaining areas to watch for potential hail and tornado activity are largely relegated into western/northwestern Iowa, and will quickly diminish through 6 PM as the cooler airmass moves in. Overnight, winds will continue to howl and gust from 30 to 40 mph, with scattered showers and a few rumbles of thunder continuing through around 7 AM, with the area of showers constricting more and more to northeast Nebraska where the center of the surface low and associated forcing eject. Highs tomorrow will reach the 60s to low 70s with additional chances for showers associated with a passing through to the north after 7 PM, bringing light rainfall back to the area through the morning hours. Thursday and Beyond: For Thursday afternoon onward, a cooler regime settles in for the late week and weekend as the main axis of cooler 850 mb temperatures swings through the Central Plains. Most rainfall activity should miss the area either to the north or the south with the next chances for rain coming to the area Monday/Tuesday. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1232 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024 VFR conditions are in place at KOMA and KLNK, while KOFK continues to see shower and storm activity alongside MVFR conditions. Expect increasing coverage of storms from west of KLNK northward with the expectation that those storms move east-northeast, with brief stints of MVFR to IFR conditions with the strongest storms. After storms roll through (and generally after 00z) expect winds out of the northwest to gust between 30 and 35 kts and periods of MVFR ceilings through the night with some diminishing during the mid-to-late morning hours. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. IA...None. && DISCUSSION...Petersen AVIATION...Petersen
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE 407 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-171115- 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- 407 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest Iowa...west central Iowa...east central Nebraska...northeast Nebraska and southeast Nebraska. .DAY ONE...Tonight and Wednesday Showers and thunderstorms will continue into the evening hours, with strong wind gusts of up to 45 mph and quarter-sized hail possible through 9 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday night through Tuesday The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters should not be needed tonight, but are encouraged to relay reports of flooding or severe weather.
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
110 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0108 PM Funnel Cloud 1 S Leigh 41.68N 97.24W
04/16/2024 Colfax NE Emergency Mngr
Reports of multiple funnel clouds in the
Leigh area.
&&
BLBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
200 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0139 PM Tornado 5 S Howells 41.66N 97.02W
04/16/2024 Colfax NE Public
Spotter video via social media.
&&
BLBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
201 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0149 PM Tornado 4 SSE Howells 41.67N 96.99W
04/16/2024 Colfax NE Public
Spotter video via social media.
&&
BLBSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
218 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024
NEZ045-051-052-161945-
Saunders NE-Washington NE-Douglas NE-
218 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON...
NORTHERN DOUGLAS AND EAST CENTRAL SAUNDERS COUNTIES THROUGH 245 PM
CDT...
At 217 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Valley, or 6 miles northwest of Elkhorn, moving northeast at 55 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
* Locations impacted include...
Northern Omaha, Blair, Bennington, Elkhorn, Valley, Waterloo,
Kennard, Leshara, Flanagan Lake, Standing Bear Lake, Florence, and
Washington.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4131 9595 4125 9637 4134 9647 4140 9638
4139 9633 4143 9633 4153 9615
TIME...MOT...LOC 1917Z 239DEG 49KT 4133 9635
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
KernPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
340 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0256 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 SSE Papillion 41.14N 96.03W
04/16/2024 Sarpy NE Trained Spotter
Photo on social media of large tree limb
down across Coach Road south of Cedardale
Road. Time estimated from radar.
&&
CAPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
346 PM CDT Tue Apr 16 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1248 PM Tornado 1 SSW Creston 41.70N 97.36W
04/16/2024 Platte NE Emergency Mngr
Time estimated. Detached garage damaged at
this location.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A severe wind gust was measured by a private weather station shortly after 4 in the afternoon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Iowa in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, April 2024
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: 1166037.