Extensive line of thunderstorms brings broad swaths of damaging winds, along with a few tornadoes, to portions of south central Nebraska during the late evening hours of May 23rd into the early morning hours of May 24th. A cold front associated with a closed upper low pressure over the Dakotas sparked a line of thunderstorms to develop during the late afternoon hours from central SD into the NE…
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.
Extensive line of thunderstorms brings broad swaths of damaging winds, along with a few tornadoes, to portions of south central Nebraska during the late evening hours of May 23rd into the early morning hours of May 24th. A cold front associated with a closed upper low pressure over the Dakotas sparked a line of thunderstorms to develop during the late afternoon hours from central SD into the NE Panhandle. This activity, fueled by strong instability (MLCAPE 1500-3000 J/kg) and deep layer shear, become intense and organized prior to moving into far W portions of the GID CWA around 10pm CDT. The line continued to strengthen and organize as it shifted eastward into deeper low level moisture and, in turn, began to produce occasional QLCS tornadoes. The line impacted the Tri-Cities shortly after midnight. Of the Tri-Cities, Hastings was by far the most severely impacted, with several reports of wind gusts around 60 MPH and extensive tree damage in and around town. An 85 MPH wind gust was measured just west of Hastings in the Heartwell area. As storms continued eastward during the early morning hours of the 24th, damaging wind remained the primary threat. The strongest and most concentrated area of wind reports occurred roughly along the Highway 74 corridor in Clay and Fillmore Counties. Here, a 75 MPH gust was measured by a mesonet just E of Edgar. The severe portion of the line exited eastern portions of the forecast area by 2AM on the 24th. In total, there were 5 confirmed tornadoes from this event, all of which were of the weak and QLCS variety. The most impactful tornado, and the only one to hit a population center, was in Holdrege, but even this damage was fairly minor and rated as an EF1.
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 May 23, 5:15 PM CST, 4 hours 8 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hastings NE 615 PM CDT Thu May 23 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected across south central Nebraska and north central Kansas late this evening and overnight. The best chances for severe weather in our area will be for south central Nebraska between 10pm and 4am, with storms ending from west to east. - A progression of systems will move through the region over the Memorial Day Weekend. These systems will bring a chance of periodic shower and thunderstorm activity to portions of the area, which could put a damper on some outdoor holiday plans. - Expect a gradual warming trend heading into mid-week, with highs returning to the 80s. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 406 PM CDT Thu May 23 2024 A closed low will move into the western part of the Dakotas this afternoon and evening, with a warm front over the Dakotas. Things have warmed up fairly well, with temperatures currently ranging from the mid-70s to low 80s. SBCAPE values are expected to reach around 1000-2500 J/kg with MLCAPE values around 1500-3000 J/kg. DCAPE values of 1200-1400 J/kg are also expected along with steep lapse rates. A cold front is expected to move through the region later today, which will be the lifting mechanism for the main part of our severe weather concerns. A few isolated storms may be possible this evening, but the bulk of the severe weather issues will be mainly between 10pm and 4am. Storms are expected to initiate, congealing into a line as they cross the Hastings CWA. Strong winds up to 75mph will be the main hazard. Large hail up to ping pong to golf ball size will also be a concern. A few tornadoes embedded within the line of storms will also be possible. This will make any tornadoes that doe develop, potentially difficult to see, especially with the event occurring after dark. With the passage of the front and pressure rises in the area, there may be a few hours where winds are pretty strong following the storms moving through the area. Should this situation pan out, a few areas could see some non-thunderstorm, post frontal wind gusts nearing 50mph. Low confidence at this time in this solution. Friday, the cold front will clear the region, with the low lifting to the north, into Canada. Precipitation should be clearing the area around or shortly after sunrise. For the rest of the day, dry conditions and cooler temperatures are expected. Highs will range from the mid to upper 60s along and north of I-80 to the mid-70s in north central Kansas. Breezy conditions are expected through mid- afternoon, easing off from southwest to northeast as the low moves out. Heading into the holiday weekend, a couple of disturbances will move into the region. This may result in some periodic showers and thunderstorms, which could put a damper on holiday plans. At the moment, the best chance for any stronger to marginally severe storms would be Saturday afternoon and evening. For those planning on outdoor activities, continue to monitor the forecast through the weekend. Temperatures warm up heading into Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs returning to the mid-70s to low 80s. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 608 PM CDT Thu May 23 2024 VFR conditions with SSE winds gusting to 25-30 kts will only continue until around 05Z tonight. By then, a cold front moving across the area will bring strong to severe thunderstorms as well as a wind shift to NW behind the front. These thunderstorms may well be severe with large hail, damaging winds (I put gusts to 55 kts in the TAFs but they may be even stronger), and isolated tornadoes. The most likely timeframe for +TSRA at the TAF sites will be approximately from 24/04Z to 24/08Z. Visibility will likely be restricted as these storms move over the sites as well. Behind the front Friday morning, NW winds will continue to gust to 25-30 kts through the day, but should diminish to around 9-12 kts by the end of the period. VFR ceilings/visibility are expected to return shortly behind the passage of the thunderstorms early Friday morning. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. KS...None. && DISCUSSION...Wekesser AVIATION...Hickford
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Hastings NE 322 PM CDT Thu May 23 2024 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 241200- 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- 322 PM CDT Thu May 23 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Nebraska and portions of north central Kansas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Thursday evening and overnight, chances for thunderstorms will increase across the outlook area. The best chances look to be between 10 PM and 4 AM as a complex of storms pushes through the area. Some higher end wind gusts could exceed 75 MPH, which is the primary severe weather threat, but hail up to the size of golf balls and a few tornadoes are not out of the question. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Saturday afternoon through Monday (Memorial Day), periodic thunderstorm chances return to the forecast. At this time, the greatest threat for severe thunderstorms over the holiday weekend will be Saturday evening into Saturday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this evening/tonight. Spotters are encouraged to report any severe weather to the National Weather Service. && More information may be obtained at the following web page: https://www.weather.gov/hastings
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 147 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:20 UTC.
24 thunderstorm wind, 7 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail up to golf ball size was accompanied by wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH.
Hail up to golf ball size was accompanied by wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH.
A wind gust of 61 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located five miles northwest of Lexington.
A wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by the Lexington Airport AWOS.
An EF1 tornado tracked catty-corner from southwest to northeast across Holdrege. Much of the damage was noted in trees throughout town. Some large trees were uprooted or snapped. A handful of garages sustained damage. The tornado winds initially damaged the garage door, after which some structural wall damage occurred. The peak wind speed was estimated to be 95 MPH, based on the damage to both trees and structures along its nearly two mile path.
A wind gust of 64 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile east-southeast of Harlan County Dam.
A local resident reported damage to an irrigation pivot and soybean field north of Axtell. Subsequent radar review showed a circulation in the same area and time as the report, supporting a tornado. The location of the path was estimated based upon radar and the local resident report. The tornado was rated an EF0 with peak winds estimated to be 80 MPH based upon damage described to the pivot.
A wind gust of 61 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located seven miles west of Macon.
This EF0 rated tornado damaged a handful of irrigation pivots and trees along its over eight mile path. The peak wind speed was estimated to be 85 MPH, based upon tree damage near the middle of the path. This tornado was also noted by a drop in the WSR-88D correlation coefficient product. The drop coincides with the path, but damage was very limited. One possible theory is the lower correlation coefficient shown on radar was caused by corn stalks lifted into the air from several no-till fields.
This EF1 rated tornado started in extreme eastern Howard County and ended in extreme southern Nance County, with most of its time spent in Merrick County north-northeast of Palmer. There were several spots of tree damage along its roughly 7 mile path. The most significant damage was to an outbuilding and large cottonwood trees northeast of Palmer. The estimated peak wind speed of 95 MPH was estimated based upon the damage at this particular farmstead.
This EF1 rated tornado started in extreme eastern Howard County and ended in extreme southern Nance County, with most of its time spent in Merrick County north-northeast of Palmer. There were several spots of tree damage along its roughly 7 mile path. The most significant damage was to an outbuilding and large cottonwood trees northeast of Palmer. The estimated peak wind speed of 95 MPH was estimated based upon the damage at this particular farmstead.
A wind gust of 85 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile west of Heartwell.
This EF1 rated tornado started in extreme eastern Howard County and ended in extreme southern Nance County, with most of its time spent in Merrick County north-northeast of Palmer. There were several spots of tree damage along its roughly 7 mile path. The most significant damage was to an outbuilding and large cottonwood trees northeast of Palmer. The estimated peak wind speed of 95 MPH was estimated based upon the damage at this particular farmstead.
A short-lived EF1 tornado moved east along and north of Silver Lake Road in far southern Adams County, just northwest of Blue Hill. This tornado had an estimated peak wind speed of 95 MPH based upon damage to a large outbuilding at one farmstead. The tornado damaged two center-pivot irrigation systems before hitting a farmstead. At the farmstead, the main damage was a to a large wood-framed, metal building, including blowing out the door and the back wall. Tree damage was widespread across the northern part of the farmstead. Down the road a mile or so, the tornado destroyed a lean-to shed on an old barn. Horses inside the barn were also injured. The tornado lifted shortly thereafter. Surrounding the tornado path, especially to the north and west, there were several pockets of sporadic straight-line wind damage, with gusts exceeding 70 MPH. Damage in this path included to trees, several center-pivot irrigation systems, and the destruction of an old barn at another farmstead.
Tree damage was reported across Grand Island, including a few trees uprooted.
A wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by the Hastings Airport ASOS and a gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles southwest of Hastings. Gusts estimated to be at least 60 MPH were reported across town, resulting in numerous reports of tree damage.
A wind gust of 66 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles south of Ayr.
A wind gust of 73 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles north-northwest of Inland.
A wind gust of 67 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles northeast of Clarks.
Wind gusts were estimated to be near 70 MPH. Emergency management reported a large tree downed near the intersection of Road 310 and Road L. Two irrigation pivots were flipped approximately six miles southeast of Clay Center, and minor porch and tractor damage was reported at a farmstead approximately six miles east-southeast of Clay Center.
A wind gust of 66 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles north of Edgar. Emergency management reported tree damage in Edgar, with a few limbs downed that were up to eight inches in diameter.
A wind gust 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles east-southeast of Fairfield. Emergency management also reported damage to a grain bin in the area.
Wind gusts were estimated to be 60 to 70 MPH. Emergency management reported at least two damaged irrigation pivots in the area.
A wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles southeast of Edgar.
A wind gust of 75 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles east of Edgar.
A wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles south-southeast of Davenport.
Wind gusts of 61 MPH were measured by mesonet station located one mile and two miles west of Ong.
A wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles northwest of Deshler.
Wind gusts between 58 and 63 MPH were measured by several mesonet stations along this path. The peak gust of 63 MPH was measured by mesonet stations located four miles east-southeast of Geneva and three miles east-northeast of Geneva.
A wind gust of 71 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles southeast of Shickley.
A wind gust of 69 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles northwest of Milligan.
Wind gusts of 63 MPH were measured by mesonet stations located three miles north of Chester and four miles south-southeast of Deshler.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 2024Warnings in Nebraska, May 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: 1180057, 1180058, 1180081, 1180082, 1180273, 1180084, 1180314, 1180086, 1180278, 1180317, 1180318, 1180087, 1180319, 1180313, 1180088, 1180089, 1180092, 1180230, 1180233, 1180238, 1180243, 1180236, 1180247, 1180250, 1180251, 1180252, 1180253, 1180255, 1180264, 1180262, 1180260, 1180258.