Damaging Winds in Nebraska, September 17, 2024

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
634 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to move into
  western Nebraska Nebraska this evening with the primary threat
  being damaging wind gusts of up to 80 mph..

- Strong southerly winds gusting up to 50 mph across much of the
  region will continue to create elevated to near critical fire
  weather conditions into this evening,mainly west of Hwy 83.

- Active weather looks to return this weekend into early next
  week as another trough within southwest flow aloft tracks
  across the area. At this time, precise details remain somewhat
  uncertain.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
Issued at 248 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024

After nearly full sun into this afternoon, temperatures have reached
well into the 90s with a well mixed boundary layer getting high
momentum winds winds aloft to the surface with gusts of 35 to
45mph across central and western Nebraska. Given low humidity
and dry fuels west of Hwy 83 there will be enhanced to near
critical fire conditions into this evening.

A cold front approaching from the west is triggering thunderstorms
upstream over the higher terrain and this activity will
eventually come off the terrain and move thorugh the panhandle
and into the western sandhills early this evening. Dry air is
keeping instability limited to the west though mechanical lift
and modest lapse rates aloft will fuel initial development.
However the dry boundary layer with steep low level lapse rates
and widespread DCAPE values of 1400J/kg will aid downward
momentum transfer and create robust thunderstorm outflows.
There will be potential for significant winds in excess of 75mph
as the thunderstorms move in early this evening west of west of
Hwy 83, and especially out to Hwy 61. Greater instability to
the east will start to wane with loss of daytime heating as the
storms continue moving east to the Hwy 83 corridor later this
evening, though strops will maintain potential for winds in
excess of 60mph through Hwy 83 before diminishing as the
continue further east through the overnight hours.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
Issued at 248 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024

While moderate uncertainty continues through the extended
period, the latest run of ensembles seems to be favoring the
initial closed low over the northern Rockies moving
northeastward into southern Canada through the end of the week,
while the second closed low takes a more southerly track through
southern CA and the Four Corners and moving across the Plains
this weekend. The result will be high confidence in temperatures
trending cooler with readings generally below normal this
weekend and into the first part of next week, though confidence
in precipitation is much lower. There is disagreement among
ensemble members with varying degrees of run-to-run consistency
as to how rapidly and how much the second low fills as it moves
into the Plains, as well as exactly how far south the system
will dig. This has direct implications for precipitation
potential this weekend with potential for a tight north/south
gradient between little precipitation north and significant
precipitation south, and this is evident with dispersion
increasing in QPF plumes through the weekend. Box and whisker
plots also show the uncertainty with a range of about 0.40
inches in the 25th percentile to 1.39 inches in the 75th
percentile at North Platte for 24 hour precipitation ending
Sunday morning, and these numbers become 0.10 and 0.84 at
Valentine. So after 2 dry days Wednesday and Thursday we will
see a steadily increasing potential for precipitation through
the weekend with the possibility for significant precipitation
mainly limited to locations from Imperial through North Platte
to O'Neill southward. Uncertainty continues into the first part
of next week with potential for unsettled conditions in
northwest flow aloft.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 635 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024

A line of thunderstorms will approach southwest Nebraska
terminals over the next several hours, with an increasing threat
for brief MVFR CIGs/visibilities along with gusty, erratic
winds. This line will quickly move from west to east across
western and north central Nebraska, exiting the area prior to
sunrise tomorrow morning. VFR conditions are then expected to
prevail across the area tomorrow afternoon and evening.

Winds remain strong from the south into tonight (gusts 25-35kts),
with a gradual weakening into sunrise tomorrow morning. Winds
then remain gusty near the Pine Ridge tomorrow afternoon, at
around 25 to 30kts from the south. South winds will be weaker
elsewhere, at 10 to 15kts tomorrow.

&&

.LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

SHORT TERM...MBS
LONG TERM...MBS
AVIATION...Brown

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service North Platte NE
327 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024

NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-182030-
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-
327 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024 /227 PM MDT Tue Sep 17 2024/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north
central Nebraska.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Elevated to near critical fire weather conditions west of Hwy 83 and
especially from Hwy 61 westward primarily due to strong southerly
winds.

Thunderstorms will move eastward out of the panhandle and into the
western sandhills early this evening with potential for damaging
winds in excess of 75mph. The storms will continue moving eastward
with potential for winds in excess of 60mph along the Hwy
83 corridor late this evening. Storms will then be diminishing as
they move further east of Hwy 83 overnight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Additional chances for thunderstorms exist Friday night through
Sunday. At this time, the threat for severe storms is uncertain.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed.

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service North Platte NE
503 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024

NEZ059-071-172245-
Frontier NE-Lincoln NE-
503 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN FRONTIER AND
SOUTHEASTERN LINCOLN COUNTIES THROUGH 545 PM CDT...

At 502 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Curtis, moving northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Curtis, Brady, Moorefield, Maywood, Cottonwood Canyon State Wildlife
Management Area, Hansen Memorial Reserve State Wildlife Management
Area, Jeffrey Canyon State Wildlife Management Area, and Vroman.

This includes the following highways...
 Interstate 80 in Nebraska between mile markers 192 and 207.
 Highway 83 between mile markers 44 and 51.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for
southwestern Nebraska.

&&

LAT...LON 4063 10071 4112 10047 4104 10022 4091 10023
      4054 10050
TIME...MOT...LOC 2202Z 204DEG 29KT 4066 10057

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH