Isolated thunderstorms developed over the northern Nebraska Panhandle and southwestern South Dakota during the early evening hours of August 13th. This activity became better organized as a bow echo as it tracked east across far northern Nebraska into the evening hours.
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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.
Isolated thunderstorms developed over the northern Nebraska Panhandle and southwestern South Dakota during the early evening hours of August 13th. This activity became better organized as a bow echo as it tracked east across far northern Nebraska into the evening hours. This activity eventually exited Wheeler and Holt counties after 2 AM CDT on August 14th. Hail up to golf ball size and thunderstorm wind gusts up to 65 MPH were reported with the strongest storms.
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 Aug 13, 4:46 PM MST, 11 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service North Platte NE 646 PM CDT Wed Aug 13 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Thunderstorms are expected to overspread northern Nebraska this evening from South Dakota. These storms may be strong to severe, with damaging wind gusts as the primary threat. - Scattered thunderstorms are possible across western Nebraska Thursday afternoon and evening. A few storms could be strong to severe with large hail and damaging winds. - The combination of hot temperatures and humidity will lead to increasing heat index values across southwest into central and north central Nebraska Thursday and Friday. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 418 PM CDT Wed Aug 13 2025 Currently, thunderstorms are forming along the high terrain of northeastern Wyoming and further east near the Black Hills. Further southeast, a surface low is positioned across southeastern Wyoming, with a surface trough extending through the Panhandle. This is leading to gusty southerly winds across much of the area, as high as 25 to 35 miles per hour. Dewpoints range from the lower 50s across the western Sandhills to the middle 60s in north central Nebraska. For this evening and tonight, expect the aforementioned thunderstorms to continue to progress out of northeastern Wyoming into southern South Dakota and then northern Nebraska with time. These storms will congeal into a line as they move east and southeast with time, primarily posing a threat for damaging wind gusts. Additional isolated thunderstorms will be possible across northern Nebraska ahead of this line, though confidence in this is low for now. Any storms ahead of the line could be supercellular in nature, with adequate deep layer shear (~35-45kts) and instability. These more discrete storms will form within a well mixed environment, and would pose a risk for damaging winds and hail. At least some threat for dry lightning could occur with these storms as well, with limited precipitation expected with their passage. The main threat will be the encroaching line of storms from the north, as it pushes into northwest Nebraska by late evening. This line will encounter increasing instability with eastward extent and could undergo strengthening with time. However, this will also coincide with a stabilizing boundary layer. Still, this line should sustain, and likely develop further south and east, into an increasing southerly low level jet tonight. Some threat for damaging wind gusts will likely persist into the early overnight hours north of HWY 2. Convection then lingers behind the main line into early tomorrow morning, likely focused atop a lingering cold pool across north central Nebraska. Increasing warm advection will boost highs back into the middle to upper 90s for Thursday afternoon, with dewpoints ranging from the upper 50s west to the lower 70s in north central Nebraska. The combination of heat and humidity will lead to heat index values approaching 100F for portions of southwest and central Nebraska. Those with outdoor plans tomorrow should take necessary precautions to reduce the risk for heat related illnesses. By late afternoon, scattered thunderstorm development is possible across the western Sandhills ahead of the surface trough yet again. These storms will again pose a risk for damaging winds and hail, as they form within a well mixed boundary layer. A strengthening southerly low level jet tomorrow evening could again keep thunderstorms going into the overnight hours for portions of southwest into central Nebraska. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 418 PM CDT Wed Aug 13 2025 Yet another warm day is expected for Friday, as upper ridging remains centered just off to the southeast of the area. High temperatures again climb into the upper 90s to near 100 Friday afternoon. Dewpoints look to be a few degrees higher Friday than Thursday, and this could lead to heat index values exceeding 100F. Heat headlines may be needed Friday afternoon across southwest into central and north central Nebraska to address this threat. Upper ridging then begins to move east by the weekend, with southwesterly flow establishing aloft in its wake. This will bring a return of more active weather, as a surface front begins to move into the area. Near daily threats for thunderstorms should return, along with temperatures back into the lower 90s. This will limit heat concerns somewhat, though some locations still will likely see heat index in the upper 90s. The active regime looks to persist into early next week, as flow gradually transitions northwesterly aloft. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 630 PM CDT Wed Aug 13 2025 Mostly VFR conditions will exist over the next 24 hours. There is a chance for isolated to scattered thunderstorms this evening into the overnight, mostly across the northern Sandhills. Storms could impact KVTN terminal, with lower confidence in storm development further south into the southern Sandhills and southwest Nebraska, including KLBF terminal. There will also be LLWS tonight through early morning with winds out of the southwest around 40 to 45 kts. Surface winds will be out of the south around 15 to 20 kts this evening with gust up to 35kts. Winds will remain breezy across north central Nebraska tomorrow morning out of the southwest around 10 to 15 kts with gust up to 20 kts. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...Brown LONG TERM...Brown AVIATION...Gomez
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service North Platte NE 352 PM CDT Wed Aug 13 2025 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-142100- 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- 352 PM CDT Wed Aug 13 2025 /252 PM MDT Wed Aug 13 2025/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north central Nebraska. .DAY ONE...Tonight. A line of strong to severe thunderstorms is expected to track across portions of northern Nebraska and portions of the Sandhills this evening. The main severe weather risk will be damaging wind gusts. Storms could reach as far south as I-80 late this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Scattered thunderstorms are possible across portions of the western Sandhills Thursday afternoon and evening. A few storms could be strong with an isolated severe storm or two. Strong wind gusts would be the main threat, with large hail a secondary threat. Temperatures climb late week, bringing heat index values in the upper 90s to lower 100s on both Thursday and Friday. Heat index values are expected to be highest across portions of southwest Nebraska through portions of north central Nebraska. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will probably not be needed. Taylor
The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:59 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Public reported wind speeds estimated at 60 MPH at this location.
Thunderstorm wind gust of 65 MPH measured by a home weather station.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, August 2025
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: 1288975, 1288976, 1288977, 1288978.