A weak cold front triggered some high-based showers across southwest Nebraska which eventually moved into parts of south central Nebraska during the early evening hours. As the showers moved east, they produced locally strong wind gusts which topped 60 mph.
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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 GID wrote it up.
A weak cold front triggered some high-based showers across southwest Nebraska which eventually moved into parts of south central Nebraska during the early evening hours. As the showers moved east, they produced locally strong wind gusts which topped 60 mph. The strongest wind gust of 66 mph was measured at Oxford. In all, seven locations recorded a wind gust of 58 mph or higher, including a 60 mph wind gust at the Cambridge Airport Automated Weather Observing Station east of town. No damage was reported. Unfortunately, the showers were unable to produce much measurable rainfall.
Ahead of a weak cold front, temperatures soared into the middle 70s by late afternoon on the 25th. Low level moisture remained sparse with surface dewpoints struggling to push 40 degrees. While these parameters did generate a bit of low level instability (CAPE 500 J/KG), such conditions favored high-based convection, which would typically produce more wind than rain. As the showers started to collapse, evaporative cooling helped to steepen low-level lapse rates and provided for an increasingly favorable environment for the gusty wind aloft to reach the surface.
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 Feb 25, 5:55 PM CST, 19 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hastings NE 555 PM CST Tue Feb 25 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Briefly near critical fire weather conditions continue this afternoon. - Light showers possible (10-20%) this evening as a cold front moves through the area. - More widespread fire weather concerns possible on Friday. - Above normal temperatures continue through the weekend with highs in the 50s/60s. - A couple chances for precipitation (15-50%) arrive Sunday into the beginning of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 239 PM CST Tue Feb 25 2025 This afternoon and tonight... It is another mostly sunny and warm day across the area with temperatures sitting in the 60s and 70s. Breezy winds are ongoing across the area, with winds gusting 25-30mph. Relative humidity values have fallen to around 25-30% across far western portions of the area. Combined with the breezy winds, this is resulting in elevated to briefly near-critical fire weather conditions. This will quickly come to an end by sunset as winds decrease and relative humidity values increase. A cold front will move through the area this evening, bringing a chance (10-20%) for light rain showers. Showers are expected to develop along the cold front during the late afternoon/early evening. A weak thunderstorm can't be ruled out with initial precipitation development given 100-200 J/Kg of CAPE. Forecast soundings show cloud bases around 10-15 thousand feet with a fairly dry subcloud layer. This would result in little if any precipitation reaching the ground. Evaporative cooling from these showers could also bring breezy/gusty winds as they move through. Showers are expected to exit southeastern portions of the area by the early morning hours on Wednesday. Wednesday... Cooler weather is expected behind the cold frontal passage on Wednesday. Highs will be in the 50s with sunny skies. Winds will remain breezy on Wednesday, gusting 25-35mph. Relative humidity values will only fall to around 30-35% keeping the area from reaching near-critical fire weather criteria. Lows Wednesday night will be near to below freezing. Thursday and Friday... Aloft, northwest flow will build over the area on Thursday. Another day of widespread sunshine is expected as highs top out around 60. Afternoon relative humidity values will fall to around 20% across southwestern portions of the area, but gusts will remain below 20mph keeping fire weather concerns minimal. The day of highest concern for fire weather looks to be on Friday. Temperatures on Friday will climb into the 60s, with afternoon relative humidity values falling to 15-20% across the area. Winds will be breezy throughout the day, gusting 25-35mph, strongest north of I-80. Near-critical to critical fire weather conditions are possible during the afternoon hours due to the combination of low relative humidity and breezy winds. Saturday onwards... Dry weather continues on Saturday as highs once again climb into the 50s/60s. Light winds and higher RH values will keep any fire weather concerns low. The warmer weather could promote ice movement on rivers and streams, increasing the potential for ice jams, especially as we enter the weekend. A cutoff-low will rejoin the jetstream over the Rockies on Sunday, bringing the next chance for precipitation (15-35%) to the area. There remains disagreement among the global models as to the exact timing and position of this low. The overall best chances favor southern/southeastern portions of the area. Highs on Sunday will largely be determined by the track of the low and it's subsequent cloud coverage. The next chance for precipitation (30-50%) arrives Monday night as a trough moves through the southwestern U.S. Once again, global model consensus begins to break down in regards to the timing, strength and track of this trough and the associated surface low. Overall, the GEFS and EPS show a 30% chance or less for 0.5" of rain. Above normal temperatures are favored to continue into next week, with the CPC 8-14 day outlook slightly favoring above normal temperatures. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 546 PM CST Tue Feb 25 2025 For KGRI/KEAR Airports: The cold front will be tracking southeast across our TAF sites between TAF issuance time and 9 or 10 PM turning the winds from southerly to northwesterly. There could be a period of strong low level wind shear from around sunset until 3 or 4 AM as surface winds die off but strong northwesterly winds persist behind the cold front. The surface winds will again increase after dawn and could be rather gusty out of the northwest at 25 to 30 mph during the day on Wednesday. The scattered mid to high clouds will clear out during the early morning hours with clear to mostly clear skies expected on Wednesday. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. KS...None. && DISCUSSION...Davis AVIATION...Wesely
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Hastings NE 242 PM CST Tue Feb 25 2025 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 262045- 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- 242 PM CST Tue Feb 25 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Nebraska and portions of north central Kansas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Due to warm, dry air and gusty southwest winds, near critical fire weather conditions are possible this afternoon west of a line from Greeley, NE to Kearney, NE to Osborne, KS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Near critical to critical fire weather conditions are possible across most of the outlook area Friday afternoon. The warmer weather could promote ice movement on rivers and streams, increasing the potential for ice jams, especially as we approach the weekend. && More information may be obtained at the following web page: https://www.weather.gov/hastings
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located five miles northwest of Hendley.
A wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles south of Cambridge.
A wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by the Cambridge Airport AWOS.
A wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles north-northwest of Upland.
A wind gust of 66 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located six miles east-southeast of Oxford.
A wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles west-southwest of Huntley.
A wind gust of 62 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located seven miles south-southwest of Alma.
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, February 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: 1240498, 1240499, 1240500, 1240497, 1240495, 1240494, 1240496.