A line of thunderstorms brought hail and damaging wind gusts to eastern Nebraska on the afternoon of September 19th, 2025. The mid-level atmospheric pattern featured a vigorous trough over southwestern Nebraska, with a belt of stronger mid and upper-level winds circling its eastern edge across central and eastern portions of the state.
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 OAX wrote it up.
A line of thunderstorms brought hail and damaging wind gusts to eastern Nebraska on the afternoon of September 19th, 2025. The mid-level atmospheric pattern featured a vigorous trough over southwestern Nebraska, with a belt of stronger mid and upper-level winds circling its eastern edge across central and eastern portions of the state. This setup, combined with a surface low-level convergence zone over eastern Nebraska, provided the focus for storm initiation. Although the environment had relatively steep lapse rates (contributing to instability) and a generally unidirectional wind profile with only modest vertical shear, storms were able to quickly initiate and intensify, though their life spans were relatively short. The first severe report was a damaging 80 MPH wind gust (the highest of the event) that snapped trees and power lines six miles northeast of Tobias in Saline County at 1:36 PM CST. Wind damage continued with a large tree branch falling on a house near Friend (1:48 PM CST) and a measured 59 MPH gust west of Dorchester (1:56 PM CST). As the activity shifted northeastward, it transitioned to large hail reports, beginning with one-inch hail in Hooper (Dodge County) at 2:35 PM CST. Between 3:10 PM and 3:35 PM CST, nickel-to-quarter-sized hail impacted areas west-northwest of Lincoln (Lancaster County), and 1.25-inch hail fell in Lyons (Burt County). The event's final damaging wind report occurred at 3:50 PM CST in Douglas County, where large tree branches were snapped, one landing on a house two miles west of Omaha (estimated 60 MPH wind damage).
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 Sep 14, 12:16 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE 116 PM CDT Sun Sep 14 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered storms develop in the area this afternoon, and additional scattered storms move across the area overnight. A few of the strongest may produce isolated damaging wind gusts and hail up to the size of quarters. - Additional rounds of showers and storms are expected through the week. A few strong storms are possible Tuesday afternoon, with pockets of heavy rain at times through the end of the week. - Temperatures remain warmer than normal through Tuesday, but highs return to the mid 70s for Wednesday through Saturday. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 116 PM CDT Sun Sep 14 2025 Rest of this afternoon and tonight: Early afternoon water vapor imagery shows a vigorous mid-level circulation over southwest NE, with a belt of stronger mid/upper-level winds rotating around it's eastern periphery across central and eastern NE. Warm/moist advection occurring along a 30-40 kt low-level jet has maintained a band of showers and isolated thunderstorms across central NE so far today, and latest CAM guidance suggests that band will decrease in areal coverage as it continues to shift east into eastern NE this afternoon. East of the ongoing convection, thinner clouds have allowed temperatures to warm into the 80s, which when coupled with dewpoints in the 60s, is resulting in mixed-layer CAPE of 500-1000 J/kg as of early afternoon. Current surface observations indicate a low-level convergence zone setting up across our western counties, with the CAMs indicating isolated to widely scattered storm development along that feature as it slowly shifts east this afternoon. Our 18z sounding, shows the presence of relatively steep lapse rates in the lowest 3 km, with generally a unidirectional wind profile featuring modest amounts of vertical shear. Given these parameters, the potential will exist for a few strong to severe storms with the primary hazard being wind gusts up to 50-65 mph. Isolated occurrences of hail approaching quarter size cannot be ruled out. Farther west, the models continue to indicate a more organized line of storms evolving over central NE late this afternoon into early evening, with that activity eventually moving into northeast NE by 9-10 PM. Those storms will also be capable of locally damaging wind gusts. Isolated to widely scattered showers and thunderstorms may linger through the overnight hours into Monday morning as the above-mentioned, upper-air system lifts to the north of the area. It will remain warm on Monday with highs in the 80s. Tuesday through Saturday: The 12z global models remain in good agreement in the progression of a mid-level trough from the northern Intermountain Region into the northern and central Plains, where it will form a closed low. Several embedded vorticity maxima will move through the broader trough/low, contributing daily precipitation chances. The best rainfall potential (60-80% PoPs) will exist on Wednesday into Wednesday night as a stronger vorticity maximum pivots through the mid MO Valley. Locally heavy rainfall will be possible at that time. The greatest potential for a few strong to severe storms will exist on Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday as a lead disturbance moves into the region. Warm temperatures are expected to linger into Tuesday, with readings cooling into the 70s from Wednesday into the weekend. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1157 AM CDT Sun Sep 14 2025 A band of showers is in progress across portions of central NE as of 1645z, with latest model data suggesting that activity will decrease in areal coverage this afternoon as it shifts into eastern NE. The models indicate additional, isolated to widely scattered storms later this afternoon into evening across portions of eastern NE, with confidence in prevailing SHRA/TSRA at any of the terminal locations remaining relatively low. Given that uncertainty, have opted to only include prevailing VCSH at KOFK, where showers are currently in the vicinity. However, TEMPO groups have been added at KOMA and KOFK where -TSRA appear probable at some point within the designated time window. Otherwise, gusty south winds this afternoon will diminish by this evening, with SCT-BKN clouds generally above FL040. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. IA...None. && DISCUSSION...Mead AVIATION...Mead
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE 300 AM CDT Sun Sep 14 2025 IAZ043-055-056-069-079-080-090-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034- 042>045-050>053-065>068-078-088>093-142200- 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- 300 AM CDT Sun Sep 14 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southwest Iowa...west central Iowa...east central Nebraska...northeast Nebraska and southeast Nebraska. .DAY ONE...Early Sunday Morning Through Sunday Night A few strong thunderstorms will try to develop in eastern Nebraska and move into western Iowa from mid afternoon through sunset. The storms will initially try to develop roughly along a line from Bloomfield to Norfolk to Lincoln and move northeast. The strongest of these storms may produce isolated damaging wind gusts and hail up to 1 inch in diameter. Additional storms will move across the region from the west during the evening and overnight hours, and may produce gusty winds and small hail. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday night through Saturday Another round of strong storms will be possible Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected tonight or Sunday.
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:36 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency management report of trees and power lines down.
Public report received via social media of a large tree branch down on a house near Friend, NE.
Mesonet measured wind gust of 59 mph.
Public report received via social media of power poles down near Tamora, NE.
Public report of hail estimated at 1 inch in diameter.
Trained spotter report of an uprooted tree. Time estimated from radar.
Delayed public report of hail measured at 1 inch in diameter. Time estimated via radar.
Photos shared via social media of a destroyed outbuilding and a large, downed tree branch which did damage to the roof of a home. Time estimated based on radar.
Public report of hail estimated at 1 inch in diameter.
Trained spotter report of hail estimated at 1 inch in diameter.
Emergency manager report of hail estimated at nickel to quarter-sized in diameter.
Trained spotter report of hail estimated at 1.25 inch in diameter.
Amateur radio report of wind gusts estimated up to 60 mph.
Delayed public report of large tree branches snapped; one of which fell on a house. Report and photos shared by broadcast media. Report time based on radar data.
Former NWS Employee reported wind gusts 60-65 mph, bringing down a couple 6-8 inch tree limbs. Time estimated via radar.
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, September 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: 1293981, 1293984, 1293982, 1293983, 1293987, 1293985, 1293988, 1293986, 1293989, 1293990, 1293991, 1293992, 1293993, 1293995, 1293994.