Fire started in southern Custer County during the afternoon of April 22nd. By the time the fire was contained on May 5th, it burned approximately 9,141 acres.
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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.
Fire started in southern Custer County during the afternoon of April 22nd. By the time the fire was contained on May 5th, it burned approximately 9,141 acres.
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 Apr 30, 11:41 PM CST, 19 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service North Platte NE 1241 AM CDT Fri May 1 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Lows tonight will fall to near 30, with highs on Friday 5 to 10 degrees below normal. Lows Friday night slightly colder in the upper 20s to near 30. - Drier and warmer conditions return this weekend, with highs returning to the 70s. - Precipitation chances return Monday afternoon through Tuesday night, with southwest Nebraska favored for receiving light precipitation at this time. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... Issued at 151 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 Northerly flow aloft tonight through Friday night, as a closed upper low persists north of the Great Lakes region and and upper ridge remains over the Great Basin. This weather pattern will bring colder overnight lows tonight and again Friday night, with highs Friday 5 to 10 degrees below normal from 55 to 60 north, and 60 to 65 south. For tonight, will see high pressure build in. Scattered to broken cloudiness may aid in lows from getting to cold tonight. Still, subfreezing lows near 30 are forecast tonight. Any tender vegetation should be covered or brought indoors. Friday, a shortwave disturbance will drop south in northerly flow aloft. This will bring a return of scattered to broken clouds. While much of the area will remain dry, could see a few showers across swrn NE during the afternoon, but can't rule out a few afternoon showers elsewhere, given mid level lapse rates are near 7.5 C/km. Friday night, surface high pressure will reside over the area, with skies becoming clear overnight. Winds light and variable to light southwest. Lows forecast to be slightly colder, mainly in the upper 20s. This could pose a risk for more widespread damage to tender vegetation, and a freeze headline may be needed. Confidence in a freeze headline is medium, as MOS guidance has low from 30 to 35 for some areas. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... Issued at 151 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 Upper ridging will begin to build into the Northern and Central Plains on Saturday, with a sunny sky and highs across western NE warming to 70 to 75. Wind will increase to 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon. This will bring elevated to near critical fire weather concerns as afternoon humidity fall to near 15 percent across the west, and 20 to 25 percent across the east. Sunday, a deep closed low will reside near Hudson Bay Canada. A weak shortwave trough on the western periphery of the upper trough will reach northern Nebraska by Sunday afternoon. This will lead to an associated weak surface low across southeast WY into eastern CO, with a weak cold front moving in. Highs from near 70 north to upper 70s southwest. Isolated showers and thunderstorms will be possible across north central NE during the afternoon and evening. Instability looks low at 100-250 J/kg, and only a few general thunderstorms are possible. Any precipitation looks very light, with NBM probabilities of >0.10" at 10 percent or less (north central). Will again see elevated fire weather conditions across the south as afternoon humidity reaches 15 to 20 percent. Winds remain a limiting factor. Monday, another cold front will move into western NE, with highs again reaching the 70s. A large upper trough will drop through the region Monday night through Tuesday night and may lead to shower development beginning Monday afternoon and lasting through Tuesday night. Southwest Nebraska looks to be favored at this time, where NBM probabilities of >0.10" increase to as high as 40-50 percent. With at least meager instability in place across the area, some threat for thunderstorms looks to exist as well. Severe weather looks unlikely at this time. Highs Tuesday and Wednesday will be cooler from the upper 50s to lower 60s. Upper ridging shown to build in Thursday with highs returning to the upper 60s to mid 70s and dry conditions. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1241 AM CDT Fri May 1 2026 Quiet aviation conditions are expected through Friday evening with no precipitation expected and skies remain clear to mostly clear. Winds remain near or under 10 knots but will shift from the northwest Friday morning to the northeast by the evening before becoming variable again Friday night. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...Roberg LONG TERM...Roberg AVIATION...Kulik
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service North Platte NE 237 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-011945- 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- 237 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 /137 PM MDT Thu Apr 30 2026/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north central Nebraska. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Lows tonight will fall to near 30 degrees across much of the outlook area. Any tender vegetation should be covered or brought indoors for protection from the cold. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Lows Friday night will fall into the upper 20s to near 30 degrees across much of the outlook area. This could pose a risk for more widespread damage to tender vegetation, which should be covered or brought indoors for protection from the cold. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Fire started during the late afternoon hours of April 22nd in southern Custer County. Aided by strong southerly winds, the fire spread north, consuming approximately 9,141 acres by the time it was fully contained on May 5th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nebraska in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, May 2026
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: 1332523.