Storm Events Database

Storm Events Database

Event Details

Event Thunderstorm Wind
Magnitude 65 kts.
State NEBRASKA
County/Area HOWARD
WFO GID
Begin Date 05/30/2011 20:30:00 CST-6
Begin Range 0
Begin Azimuth N
Begin Location DANNEBROG
Begin Lat/Lon 41.12/-98.55
End Date 05/30/2011 20:30:00 CST-6
Deaths Direct/Indirect 0/0 (fatality details below, when available...)
Injuries Direct/Indirect 0/0
Property Damage 0.00K
Crop Damage 0.00K
Episode Narrative The evening hours of Memorial Day 2011 featured the most widespread damaging wind event of the spring severe weather season across South Central Nebraska, as a narrow, intense line of storms marched from west to east across the entire area. Along nearly the entire length of this north-south oriented squall line were estimated or measured wind gusts of 60-80 MPH, with automated equipment at the Lexington airport recording the highest-known measured gust of 90 MPH. As a result, widespread wind damage primarily to trees, power lines and outbuildings occurred across multiple counties. Although there several preliminary reports of brief tornadoes along the leading edge of the squall line, including one near Cozad early in the evening, radar data along with photographic and video evidence suggests that the vast majority of these reports were actually gustnadoes, which are brief, but sometimes strong circulations associated with outflow and not connected to cloud base rotation. Most of these gustnado reports focused west of the Highway 281 corridor. In addition, there were also sporadic reports of quarter size hail, but damaging straight-line wind along the surging outflow was the main story by far. Just to name a few, wind highlights included: a measured 74 MPH gust at Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island with several reports of structural damage within the city including a destroyed mini-storage building; a measured gust to 83 MPH at the Ord airport with considerable damage to a hangar; three empty grain bins blown off their foundations and an unsecured trailer rolled near Strang in Fillmore County.

Focusing on timing, the initial severe storm development took place across north central Nebraska during mid-afternoon, with the developing severe squall line first creeping southward into western Dawson County around 7 PM CDT. Thereafter, the line continued to build south into Kansas as it marched east, crossing the Highway 281 corridor mainly between 9 and 10 PM CDT, and finally exiting eastern portions of South Central Nebraska between 11 PM and midnight CDT.

The synoptic and mesoscale environment was certainly ripe for a damaging, linear wind event. Earlier in the day, a strong pressure gradient brought hours of sustained 30-40 MPH winds and frequent gusts of 45-55 MPH to South Central Nebraska, as a 994 millibar surface low pressure system organized near the Colorado-Kansas border. Aloft, a powerful, negatively tilted upper level trough centered across the Central and Northern Rockies gradually ejected northeast toward the Northern Plains, allowing considerable large scale forcing and increasing wind fields to overspread Nebraska, including 60-80 knot southwesterly flow at 500 millibars. Lower in the atmosphere, southerly low-level jet winds at 850 millibars increased to around 60 knots. At the surface, a pronounced cold front sliced through the area, providing sharp linear forcing for development of the squall line. Mesoscale severe weather parameters early in the evening included mixed layer CAPE values around 2500 J/kg, and deep-layer vertical wind shear generally 50-70 knots. As the evening wore on, 0-1 kilometer low-level bulk shear ramped up to notably strong values of 40-50 knots, providing a very favorable environment for damaging winds and gustnadoes.
Event Narrative Wind gusts were estimated at 75 MPH.


All events for this episode:

Location County/Zone St. Date Time T.Z. Type Mag Dth Inj PrD CrD
Totals: 0 0 4.035M 1.500M
GOTHENBURG DAWSON CO. NE 05/30/2011 18:05 CST-6 Hail 1.00 in. 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
COZAD DAWSON CO. NE 05/30/2011 18:19 CST-6 Hail 1.00 in. 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
COZAD DAWSON CO. NE 05/30/2011 18:28 CST-6 Hail 1.00 in. 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
(CZD)COZAD MUNI ARPT DAWSON CO. NE 05/30/2011 18:34 CST-6 Tornado EF0 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
ELWOOD GOSPER CO. NE 05/30/2011 18:40 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 52 kts. EG 0 0 35.00K 0.00K
COZAD DAWSON CO. NE 05/30/2011 18:52 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 65 kts. EG 0 0 75.00K 0.00K
LEXINGTON ARPT DAWSON CO. NE 05/30/2011 18:55 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 78 kts. MG 0 0 500.00K 250.00K
ARCADIA VALLEY CO. NE 05/30/2011 19:00 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 52 kts. EG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
ORD VALLEY CO. NE 05/30/2011 19:00 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 72 kts. MG 0 0 1.000M 250.00K
MILLER BUFFALO CO. NE 05/30/2011 19:30 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 61 kts. EG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
RIVERDALE BUFFALO CO. NE 05/30/2011 19:33 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 78 kts. EG 0 0 500.00K 250.00K
LOUP CITY SHERMAN CO. NE 05/30/2011 19:43 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 61 kts. EG 0 0 50.00K 0.00K
LOUP CITY SHERMAN CO. NE 05/30/2011 19:46 CST-6 Hail 0.88 in. 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
AMHERST BUFFALO CO. NE 05/30/2011 19:47 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 70 kts. EG 0 0 500.00K 250.00K
RAVENNA BUFFALO CO. NE 05/30/2011 19:51 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 61 kts. EG 0 0 75.00K 0.00K
FRANKLIN FRANKLIN CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:10 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 61 kts. EG 0 0 150.00K 250.00K
NORMAN KEARNEY CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:10 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 65 kts. EG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
HOLSTEIN ADAMS CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:15 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 56 kts. EG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
ST PAUL HOWARD CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:15 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 61 kts. EG 0 0 100.00K 0.00K
GRAND IS HALL CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:20 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 70 kts. EG 0 0 750.00K 0.00K
DANNEBROG HOWARD CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:30 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 65 kts. EG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
(GRI)GRAND IS RGNL A HALL CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:30 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 64 kts. MG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
PHILLIPS HAMILTON CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:45 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 52 kts. EG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
(GRI)GRAND IS RGNL A HALL CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:48 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 51 kts. MG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
GILTNER HAMILTON CO. NE 05/30/2011 20:53 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 59 kts. MG 0 0 100.00K 0.00K
GUIDE ROCK WEBSTER CO. NE 05/30/2011 21:07 CST-6 Hail 1.00 in. 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
GUIDE ROCK WEBSTER CO. NE 05/30/2011 21:11 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 52 kts. EG 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
SUPERIOR NUCKOLLS CO. NE 05/30/2011 21:29 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 61 kts. EG 0 0 50.00K 0.00K
HARVARD CLAY CO. NE 05/30/2011 21:35 CST-6 Hail 1.00 in. 0 0 0.00K 0.00K
STRANG FILLMORE CO. NE 05/30/2011 21:50 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 61 kts. EG 0 0 125.00K 250.00K
SHELBY POLK CO. NE 05/30/2011 21:50 CST-6 Thunderstorm Wind 56 kts. EG 0 0 25.00K 0.00K
Totals: 0 0 4.035M 1.500M