Thunderstorm Wind in Gosper County, Nebraska

A wind gust of 71 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles northeast of Smithfield. A report via social media noted tree limbs as large as 4 to 6 inches in diameter downed in the Bertrand area.

An upper level trough was centered over Canada with a portion of the upper trough extending south to the Gulf Coast. Temperatures during the day had warmed up into the 80s and 90s. Relatively high CAPE values were across the area with 0 to 6 kilometer wind shear values generally between 40 and 50 knots. Mid-level lapse rates were generally between 7 to 8 degrees Celsius/kilometer. A weak cold front was pushing south through Nebraska during the evening which provided an additional source of lift.

Storms developed in central and northern Nebraska during the late afternoon and early evening hours and moved southward along and ahead of the cold front. The first severe storm impacted the area by producing a wind gust near 60 mph in Dawson County at 8 PM CDT. Other storms impacted south central Nebraska and developed into a line and moved southward during the evening. These storms produced mainly strong winds with one report of hail. The strongest storm produced wind gusts estimated to be at least 75 mph with quarter sized hail in the Waco area in York County and resulted in damage between 9 and 9:30 PM CDT. This line of storms ended with a report of 65 mph winds in Alma in Harlan County at 9:20 PM CDT which damaged some trees.