Thunderstorm Wind in Osborne County, Kansas

A wind gust of 80 MPH was measured by a Kansas State Mesonet station located one mile north-northwest of Osborne. At least eight power poles were damaged in the area and tree damage was also reported. Outbuilding damage occurred in Bloomington as well as two miles west and one mile south of Bloomington.

A deep upper trough moved over the Central Plains. A shortwave moved over east central Colorado during the afternoon and CAPE values were highest just to the east of this feature. Low-level moisture was limited and instability was marginal across north central Kansas but high enough for storms to produce severe updrafts. Wind shear values were around 40 to 50 knots, and a cold front was moving toward the area.

Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon ahead of the shortwave and became severe across portions of western Kansas and portions of southern Nebraska. These storms continued to develop and move eastward as the afternoon progressed. These storms began by producing a wind gust of 58 mph in Phillips County just shortly before 4 PM CDT. The strongest wind gust produced by these storms was a gust of 80 mph in Osborne County which occurred shortly before 6 PM CDT. There was also a report of golf ball sized hail in Phillips County. The storms ended by producing a 59 mph wind gust in Jewell County at 6:14 PM CDT.