Thunderstorm Wind in Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Picture relayed by media of large cottonwood tree and pear tree blown down. Time based on radar, location at Lake Manawa.

In the early morning hours of June 29th, 2025, a potent complex of thunderstorms developed from north-central Nebraska into southeast South Dakota. These storms quickly tracked southeastward across eastern Nebraska and southwest, Iowa, fueled by a 30-40 knot low-level jet feeding into southern Nebraska. An upper trough over eastern Montana and a surface trough extending from northeast Colorado into southeast South Dakota further supported their development. The atmosphere was highly unstable, with impressive mid-level lapse rates contributing to Most Unstable Convective Available Potential Energy (MUCAPE) exceeding 3000 J/kg.

Initially, as the complex pushed into northeast Nebraska, the storms struggled to maintain their severity. However, upon approaching the Omaha and Council Bluffs metropolitan area, an outflow boundary surged ahead of the main storm complex. This boundary triggered a round of severe wind gusts, with measurements between 58 and 68 mph. Significant tree damage was also reported in the Council Bluffs area.