Butler storm history

Dense fog that reduced visibilities to near zero was the apparent cause of a fatal vehicle crash at the intersections of Highways 66 and 15 between Dwight and Ulysses. A west bound car failed to stop at the intersection and drove into a trailer hauled by a semi. The driver of the…

See narrative below.

Hail up to 2 inches in diameter damaged at least several hundred vehicles in town and also caused roof damage to a few hundred homes. The main damage path was from the southwest into the northeast part of town with the damage estimated at $4 million.

Mesonet measured wind gust of 59 mph near Dwight, NE.

No observations within the county. Estimated maximum wind gusts of 58-60 mph based on surrounding observations.

No observations within the county. Estimated maximum wind gusts of 55-60 mph based on surrounding observations.

Photos shared via social media of a destroyed outbuilding and a large, downed tree branch which did damage to the roof of a home. Time estimated based on radar.

Personal weather station measured heat index of 112 degrees.

Law enforcement report of several trees uprooted and branches broken. Wind speed estimated at 60-65 mph along the outflow boundary of a thunderstorm.

Mesonet measured wind gust of 60 mph along the outflow boundary of a thunderstorm.

Personal weather station measured wind gust of 65 mph along the outflow boundary of a thunderstorm.

D2 (severe) drought conditions at the beginning of the month saw significant improvement and were eliminated by July 22nd, with D1 (moderate) drought persisting. Observers at Surprise, Brainard 1.1 S, and Bellwood 5.8 W recorded 5.41, 6.28, and 9.68 inches of precipitation for th…

While no observations were available within the county, ASOS/AWOS and personal weather stations in surrounding counties measured heat index values of 106 to 114 degrees.

With only slightly above average rainfall for the month, D2 (severe) drought conditions persisted across portions of Butler County. The cooperative observers at Brainard 1.1 S and Bellwood 5.8 W recorded 5.92 and 7.13 inches of precipitation for the month, respectively. These val…

NWS Employee report of hail measured up to 1.75 in diameter.

Trained spotter report of wind gusts estimated at 50 to 60 mph along with pea sized hail.

Toward the middle of the month, a D2 (severe) drought was introduced across the western portion of the county. Through the remainder of the month, conditions improved enough to trim back the D2 drought to the southwest corner of the county. The cooperative observer at Surprise re…

Public report of hail estimated up to 2.4 in diameter. Delayed report with the time estimated from radar.

Personal weather station measured gust of 82 mph.

Highways 15, 64, and 92 closed in Butler County due to blizzard conditions. Snowfall amounts generally in the 6 to 10 range with wind gusts measured up to 63 mph.

Mesonet station NE045 in David City measured gust of 63 mph.

No observations in the county, though surrounding conditions support High Wind Warning, with a 58 mph gust just outside the northern edge of the county.

Wind chill got as low as -44 in the county.

Wind chill got as low as -36 in the county.

Though no direct measurements were made in the county of severe level wind gusts, observations from surrounding counties support the high likelihood of wind gusts up to 60 mph occurring the afternoon of the 19th.

Flooding from excessive rain runoff was noted at the Surprise river gauge (SRPN1) along the Big Blue River in southwestern Butler county. The river gauge crested at 2 am CST on the 2nd at a height of 7.57 feet. Flood stage continued until 2 am CST on the 4th.

The Butler County Emergency Manager reported flooding in Bruno, and in rural areas just to the south and eat of the town. Many roads were under water, particularly in the Skull Creek area.

The Butler County Emergency Manager reported several center pivots overturned and multiple power poles snapped from the intersection of U.S. Highway 80 and State Highway 64 East towards Bellwood. A damage survey also found an empty grain bin that had been blown off its foundation…

The Butler County Emergency Manager reported golf ball sized hail in downtown Ulysses.

The Butler County Emergency Manager reported a funnel cloud just to the southwest of Brainard.

Trained spotters with video and photo confirmation reported a tornado lasting approximately 1 minute over open fields. There was no damage found from this tornado, so its width and wind speeds were not able to be accurately estimated.

Snow squall conditions impacted the county the afternoon of the 18th, followed by several hours of continued blowing and drifting snow. Light snow began falling across the county around 11 am the morning of the 18th. At 4 pm, a snow squall moved into the county from the west brin…

Wind chills across the county dropped under 35 degrees below zero every night during the duration of this event. The coldest wind chills were felt on January 13th and 14th. The coldest recorded wind chill in the county was minus 40 degrees, measured in David City on the morning o…

An estimated 7 to 9 inches of snow fell across the county during this winter storm. No snowfall observations from inside the county were sent in, so snowfall amounts for the county were interpolated between reports from adjacent counties. Significant blowing and drifting snow con…

An estimated 9 to 12 inches of snow fell across the county for this event. This included a storm total snowfall report of 11.6 inches in David City.

Emergency Manager relayed a report of a center pivot that had flipped in the storm. The time was estimated by radar.

Emergency Manager reported a roof ripped off of a shed. The time was estimated by radar.

For 7 days, the high temperatures in Butler County were in the mid 90s and reached 100 in some locations. Dew point temperatures in the mid to upper 70s yielded a heat index at or above 105 for 7 consecutive days.

Interpolation of area observations show that the county had a heat index near and above 110 for approximately 5 hours.

Public reported a measured 63 mph wind gust via social media.

Personal weather station measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.

Public reported 9-inches of snowfall.