Severe storms likely across Nebraska late Thursday into early Friday

Very strong and severe storms expected by Thursday evening, with a severe weather risk across southeast Nebraska.

But first, most of Thursday will feature a lot of sun with spot chances for a quick shower in the morning, with some isolated thunderstorms in south-central Nebraska early. It’ll be a breezy day with southeast gusts approaching 25 mph in the afternoon.

High temperatures should be only slightly above normal for this time of year, warming into the upper 70s and lower 80s.

Then, a very strong line of storms driven by a cold front is expected to develop first in north-central Nebraska after about 5-6 p.m. Thursday evening.

That line will quickly try to become severe especially as it moves toward the Tri-Cities, Columbus and eventually southeast Nebraska. Southeast Nebraska should expect this after midnight during dark, so have multiple ways to receive weather alerts when you think about going to bed tonight.

An Enhanced (Level 3 of 5) risk remains in place for southeast Nebraska as of the latest update from the Storm Prediction Center. An Enhanced risk means numerous severe storms are possible, including more persistent and widespread storms. That is what we are expecting for tonight.

There is a tornado risk over all of eastern Nebraska, with the potential for brief. embedded tornadoes within the line as it dives southeast tonight.

The primary threat will really be damaging winds that could gust around 75-85 mph tonight. With mention of that kind of wind possible, taking shelter as you would in a tornado would be appropriate.

Large hail as a threat is more so on the table for those in central Nebraska. Black hash marks mean hail 2″ or larger in diameter is possible in that area.

More strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible again as soon as Saturday evening into Sunday, so be sure to stay weather aware for the upcoming holiday weekend as we continue to frequently post updates.

Meteorologist Jessica Blum 
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