The very early morning hours on this Saturday featured a number of severe-criteria wind gusts across primarily the northeast half of South Central Nebraska, thanks to a squall line/linear mesoscale convective system (MCS) racing through from northwest-to-southeast. The strongest-known measured wind was 74 MPH at Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island, shortly before 2 a.m. CDT. Other notable measured wind gusts included: 64 MPH at Ord airport, 62 MPH at both Hastings and York airports, and 59 MPH at Kearney airport. Ground-truth damage reports were fairly limited, but a cooperative observer near Shelby reported 7 diameter tree limbs down, and several overturned irrigation pivots in the area. In addition, a power line was downed by a fallen tree in Shelton, and power was also knocked out for a time in Red Cloud. This was almost purely a wind event, with storms producing little-to-no-hail, and the vast majority of severe gusts concentrating east-northeast of a line from western Buffalo County to Webster County.
Timing-wise, the leading edge of the squall line entered the far northern local area (Valley County) shortly after midnight CDT, with outflow winds surging several miles out ahead of the trailing precipitation core. Severe winds reached the Highway 30 corridor around 2 a.m. CDT, and a line from roughly Hastings-York by around 2:30 a.m. CDT. The last evidence of severe weather within the local area consisted of 60 MPH winds at a mesonet station near Nelson at 319 a.m. CDT. Well before reaching South Central Nebraska, the initial severe convection that eventually morphed into this fast-moving squall line developed over south central South Dakota during the late afternoon/early evening of the 8th. In the mid-upper levels, this was a fairly classic setup for nocturnal severe weather. While forcing was not overly-strong, a low-amplitude disturbance tracked across mainly northern NE/southern SD through the night, embedded within a broad, quasi-zonal flow regime. Once the afternoon/early evening storms over southern SD grew upscale into an organized MCS, southeastward propagation into the local area was fostered by a southerly low level jet (evident at 850 millibars) strengthening to 30-40 knots. Around the time convection surged into northern local counties, mesoscale parameters featured around 1000-2000 J/kg most-unstable CAPE, and moderate deep-layer (0-6 km) shear of 30-40 knots.

Thunderstorm Wind in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 08-JUN-18 23:31:00 to 08-JUN-18 23:31:00 (CST-6)
Location: (ODX)SHARP FLD ORD
Magnitude: 56.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

A peak wind gust of 64 MPH was measured at Evelyn Sharp Field (Ord Airport), that occurred along a gust front ahead of an approaching line of thunderstorms from the northwest.

Thunderstorm Wind in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 00:23:00 to 09-JUN-18 00:23:00 (CST-6)
Location: COZAD
Magnitude: 56.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Thunderstorm Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 00:50:00 to 09-JUN-18 00:50:00 (CST-6)
Location: ODESSA
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Thunderstorm Wind in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 01:07:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:07:00 (CST-6)
Location: (GRI)GRAND IS RGNL A
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Thunderstorm Wind in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 01:15:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:15:00 (CST-6)
Location: AURORA MUNI ARPT
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

Thunderstorm Wind in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 01:21:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:21:00 (CST-6)
Location: OSCEOLA
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

An estimated wind gust of 60 MPH occurred in Osceola.

Thunderstorm Wind in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 01:23:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:23:00 (CST-6)
Location: (HSI)HASTINGS ARPT
Magnitude: 54.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Thunderstorm Wind in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 01:23:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:23:00 (CST-6)
Location: YORK
Magnitude: 56.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Thunderstorm Wind in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 01:30:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:30:00 (CST-6)
Location: YORK ARPT
Magnitude: 54.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

Thunderstorm Wind in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 01:42:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:42:00 (CST-6)
Location: PAULINE
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Employee

A NWS Hastings employee estimated wind gusts to be near 60 MPH.

Thunderstorm Wind in NUCKOLLS, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 02:19:00 to 09-JUN-18 02:19:00 (CST-6)
Location: NELSON
Magnitude: 52.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Thunderstorm Wind in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 00:15:00 to 09-JUN-18 00:15:00 (CST-6)
Location: ELBA
Magnitude: 56.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

An NeRAIN observer near Dannevirke estimated gusts to around 65 MPH.

Thunderstorm Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 00:59:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: SHELTON
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 15.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

Severe wind gusts occurred along a line of outflow well ahead and south of a line of thunderstorms to the north. A power line was down from a fallen tree in the community of Shelton. The Buffalo County Emergency Manager estimated the wind gust at 60 MPH. The emergency manager also reported an accident just south on Interstate 80 that was possibly weather related. A nearby observation at the Kearney Airport recorded a measured wind gust of 59 MPH at 1:59 AM CDT at the same time of the wind damage. There was also a public report of an estimated 60 mph wind gust was reported 3 miles south of Gibbon at the Windmill State Recreation Area.

Thunderstorm Wind in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 00:49:00 to 09-JUN-18 00:59:00 (CST-6)
Location: (GRI)GRAND IS RGNL A
Magnitude: 64.00 MG
Property damage: 15.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Strong wind gusts occurred along a gust front ahead of a line of thunderstorms approaching from the north-northwest. Peak gusts at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport included 74 MPH at 1:54 AM CDT, 61 MPH at 1:53 AM CDT and 59 MPH at 1:49 AM CDT. A nearby mesonet recorded a gust of 66 MPH at 1:59 AM CDT.

Thunderstorm Wind in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 01:30:00 to 09-JUN-18 01:30:00 (CST-6)
Location: SHELBY
Magnitude: 56.00 EG
Property damage: 300.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: COOP Observer

A cooperative observer 3 miles northeast of Shelby reported 7 inch diameter tree branches down, plus several pivots around the area knocked over.

Thunderstorm Wind in WEBSTER, NEBRASKA
From 09-JUN-18 02:12:00 to 09-JUN-18 02:12:00 (CST-6)
Location: RED CLOUD
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 15.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 MPH just north of Red Cloud, where the power went out from the strong wind gusts.