A strong mid-upper level trough axis made its way through the Rockies on Friday the 22nd, with a more organized circulation deepening Friday night into early Saturday morning the 23rd as it tracked into the central and northern High Plains. Through the rest of the day on the 23rd this system continued to deepen and become increasingly vertically-stacked, gradually sliding northeast into the central South Dakota/North Dakota border area by that evening. In response to this approaching system, surface low pressure intensified over northeastern Colorado into the southern border of Nebraska/Wyoming on the 22nd, bottoming out around 984 millibars by early evening. With South Central Nebraska sandwiched between this surface low and high pressure ridging southward through the entire eastern CONUS, the result was a tightening pressure gradient and intense southerly winds. Sustained southerly speeds of 35-45 MPH and gusts of 45-55 MPH were common across the area by midday on the 22nd. For western local counties, a few gusts had already crept a bit higher by mid-late afternoon, including 60 MPH at 3:30 p.m. CDT near Oxford in Harlan County.
By mid-late afternoon on the 22nd, the main surface boundaries included the warm front (which had pushed north into southern South Dakota) and a dryline (which extended from South Dakota through west central Nebraska into western Kansas). This placed South Central Nebraska firmly in the warm sector, with well-above normal temperatures soaring into the mid 80s to mid 90s (F) and with dewpoints in far west-southwest locations near the dryline dropping into the 40s. This set the stage for critically-low relative humidity and fire weather conditions. Unfortunately, the fire danger threat was realized in a big-time way around 3:30 p.m. CDT when a wildfire ignited just outside the local area in far northwestern Norton County Kansas. Due to southerly winds gusting near 60 MPH, this fire quickly spread out of control and raced north-northwestward, primarily impacting areas along the Furnas/Red Willow County line. Firefighters were able to halt its forward progress by late that evening, but hot spots and flare ups continued through the overnight hours. Areas in and around Cambridge and Wilsonville were put on evacuation notices, with the town of Cambridge and surrounding areas eventually being evacuated. Fortunately, Cambridge itself was spared from the fire. This was the second significant wildfire to impact Furnas County in 15 days (the first being the Road 739 Fire that ignited on the 7th). In total, the Road 702 Fire burned approximately 44,000 acres, with the Furnas County portion in this South Central Nebraska coverage area accounting for around 15,000 acres (for more details regarding this fire please refer to the associated event narrative).
In addition to the critical fire weather situation on the afternoon of the 22nd, a few scattered thunderstorms initiated along the surface dryline around 4 p.m. CDT. This initial cluster of storms developed in an environment with approximately 2000 j/kg mixed-layer CAPE but only around 30 knots of 0-6 kilometer shear. This activity moved out of the local area into north central Nebraska by early evening, but not before dropping hail up to the size of golf balls over Gothenburg around 5:30 p.m. CDT. Later into the mid-late evening hours, a more organized line of thunderstorms developed along the surface cold front over western Nebraska and Kansas as the main mid-upper level system pushed out of the Rockies into western Nebraska and South Dakota. This activity tracked east through South Central Nebraska mainly between 2-7 a.m. CDT on the 23rd. While most of these storms were sub-severe, increasing deep-layer shear and downdraft CAPE values near 1000 j/kg aided in a handful of storms producing severe gusts, including a peak gust of 65 MPH measured by a mesonet station located five miles north-northwest of Oxford.
By around sunrise on the 23rd the surface low was located over south central South Dakota, with the initial cold front extending southward roughly along the Highway 81 corridor of South Central Nebraska, which prompted still-gusty winds to become southwesterly. A stronger, reinforcing cold front then made its way east across the area from mid-morning through the afternoon hours, ushering in a sharper switch to westerly winds and a cooler, drier air mass. Pressure rises and cold air advection in the wake of this frontal passage resulted in several hours of gusts near or exceeding 45-50 MPH, as well as a handful of gusts near 60 MPH. The highest measured gust through the afternoon and evening hours was 64 MPH at Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island. This wind switch also made a significant impact on the Road 702 Fire situation in Furnas County, causing the fire to reignite and burn out of control once again (this time spreading eastward). Fortunately, late that evening firefighters were again able to stop its progression.

High Wind in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 15:52:00 to 23-APR-22 15:52:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

A westerly wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by the Grand Island Central Nebraska Regional Airport ASOS. Around the same time of this peak gust, a multi-vehicle accident occurred near the intersection of Highway 281 and White Cloud Road, approximately 2 miles west of the airport. At times near-zero visibility caused by blowing dust from a field led to this chain reaction accident, which involved 15 vehicles. The Hall County Chief Deputy said that several people were transported for medical attention, but no serious injuries were reported.

High Wind in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 17:55:00 to 23-APR-22 17:55:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 56.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

A westerly wind gust of 64 MPH was measured by the Grand Island Central Nebraska Regional Airport ASOS.

High Wind in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 15:53:00 to 23-APR-22 15:53:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A westerly wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located seven miles north-northeast  of Wolbach.

High Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A westerly wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located six miles north-northwest of Shelton.

High Wind in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 17:06:00 to 23-APR-22 17:06:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A westerly wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles north-northeast of Norman.

High Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 17:31:00 to 23-APR-22 17:31:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A westerly wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles east-southeast of Kearney.

High Wind in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 20:44:00 to 23-APR-22 20:44:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A westerly wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles west-northwest of Fairfield.

Hail in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 16:20:00 to 22-APR-22 16:20:00 (CST-6)
Location: GOTHENBURG
Magnitude: 0.88 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Hail in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 16:24:00 to 22-APR-22 16:27:00 (CST-6)
Location: GOTHENBURG
Magnitude: 1.75 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Ping pong ball to golf ball size hail was reported within Gothenburg.

Thunderstorm Wind in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 01:38:00 to 23-APR-22 01:38:00 (CST-6)
Location: OXFORD
Magnitude: 56.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 65 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located 5 miles north-northwest of Oxford.

Thunderstorm Wind in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 02:43:00 to 23-APR-22 02:43:00 (CST-6)
Location: NORMAN
Magnitude: 55.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles north-northeast of Norman.

Thunderstorm Wind in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 03:09:00 to 23-APR-22 03:15:00 (CST-6)
Location: HASTINGS
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles north of Hastings. Some tree damage was reported near the intersection of Showboat Road and Highway 74 near Pauline. A small tin outbuilding was damaged in this same vicinity.

Thunderstorm Wind in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 03:34:00 to 23-APR-22 03:34:00 (CST-6)
Location: AURORA
Magnitude: 52.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 60 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles west of Aurora.

High Wind in VALLEY, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 54.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 62 MPH was measured by the Ord Airport ASOS.

High Wind in GREELEY, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day based on nearby observations, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times.

High Wind in SHERMAN, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 54.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 62 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located six miles north-northwest of Loup City.

High Wind in HOWARD, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day based on nearby observations, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times.

High Wind in NANCE, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day based on nearby observations, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times.

High Wind in POLK, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day based on nearby observations, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times.

High Wind in MERRICK, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles northeast of Clarks.

High Wind in YORK, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day based on nearby observations, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times.

High Wind in HAMILTON, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day based on nearby observations, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times.

High Wind in HALL, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 57.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 66 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile east of Doniphan. The Grand Island Airport ASOS measured a peak gust of 62 MPH.

High Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles east-southeast of Kearney.

High Wind in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 13:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 60.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 69 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one miles north-northeast of Cozad.

High Wind in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day based on nearby observations, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times.

High Wind in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 61.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 70 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles east of Pauline.

High Wind in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 56.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 64 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located five miles west of Hansen. The Hastings Airport ASOS measured a peak gust of 60 MPH.

High Wind in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 13:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 60.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 69 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile west of Heartwell.

High Wind in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 13:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: AWOS

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 60 MPH was measured the Holdrege Airport AWOS.

High Wind in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 13:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 53.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 61 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles south of Johnson Lake.

High Wind in THAYER, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 55.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles south-southeast of Davenport.

High Wind in NUCKOLLS, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 04:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles north-northwest of Bostwick.

High Wind in WEBSTER, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: ASOS

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day based on nearby observations, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times.

High Wind in FRANKLIN, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 17:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 51.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located five miles west-northwest of Riverton.

High Wind in HARLAN, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 13:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 53.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 61 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles east of Ragan.

High Wind in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 13:00:00 to 23-APR-22 03:00:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Sustained southerly speeds near or exceeding 40 MPH were common during the day, along with gusts near 60 MPH at times. A peak wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located five miles north-northwest of Oxford.

Wildfire in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 22-APR-22 14:30:00 to 29-APR-22 06:00:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

For the second time in 15 days, a historic, wind-whipped wildfire again raged across portions of Furnas County, this one dubbed the Road 702 Fire. Similar to the Road 739 Fire earlier in the month, this one was fueled by the combination of extreme dryness and severe winds frequently gusting to 50-60+ MPH, although this time winds were out of the south-southeast. Ignition occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. CDT on Friday the 22nd in extreme northwestern Norton County Kansas (just outside the local area). The fire then raced north-northwestward into southwestern and west-central Furnas County of South Central Nebraska, but eventually tracked more so into eastern Red Willow County (also just outside this coverage area). Late that evening, the initial push of the fire was halted along the Red Willow/Frontier County line northwest of Cambridge. Firefighters remained on scene all night to address flare-ups. Unfortunately, a strong cold front that crossed the area during the morning hours of Saturday the 23rd ushered in a significant switch in winds from the south to the west-northwest, causing the fire to reignite and burn out of control once again (this time spreading eastward). Firefighters were able to again stop its progress late that evening, but hot spots and flare-ups would continue for several more days.
Residents in and around Cambridge and Wilsonville were given a notice late in the afternoon on the 22nd that an evacuation was possible, with Cambridge and its surrounding area then ordered to evacuate around 6:30 p.m. CDT. The hospital and assisted living facilities in Cambridge were forced to relocate until the fire was brought under control. Evacuation orders were lifted around midday Saturday, but only a couple hours later residents of Cambridge were ordered to evacuate once again because of the switch in wind direction and re-ignition of the fire. All evacuation orders were finally lifted by 8 p.m. CDT on the 23rd.
Several roads in the area were closed at various times on the 22nd-23rd, mainly along and west of U.S. Highway 283. These closures were driven by the fire itself, smoke being blown downstream, as well as from blowing dust caused by the very dry conditions in the area (including plentiful dust blowing from the burn scar left behind by the April 7th Road 739 Fire). In addition to numerous rural road closures, major highways affected included portions of U.S. Highways 283 and 6/34, as well Nebraska Highways 89 and 47. Although it occurred just outside the local area in Red Willow County, tragically there was one fatality associated with this fire, as a retired Cambridge Fire Chief died while assisting firefighting efforts (his vehicle left the roadway due to poor visibility and was overtaken by smoke and fire). There were also other injuries ranging from severe burns to smoke inhalation. There were four homes and several outbuildings, along with farm machinery, destroyed in this fire. Approximately 64 fire departments from Nebraska and Kansas were involved with getting the fire controlled and contained. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency activated its State Emergency Operations Center on Friday and coordinated a response to the Road 702 Fire as well as other fires ongoing in other parts of Nebraska. Within hours, following the Governor���s order, the Nebraska National Guard activated a team to deploy to the Road 702 Fire area, including two Blackhawk helicopters and one Lakota helicopter to make bucket water drops, as well as ground support trucks and crews. A Type 2 Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team was called in to aid with fire management and assumed command at 7 a.m. Sunday the 24th. This team led the efforts through 7 a.m. Friday the 29th, when command transitioned to the Nebraska Type 3 Incident Management Team.
In the end, an estimated 44,000 acres were burned along a mainly south-southeast to north-northwest swath, approximately 34 miles long and 4 miles wide at times. While around 15,000 acres of this fire scorched western Furnas County in this South Central Nebraska area, the majority of fire impacts targeted eastern Red Willow County (in the Extreme Southwest Nebraska coverage area). According to information from the Governor���s office, the Road 702 Fire mission was one of the most complex Wildland Fire Operations the Nebraska National Guard had executed within the past 10 years. Ultimately, they completed 525 bucket drops of more than 239,000 gallons of water.

High Wind in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 23-APR-22 14:45:00 to 23-APR-22 14:45:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A westerly wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile southwest of Eddyville.