This Thursday was one of the windier days of fall 2022 within South Central Nebraska (and admittedly a touch windier than forecast). While northwesterly gusts of 40 to 50 MPH were fully expected, several official and unofficial stations ended up registering peak gusts of 50-60+ MPH primarily between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. CDT (sustained speeds commonly 25-35 MPH). The highest official gusts of the day (airport ASOS sites) included 54 MPH at Grand Island and 53 MPH at Ord. Meanwhile, a handful of unofficial mesonet stations in Buffalo, Kearney and Adams counties breached High Wind criteria, featuring: 63 MPH at two sites in northern Buffalo County; 62 MPH near Juniata; 58 MPH near Norman and Riverdale. There were no known reports of damage from these gradient winds, but the combination of the strong gusts and very low afternoon relative humidity (10-20 percent most places) contributed to the development of a few relatively small wildfires.
In the mid-upper levels, the main player was an expansive upper trough centered from southern Canada to the Ohio Valley. At the surface, South Central Nebraska was far removed from a stout, 990 millibar low centered over the Manitoba/Ontario border in the late morning, but resided firmly within a strong pressure gradient between the Canadian low and a 1024 millibar high centered over Colorado. Within Nebraska itself, a respectable 11-millibar gradient was in place at 10 a.m. CDT (15Z), ranging from 1013 millibars in the far northeast to 1024 millibars in the Panhandle. Above the surface, while winds at the 850-millibar level were not overly strong (around 40 knots), speeds up at 700 millibars averaged 50-60 knots during the morning-early afternoon. Once diurnal mixing kicked in by mid-late morning as low-level lapse rates steepened, some of this higher momentum air aloft transferred to the surface, stirring up the slightly-higher-than-expected northwesterly gusts.

High Wind in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 13-OCT-22 09:36:00 to 13-OCT-22 09:36:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles north-northeast of Norman.

High Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 13-OCT-22 10:07:00 to 13-OCT-22 10:07:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile north-northwest of Riverdale.

High Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 13-OCT-22 12:13:00 to 13-OCT-22 12:13:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located seven miles west-southwest of Cairo.

High Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 13-OCT-22 12:20:00 to 13-OCT-22 12:20:00 (CST-6)
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 four miles north-northwest of Pleasanton.

High Wind in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 13-OCT-22 13:03:00 to 13-OCT-22 13:03:00 (CST-6)
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 seven miles west-southwest of Cairo.

High Wind in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 13-OCT-22 12:42:00 to 13-OCT-22 12:42:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 50.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles south of Juniata.

High Wind in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 13-OCT-22 13:47:00 to 13-OCT-22 13:47:00 (CST-6)
Magnitude: 54.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust of 62 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located four miles south of Juniata.