A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for most of the Omaha metro area through 10 AM Thursday, with the strongest storms expected to build overnight and into the morning commute. Large hail is the biggest threat, but gusty winds, heavy rain and a brief spin-up tornado are also possible.
The watch covers a broad stretch of eastern Nebraska, and the Storm Prediction Center says storms should increase in coverage after midnight as a second weather system moves in. The best chance for severe weather runs from midnight to 9 a.m. Thursday, when scattered storms are expected to develop late Wednesday night and organize along and just north of Interstate 80 before lifting northward through the morning.
Some of the hail could be large enough to exceed 2.50 inches in far eastern Nebraska, and damaging winds are also possible as the storms strengthen. Heavy rainfall rates may reach 2 inches per hour, raising the risk of localized flooding or flash flooding in the hardest-hit spots. The severe threat is not limited to hail alone, even if that remains the main concern.
By late Thursday morning, the storms are expected to move out, but the day will still stay unsettled for a while. North winds could gust to 45 mph after the storms depart, with temperatures peaking in the upper 80s around midday before skies turn mainly sunny by afternoon. Conditions are then expected to dry out Friday, with another round of rain and thunderstorms possible Saturday, especially in southeastern Nebraska.
The open question is not whether the watch matters; it does. It is how much of the Omaha area gets hit before 10 a.m. and whether any of the stronger cells produce hail damage, flooding or a tornado before the system clears.
