A detailed analysis of the nocturnal QLCS tornadoes that moved through Omaha, Nebraska, on 8 June 2008

During the early morning hours of 8 June, 2008, two tornadoes (rated EF1 and EF2) cut through the southwest part of Omaha, Nebraska. These tornadoes were produced by a bowing segment of a quasi-linear convective system (QLCS). Nocturnal tornadoes in the Omaha/Valley County Warning Area are relatively rare, with only 6% of tornadoes since 1950 occurring between midnight and 11:00 am local time. The event was one in a series of significant severe weather events to impact the Omaha metro area directly during the late spring and early summer of 2008. In this case, the tornadoes formed within a QLCS that weakened for some time before re-intensifying briefly near the Omaha metro area. This study will investigate the mesoscale parameters that supported the brief re-intensification of the system for a short time.

A highly detailed and extensive damage survey was conducted using GPS precision and GIS mapping. This technique provided high resolution ground truth of the tracks and effects of the tornadoes. This damage survey data was then spatially correlated with the radar data, which allowed for a fine scale examination of the precise location of the tornadoes in relation to the QLCS. The tornadoes occurred in relatively close proximity to the KOAX WSR-88D, which was utilizing the newly available super-resolution data, providing useful fine-scale resolution of the event. The radar presentation and damage track, in correlation with indicators such as the radial velocity shear as a function of height and time, will be used to examine the evolution of the tornadoes and their parent mesocyclones.