Hailstones, (File Photo)
HALL CO. — Severe weather impacted the length of Nebraska, including parts of the Tri-Cities, during the evening and overnight hours of Monday, May 20.
An Enhanced Risk, a three out of five, has been issued for parts of western Nebraska, clipping Kearney during the early morning hours. This risk would be extended east later in the evening.
Thunderstorms began to form during the afternoon hours across Hall County and these posed the greatest risk for hail.
Phil Beda, Hydrometeorological Technician with the National Weather Service – Hastings, said that reports of hail two inches in diameter were reported in Wood River at 7:16 p.m. and later in Grand Island.
Beda also noted there was a report of a brief tornado that occurred four miles southwest of Grand Island around 8:04 p.m. He said it was on the ground for around a minute.
In addition to the hail, heavy rains also occurred in Grand Island, with 2.42 inches reported at the Grand Island Regional Airport and 3.03 inches inside Grand Island, Beda said.
A Flood Watch remains in effect across south central Nebraska until 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 21. Another round of rain was expected during the morning hours and could add another inch of rain.
Following the afternoon storms, a line of storms had been developing in western Nebraska and later merged with a complex of storms that had moved from northeast Colorado into southwest Nebraska.
A 55-mph gust reported at the Lexington’s Jim Kelly Airport at 2:31 a.m., 53 mph northeast of Kearney at 3:21 a.m. and 59 mph at the Grand Island airport.
Areas of southwest Nebraska would be impacted by winds that nearly peaked at 100 mph.
According to Cori Cook, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service – Goodland, Kan., which oversees parts of southwestern Nebraska, a 93-mph wind gust was reported in Dundy County.
Cook said there were reports of outbuildings damaged and several trees uprooted.
The Dundy County Sheriff’s Office reported that power lines were down, and debris spread around the community of Parks.
