Severe storm slams portion of Nebraska panhandle with large hail, 70 mph winds
HARRISBURG, Neb. — A powerful thunderstorm swept across the Nebraska Panhandle Sunday afternoon, bringing damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rain to Banner, Morrill and Garden counties.
The National Weather Service in Cheyenne issued multiple Severe Thunderstorm Warnings throughout the afternoon, citing hazards of up to 70 mile-per-hour wind gusts and hail as large as teacups.
In Banner County, Grace Wyatt of Harrisburg reported golf ball-sized hail pounding her property during the storm. “It came with a lot of wind and rain,” Wyatt said. She shared a video of the hail slamming into her yard as the warning remained in effect for Harrisburg until 5 p.m. Wyatt shared photos showing broken windows, heavy hail accumulation in her yard and large branches snapped from trees.
At 4:42 p.m., hail measuring 1.75 inches in diameter was reported just north-northeast of Harrisburg. Two minutes later, a storm chaser in the same area recorded egg-sized hail. Wind gusts in Banner County were estimated at 60 to 70 mph around 5:05 p.m.
Banner County Fire & Rescue announced people in Harrisburg and Banner County that suffered damage from the storms, can contact Chief Tim Grubbs for window coverings or your electrical meter checked at (308) 631-6888.
The storms intensified as they pushed east into Morrill County. At 5:19 p.m., a storm chaser reported teacup-sized hail—about 3 inches in diameter—four miles south of Bayard. Just minutes later, at 5:30 p.m., emergency management confirmed a 70 mph wind gust south of Bridgeport.
