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One of the most widespread wind days of the summer crossed Nebraska on July 30, 2026. Storms fired in the Sandhills that afternoon, driving a destructive 92 mph gust near Brownlee and spinning up a brief landspout tornado north of Mullen, then rebuilt after dark into a second round that clocked 85 mph at Callaway, 81 mph at Stapleton, and 79 mph at Culbertson before rolling out of the state overnight. Wind that strong strips shingles, peels ridge caps, and pulls gutters off the fascia — and most of the damage never shows from the driveway.
1.50" (Walnut)
Largest Hail
92 mph
Peak Wind Gust
EF0 landspout (near Mullen)
Tornado
11
Towns Hit
The first round fired over the Sandhills on the afternoon of Thursday, July 30, 2026. The National Weather Service in North Platte logged a destructive 92 mph (80 kt) gust northwest of Brownlee in Cherry County — the strongest wind measured anywhere in the state that day, and comparable to a strong tornado, only spread across miles instead of a narrow path. Two more gusts of 83 mph (72 kt) and 81 mph (70 kt) hit the same area within eight minutes. A brief landspout tornado was reported about 20 miles north of Mullen, rated EF0, and an 81 mph (70 kt) gust was clocked just north of Ainsworth in Brown County. Farther east, Stuart in Holt County took a 69 mph (60 kt) gust, and a 68 mph (59 kt) gust hit the Sparks area northeast of Valentine.
The storms sagged south and rebuilt after sunset, and the evening round was the more damaging one for central Nebraska. Stapleton in Logan County took walnut-size hail (1.50") around 6:40 PM, then an 81 mph (70 kt) gust that uprooted a large old evergreen in town, with another 67 mph (58 kt) gust south of town. Weather stations west of Callaway in Custer County measured 85 mph (74 kt) and 77 mph (67 kt), and the AWOS at the Ord airport in Valley County recorded 72 mph (63 kt). Down in the southwest, a 79 mph (69 kt) gust hit northeast of Culbertson in Hitchcock County. Along the Platte, Lexington took a 72 mph (63 kt) gust on a personal weather station, another gust past 70 mph was measured near Johnson Lake, and Eddyville logged 69 mph (60 kt).
The complex kept going all night, crossing into far southeastern Nebraska in the early hours of Friday, July 31, where a station near Preston in Richardson County measured a 67 mph (58 kt) gust around 1:30 AM before the line pushed on into northeast Kansas. Wind damage is the easiest kind to miss: a gust doesn't have to tear a shingle off to break the adhesive seal underneath it, and a roof full of lifted or creased tabs can look completely normal from the street while quietly letting water in for months. After a day like July 30 — 92 mph in the Sandhills, 85 mph in Custer County, 79 mph in Hitchcock County — every roof under that path is worth a close, professional look, and Nebraska's insurance claim window doesn't stay open forever.
Here's what was reported in each community we serve. Click a town for local roofing, gutter, and siding help.
A destructive 92 mph (80 kt) gust northwest of town on July 30 — the strongest wind measured anywhere in Nebraska that day — with 83 mph (72 kt) and 81 mph (70 kt) gusts in the same spot minutes earlier.
Davis weather stations west of town measured 85 mph (74 kt) and 77 mph (67 kt) after dark on July 30 — the strongest wind of the evening round and enough to strip shingles and peel ridge caps.
Walnut-size hail (1.50") in town the evening of July 30, followed by an 81 mph (70 kt) gust that uprooted a large old evergreen, plus a 67 mph (58 kt) gust south of town — hail and destructive wind in the same storm.
An 81 mph (70 kt) gust just north of town on the afternoon of July 30 — well past the 58 mph severe threshold and strong enough to lift shingle tabs and tear gutters loose.
A 79 mph (69 kt) gust northeast of town late on July 30 as the complex swept through southwest Nebraska.
A 72 mph (63 kt) gust measured at the Ord airport AWOS the evening of July 30 — past the point where shingle seals break and gutters pull away from the fascia.
A 72 mph (63 kt) gust on a personal weather station east of town the night of July 30, with another gust past 70 mph measured nearby toward Johnson Lake.
Lexington storm helpA brief EF0 landspout tornado reported about 20 miles north of town on the afternoon of July 30, in the same Sandhills storms that produced the 92 mph Brownlee gust.
A 69 mph (60 kt) severe wind gust on the night of July 30 as the line crossed Dawson County.
A 69 mph (60 kt) severe gust northeast of town on the afternoon of July 30 as the Sandhills storms pushed east.
A 68 mph (59 kt) severe gust in the Sparks area northeast of town — the first severe report of the July 30 outbreak.
Hail and wind don't follow city limits — a storm can pound one block and skip the next. Use the free tool below to pull the verified NOAA hail and wind history for your exact home address. In about ten seconds you'll see whether a storm actually hit your property — and that's how you know whether it's worth filing an insurance claim or booking a free inspection before your policy's deadline runs out.
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See storms near your home? Here's what to do next →
Storm damage is often invisible from the ground. Here's a homeowner's checklist after an event like this one.
In Nebraska you typically have a limited window — often one to two years from the date of the storm — to file a hail or wind damage claim. The sooner you document damage, the stronger your claim. We'll inspect your roof for free, show you exactly what we find with photos, and help you understand your options before you ever commit to anything.
If you live in Cherry, Brown, Custer, Logan, Valley & Dawson Counties and this storm came through your area, let us take a look. There's no cost and no obligation — just an honest assessment from a local crew that's been doing this since 2012.
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