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A line of severe storms swept across southern Nebraska on June 20–21, 2026 — starting with tennis-ball-size hail and a brief tornado near Stratton on Saturday evening and ending with rounds of damaging hail across Hastings and a 77 mph wind gust near Doniphan early Sunday. If you own a home anywhere along this path, your roof, gutters, and siding may have damage that isn't obvious from the ground.
2.50" (Tennis Ball)
Largest Hail
77 mph
Peak Wind Gust
EF0 (near Stratton)
Tornado
8
Towns Hit
The first round fired in far southwest Nebraska on the evening of Saturday, June 20, 2026. Supercell thunderstorms over Hitchcock County dropped tennis-ball-size hail (2.50") in and around Stratton — with golf-ball hail (1.75") mixed in — and a brief EF0 tornado touched down about five miles west of town along Road 714 before lifting back into the storm. Trenton picked up half-dollar hail (1.25") as the storms rolled toward the Kansas line, where golf-ball hail and a 76 mph wind gust were reported near McDonald and Ludell.
At the same time, a second swath of damaging wind raked the north-central part of the state. Loup City, Ravenna, and Hazard all measured gusts near 69 mph Saturday evening — strong enough to knock out the power in Ravenna. Overnight, the complex surged east and strengthened, and by the early hours of Sunday, June 21, it was working over the Grand Island and Hastings corridor.
Hastings took the brunt of the second day. Repeated rounds of hail from quarter (1.00") to walnut size (1.50") fell across central and northeast Hastings, while a damaging 77 mph wind gust — the strongest of the entire event — was clocked just west at Doniphan. The Clay County towns of Clay Center and Glenvil saw 1.50" walnut hail driven by 50 mph wind, and Fairfield recorded a 74 mph gust. It's the third significant severe-weather episode to hit south-central Nebraska in barely two weeks, following the June 10–11 windstorm that brought 98 mph gusts and baseball-size hail to the Kearney and Hastings area.
Here's what was reported in each community along the storm's path. These towns sit outside the areas we list online, but we work throughout this region — reach out and we'll come take a look.
Tennis-ball hail (2.50") and golf-ball hail (1.75") the evening of June 20, plus a brief EF0 tornado that touched down about five miles west of town — the biggest hail of the entire event.
Half-dollar hail (1.25") on June 20 as the supercell tracked southeast toward the Kansas line.
Repeated rounds of hail from quarter (1.00") to walnut size (1.50") across central and northeast Hastings early June 21 — the most concentrated hail of the event.
A 77 mph wind gust measured just outside town early June 21 — the strongest wind recorded in the whole event.
Walnut-size hail (1.50") driven by 50 mph wind on June 21.
Walnut-size hail (1.50") with 50 mph wind on June 21.
A 74 mph wind gust clocked near town early June 21.
Quarter-size hail (1.00") on June 21 between Hastings and Clay Center.
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 Southwest to South-Central Nebraska 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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