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On This Day in 2003: Giant Hailstones in Nebraska
June 21, 2021 at 12:18 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Ali Husain
On June 22nd, 2003, severe storms produced tornadoes, flooding, and giant hail in southeastern Nebraska and northern Kansas.
Hailstones were reportedly as large as volleyballs and the impact craters left behind backed this up, with lawns seeing craters a foot in diameter and three inches deep. One person risked their life to grab a monster hailstone measuring 7 inches in diameter, the largest hailstone ever to be found in Nebraska. The current record for largest hailstone is a whopping 8 inches in diameter, found in South Dakota in 2010.
The system that produces these gargantuan hailstones also spawned two tornadoes, an EF0 and an EF2. One fatality occurred, as well as seven injuries and 100 homes destroyed. There were two distinct supercells bringing this destructive potential, with the giant hailstones occurring in the supercell formed over Hamilton County, Nebraska.
These supercells moved incredibly slowly across eastern Nebraska, bringing staggering rainfall totals over 10 inches at Lovewell Dam and an unofficial measurement of 12.5 inches in Hebron, Neb, about 100 miles southwest of Lincoln, Neb. This heavy rain caused significant flooding over much of Thayer County, adding to the damage caused by the storm.
Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: Giant Hail via NWS Hastings
Hailstones were reportedly as large as volleyballs and the impact craters left behind backed this up, with lawns seeing craters a foot in diameter and three inches deep. One person risked their life to grab a monster hailstone measuring 7 inches in diameter, the largest hailstone ever to be found in Nebraska. The current record for largest hailstone is a whopping 8 inches in diameter, found in South Dakota in 2010.
The system that produces these gargantuan hailstones also spawned two tornadoes, an EF0 and an EF2. One fatality occurred, as well as seven injuries and 100 homes destroyed. There were two distinct supercells bringing this destructive potential, with the giant hailstones occurring in the supercell formed over Hamilton County, Nebraska.
These supercells moved incredibly slowly across eastern Nebraska, bringing staggering rainfall totals over 10 inches at Lovewell Dam and an unofficial measurement of 12.5 inches in Hebron, Neb, about 100 miles southwest of Lincoln, Neb. This heavy rain caused significant flooding over much of Thayer County, adding to the damage caused by the storm.
Source: weather.gov
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Story Image: Giant Hail via NWS Hastings