Scientists Weigh In On Nebraska’s Unusual Hail Storms

Nebraskans have watched severe weather track across the state in waves since May, devastating some areas multiple times.

In Kearney, Realtor Patrick Slack can only shake his head at the damage. A commercial building was so badly pummeled by hail that the loss was larger than the sale price, Slack said.

The roof of a Kearney home was totaled by hail, replaced and totaled by a second hailstorm, all within 10 days, Slack said.

‘We’ve had baseball-sized hail, we’ve had tennis ball-sized. We’ve had pea-sized hail that was so hard and rigid that, with 70-mph winds, it caused damage you wouldn’t expect,’ said Slack, broker-owner of Century 21 Midlands. ‘Going back the last three years, it seems like these storms are becoming more common.’

Kearney County Emergency Management Director Craig Lupkes echoed those comments. ‘We’ve been hit pretty hard the last couple of years,’ he said. ‘We can never just catch rain. All it is is severe weather. When it comes through, it destroys everything.’