Hail, Buffalo
- When
- August 21, 7:00 AM CST to 7:05 AM CST
- Where
- Buffalo County, 4 mi N of Gibbon
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Crop damage
- $500,000
- Coordinates
- 40.800, -98.830
Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, August 21, 1997
Early morning thunderstorms dumped hail north of Gibbon for five minutes while uprooting trees in Kearney as well. Severe crop damage occurred in Kearney and Franklin counties as the combination of wind and hail damaged corn and soybeans.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $220,000
- Crop damage
- $1.5 million
- Events
- 4
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.
Early morning thunderstorms dumped hail north of Gibbon for five minutes while uprooting trees in Kearney as well. Severe crop damage occurred in Kearney and Franklin counties as the combination of wind and hail damaged corn and soybeans. Street flooding was reported in Minden with several large trees damaged.
The radar
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:57 UTC.
Event by event
2 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Buffalo
- When
- August 21, 7:05 AM CST
- Where
- Buffalo County, Kearney
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $40,000
- Coordinates
- 40.700, -99.080
Thunderstorm Wind, Kearney
- When
- August 21, 8:30 AM CST
- Where
- Kearney County, Minden
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Crop damage
- $750,000
- Coordinates
- 40.500, -98.950
Hail, Franklin
- When
- August 21, 9:00 AM CST
- Where
- Franklin County, Upland
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- $250,000
- Coordinates
- 40.320, -98.900
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, August 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Ohio, August 21, 1997
- Hail in Nebraska, August 21, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in Kansas, August 21 to 22, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Kansas, August 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Texas, August 21, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, August 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Texas, August 21, 1997
- Tornado in Colorado, August 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, August 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Texas, August 21, 1997
- Strong Wind and Heavy Rain in Massachusetts, August 21, 1997
More
Every storm in Nebraska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, August 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5612955, 5612956, 5612957, 5612958.