Hail and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, May 6 to 27, 1997

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, May 6 to 27, 1997
Start: 1997-05-06T21:55
End: 1997-05-27T14:00
Location: Nebraska

May 6 to 27, 1997 · NWS GID · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $70,000
Crop damage: None recorded
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.

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Sherman

When: May 6, 9:55 PM CST
Where: Sherman County, Loup City
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.280, -98.980

Hail, Howard

When: May 6, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Howard County, 5 mi W of Dannebrog
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.120, -98.650

Severe thunderstorms rolled across parts of south central Nebraska during the late evening. Funnel clouds were observed near Loup City while hail covered the ground west of Dannebrog with the storms passage.

Thunderstorm Wind, York

When: May 17, 6:20 PM CST
Where: York County, 2 mi S of Henderson
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 40.873, -97.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An isolated thunderstorm produced a dry microburst south of Henderson. The resulting wind partially damaged an irrigation pivot which was running at the time.

Heavy Rain, Buffalo

When: May 27, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, Ravenna
Property damage: $60,000
Coordinates: 40.855, -99.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The weight from near 3 inches of rain over 3 days may have contributed to the collapse of an already weakened theatre roof in downtown Ravenna. The building was used for storage and contained 5 cars, washing machines and old toys at the time of the collapse.

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.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nebraska in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, May 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: 5599437, 5599438, 5599439, 5599440.