Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, June 17, 1998

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, June 17, 1998
Start: 1998-06-17T17:10
End: 1998-06-17T21:38
Location: Nebraska

June 17, 1998 · NWS GID · 21 events in 7 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $125,000
Crop damage: $15 million
Events: 21

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.

Severe Thunderstorms ripped across south-central Nebraska dropping large hail, very heavy rains and producing wind gusts to 70 mph. South of Ravenna, several hog sheds on a farmstead were destroyed by high winds. Corn and soybean crops in the area were heavily damaged. The swath of destructive hail moved northeast across northwest Howard, northeast Sherman, southeast Valley and the southern half of Greeley counties. In this area, over 400,000 acres of alfalfa, corn and soybeans were damaged. Up to 70 percent damage was reported in Greeley county. Near Elba, hail and wind broke windows and damaged homes. In addition to the hail and wind, heavy rainfall in excess of 6 inches was reported near Scotia. Widespread 1 to 4 inch rains were reported elsewhere.

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

19 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Buffalo

When: June 17, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, Ravenna
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $200,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.030, -98.930

Hail, Sherman

When: June 17, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Sherman County, Ashton
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $300,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.250, -98.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Buffalo

When: June 17, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, Poole
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: $700,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.980, -98.970

Hail, Sherman

When: June 17, 5:33 PM CST
Where: Sherman County, 4 mi NW of Rockville
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $300,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.150, -98.900

Hail, Greeley

When: June 17, 5:37 PM CST
Where: Greeley County, Scotia
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $3.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.470, -98.720

Hail, Buffalo

When: June 17, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, Riverdale
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $300,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.780, -99.170

Hail, Harlan

When: June 17, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Harlan County, Stamford
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $400,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.130, -99.580

Hail, Howard

When: June 17, 6:33 PM CST
Where: Howard County, 1 mi E of Dannevirk
Measured: 1 in hail
Crop damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.320, -98.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When: June 17, 6:41 PM CST
Where: Howard County, 4 mi N of St Paul
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 41.270, -98.470

Hail, Greeley

When: June 17, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Greeley County, Scotia
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $3.0 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.470, -98.720

Hail, Sherman

When: June 17, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Sherman County, Ashton
Measured: 1 in hail
Crop damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.250, -98.820

Hail, Howard

When: June 17, 7:12 PM CST
Where: Howard County, Elba
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $40,000
Crop damage: $1.5 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.280, -98.580

Hail, Buffalo

When: June 17, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, Miller
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $150,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.930, -99.380

Hail, Gosper

When: June 17, 7:24 PM CST
Where: Gosper County, Elwood
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.600, -99.850

Hail, Dawson

When: June 17, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Dawson County, Overton
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.730, -99.530

Hail, Gosper

When: June 17, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Gosper County, 3 mi S of Elwood
Measured: 1 in hail
Crop damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.550, -99.850

Hail, Greeley

When: June 17, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Greeley County, Greeley
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $2.0 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.550, -98.530

Hail, Gosper

When: June 17, 7:53 PM CST
Where: Gosper County, Johnson Res
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.700, -99.850

Hail, Dawson

When: June 17, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Dawson County, 10 mi NE of Lexington
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $200,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 40.880, -99.600

Hail, Sherman

When: June 17, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Sherman County, Ashton
Measured: 1 in hail
Crop damage: $2.0 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.250, -98.820

Hail, Dawson

When: June 17, 9:38 PM CST
Where: Dawson County, Cozad
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $250,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.870, -99.970

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

Every storm in Nebraska in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, June 1998

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: 5649880, 5649881, 5649882, 5649883, 5649884, 5649885, 5649886, 5649887, 5649888, 5649889, 5649890, 5649891, 5649892, 5649893, 5649894, 5649895, 5649896, 5649897, 5649898, 5649899, 5649900.