Hail, Furnas
- When
- October 16, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Furnas County, 4 mi S of Wilsonville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.070, -100.120
Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, October 16, 1998
An unusual October severe weather outbreak spawned a tornado which tore across parts of Phelps and western Buffalo counties. The tornado set down a few miles southwest of Loomis and rapidly moved northeast.
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
- $580,000
- Crop damage
- $1.9 million
- Events
- 8
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.
An unusual October severe weather outbreak spawned a tornado which tore across parts of Phelps and western Buffalo counties. The tornado set down a few miles southwest of Loomis and rapidly moved northeast. Along its path in Phelps county, grain bins were damaged, power poles snapped and a roof was torn from a large storage building. One farmstead northeast of Loomis sustained major damage. The roof was ripped from the house and two walls were moved from the foundation. A pole barn was destroyed. Both the house and barn were a total loss. Once the storm crossed the Platte River, the tornado hit a trailer house just west of Elm Creek and deposited the shattered remains about 200 feet north of its original location. The tornado continued to move north and shortly dissipated.Another tornado formed from a different storm in northern Dawson county. This tornado passed through a farmstead causing tree damage, blew over grain bins, and damaged other buildings. The house sustained only minor damage.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 hail, 3 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Furnas
- When
- October 16, 4:20 PM CST
- Where
- Furnas County, 3 mi W of Beaver City
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.150, -99.880
Hail, Furnas
- When
- October 16, 4:45 PM CST
- Where
- Furnas County, Edison
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.280, -99.770
Hail, Dawson
- When
- October 16, 4:50 PM CST
- Where
- Dawson County, Eddyville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.020, -99.630
Tornado, Dawson
- When
- October 16, 4:55 PM CST to 5:02 PM CST
- Where
- Dawson County, Sumner to 5 mi SE of Eddyville
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 3.5 mi
- Path width
- 50 yd
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Crop damage
- $300,000
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 40.950, -99.600
Tornado, Phelps
- When
- October 16, 5:12 PM CST to 5:48 PM CST
- Where
- Phelps County, Loomis to 4 mi NE of Westmark
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 18 mi
- Path width
- 500 yd
- Property damage
- $400,000
- Crop damage
- $1.0 million
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.450, -99.570
Tornado, Buffalo
- When
- October 16, 5:48 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Buffalo County, Elm Creek to 4 mi NW of Elm Creek
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 6 mi
- Path width
- 40 yd
- Property damage
- $80,000
- Crop damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.680, -99.420
Thunderstorm Wind, Dawson
- When
- October 16, 5:55 PM CST
- Where
- Dawson County, Overton to 8 mi SE of Overton
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Crop damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 40.650, -99.430
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
- 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 Kansas, October 16, 1998
- Hail in Colorado, October 16, 1998
- High Wind in California, October 16, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Arkansas, October 16, 1998
- Hail in Nebraska, October 16, 1998
- Wildfire in California, October 16 to 24, 1998
- Hail in Kansas, October 16, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, October 16 to 17, 1998
- Flood and Hail in Kansas, October 16 to 17, 1998
- Hail in Nebraska, October 16, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Missouri, October 16, 1998
- High Wind in Alaska, October 16, 1998
More
Every storm in Nebraska in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 1998Warnings in Nebraska, October 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5667728, 5667729, 5667730, 5667731, 5667732, 5667733, 5667734, 5667735.