Nebraska, 1998

Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, September 25, 1998

September 25, 1998 · NWS GID · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

A devastating thunderstorm packing hail and high winds hammered the town of Elm Creek shortly before 6 pm. 75 inch hail driven by 100 mph winds.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
5
Property damage
$2.5 million
Crop damage
$3.0 million
Events
6

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.

A devastating thunderstorm packing hail and high winds hammered the town of Elm Creek shortly before 6 pm. The severe storm dumped 1.75 inch hail driven by 100 mph winds. Nearly every home in town sustained some damage in the form on broken windows, damaged siding or extensive tree damage. Two semi-trailer trucks were blown off Interstate 80. One person received minor injuries there. Many windshields were taken by the storm and grain bins were also damaged Some people estimated the hail and wind lasted for 12 minutes. Three other minor injuries were reported due to flying glass.Another storm deposited dime size hail in Dannebrog at 615 pm. Just a short time later, this storm blew out some windows north of town. Minor crop damage was also found in Howard county.

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:15 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Phelps

When
September 25, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Phelps County, 3 mi NE of Westmark
Measured
75 kt (86 mph)
Property damage
$30,000
Crop damage
$200,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
40.630, -99.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Buffalo

When
September 25, 4:23 PM CST
Where
Buffalo County, Elm Creek
Measured
87 kt (100 mph)
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.4 million
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.720, -99.370

Hail, Buffalo

When
September 25, 4:47 PM CST
Where
Buffalo County, 2 mi W of Pleasanton
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
$500,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.970, -99.120

Hail, Sherman

When
September 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Sherman County, 2 mi E of Loup City
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
41.280, -98.950

Hail, Howard

When
September 25, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Howard County, Dannebrog
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
$250,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.120, -98.550

Hail, Greeley

When
September 25, 5:55 PM CST
Where
Greeley County, Wolbach
Measured
0.75 in hail
Crop damage
$100,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.400, -98.400

What these are

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, September 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: 5663851, 5664454, 5663852, 5663853, 5663854, 5663855.