Hail, Webster
- When
- May 8, 3:27 PM CST
- Where
- Webster County, Blue Hill
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 40.333, -98.450
Hail in Nebraska, May 8, 2003
Thunderstorms were widespread across south-central Nebraska during the late afternoon and early evening. The strongest storms dumped golf ball size hail in Furnas county, with several reports of penny to quarter size hail across the rest of the area.
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
- $25,000
- Crop damage
- $100,000
- Events
- 12
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.
Thunderstorms were widespread across south-central Nebraska during the late afternoon and early evening. The strongest storms dumped golf ball size hail in Furnas county, with several reports of penny to quarter size hail across the rest of the area.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 8, 12:55 PM CST, 2 hours 32 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 8, 12:55 PM CST, 2 hours 32 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 155 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003 1ST PD SVR TSRA IS THE PROBLEM OF THE DAY WITH A TOR THREAT FOR THE SRN HALF OF THE CWA THRU THIS EVE. WL WATCH MAGNITUDE OF DIFFERENTIAL HEATING/DPS...RESULTING INSTABILITY NR THE WARM FRONT PUSHING INTO NCNTR KS THIS AFTN IN ADVN OF VORT MAX MOVG ACRS CO THIS AFTN. TREND WL DICTATE THE FORECAST...AND IT LKS LIKE A FAIRLY QUICK SHOT FOR GID THIS EVE...ALTHOUGH VARIOUS AVN/ETA PARAMETERS ARE POINTING TO A RATHER MEAN TANTRUM. 70S ON FRI UNDR SHRTWV RIDGE LK OK FOLLOWED BY NXT TROF ON FRI NGT AND SAT. ETA WRAPS SOME DRIER AIR INTO THIS SYS AS MAIN LOW TRACK IS ACRS THE NRN PLNS...LEAVING LITTLE FOR THE TRAILING VORT MAX TO WORK WITH IN THE PCPN DEPT. MEANWHILE...AVN MAINTAINS THE MSTR WITH THE STRNGR VORT MAX SOLN. PRUDENCE DICTATES PERSISTANCE OF CHC NMBRS UNTIL THE TREND IS BTR DEFINED...ALTHOUGH RETREAT ON QPF MAY BE IN ORDER. SYS LKS TO BE FAR ENUF E TO MAINTAIN A DRY SUN AS WELL. WL BOOT EARLY WEEK HIGH TEMPS UP A CLICK OR TWO UNDR RIDGE. TIMING FOR WED PCPN CHC STILL LKS OK...FOLLOWED BY A DRY DAY 7. WL LEAN WARM FOR THU GIVEN OP RUN OF THE GFS IS ON THE LOW SIDE OF THE ENSEMBLES. .GID...NONE. 09
Hazardous weather outlook, May 8, 1:00 PM CST, 2 hours 27 minutes before
KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-091200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE 200 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. LOW PRESSURE CONTINUE TO DEVELOP NORTHEAST INTO NORTHERN KANSAS AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA BY LATE AFTERNOON EARLY EVENING TIMEFRAME...DRAGGING A WARM FRONT NORTH THROUGH EAST CENTRAL NEBRASKA. AT THE SAME TIME...A DRY LINE WILL PUSH EAST THROUGH WESTERN AND CENTRAL KANSAS...TO NEAR THE SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA BORDER HELPING TO FIRE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS EVENING. THERE IS A MODERATE TO HIGH RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE ENTIRE AREA...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY HAZARD...ALTHOUGH THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES ALSO EXISTS...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THERE WILL BE A BREAK IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DURING THE DAY ON FRIDAY...AND THEN THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. DRY WEATHER IS FORECAST SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... WITH THUNDERSTORMS FORECAST AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND BE READY FOR ACTIVATION. 10
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 8, 2:25 PM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
325 PM CDT THU MAY 08 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0323 PM 4 N FORMOSO KS .88 INCH HAIL
05/08/03 JEWELLLocal storm report, May 8, 3:27 PM CST, 0 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
427 PM CDT THU MAY 08 2003
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0427 PM BLUE HILL NE .88 INCH HAIL
05/08/03 WEBSTERThe radar
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 2 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:28 UTC.
Event by event
12 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, York
- When
- May 8, 3:40 PM CST
- Where
- York County, Henderson
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.783, -97.800
Hail, Furnas
- When
- May 8, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Furnas County, Wilsonville
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Crop damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.117, -100.117
Hail, Nance
- When
- May 8, 4:10 PM CST
- Where
- Nance County, Genoa
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.450, -97.733
Hail, Furnas
- When
- May 8, 4:15 PM CST
- Where
- Furnas County, Holbrook
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.300, -100.017
Hail, Gosper
- When
- May 8, 4:25 PM CST
- Where
- Gosper County, 16 mi S of Elwood
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.367, -99.850
Hail, Furnas
- When
- May 8, 4:45 PM CST
- Where
- Furnas County, Edison
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 40.283, -99.767
Hail, Furnas
- When
- May 8, 5:00 PM CST
- Where
- Furnas County, 7 mi NW of Oxford
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 40.317, -99.733
Hail, Buffalo
- When
- May 8, 5:12 PM CST
- Where
- Buffalo County, Elm Creek
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.717, -99.367
Hail, Harlan
- When
- May 8, 5:40 PM CST
- Where
- Harlan County, 5 mi W of Alma
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.100, -99.450
Hail, Franklin
- When
- May 8, 6:20 PM CST
- Where
- Franklin County, 5 mi N of Naponee
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 40.150, -99.150
Hail, Adams
- When
- May 8, 6:44 PM CST
- Where
- Adams County, Holstein
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 40.467, -98.650
What these are
- 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
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 8, 2003
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 8, 2003
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Kansas, May 8, 2003
- Tornadoes in Kansas, May 8, 2003
- Tornado in Oklahoma, May 8, 2003
- Hail in Iowa, May 8, 2003
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, May 8, 2003
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 8, 2003
- Flash Flood in Illinois, May 8, 2003
- Hail in Illinois, May 8, 2003
- Flash Flood in Tennessee, May 8, 2003
- Tornado and Hail in Kansas, May 8, 2003
More
Every storm in Nebraska in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, May 2003
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: 5364631, 5364632, 5364633, 5364902, 5364903, 5364904, 5364905, 5364906, 5364907, 5364908, 5364975, 5364976.