Hail, Fremont
- When
- May 21, 5:55 PM CST
- Where
- Fremont County, 0.52 mi E of Randolph
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 40.870, -95.560
Hail in Iowa, May 21, 2011
Scattered severe thunderstorms developed over eastern Nebraska during the afternoon of May 21 and tracked and developed into western Iowa during the early to mid evening hours. The storms developed as cold air aloft spread into the region on the south side of a large upper low that was over the Dakotas.
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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- 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 OAX wrote it up.
Scattered severe thunderstorms developed over eastern Nebraska during the afternoon of May 21 and tracked and developed into western Iowa during the early to mid evening hours. The storms developed as cold air aloft spread into the region on the south side of a large upper low that was over the Dakotas. Initially the storms developed in the mid afternoon on a dry-line that was southeast of Columbus and Wayne, Nebraska. The storms became more widespread from late afternoon into early evening as conditions became a little more unstable and a disturbance rotated around the low. Most of the storms were multi-cellular in nature.
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 Omaha, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 21, 1:12 PM CST, 4 hours 43 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 21, 1:12 PM CST, 4 hours 43 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 212 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 .DISCUSSION... MAIN CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM IS POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWED A CLOSED MID TROPOSPHERIC LOW SPINNING OVER WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. SEVERAL IMPULSES WERE ROTATING AROUND THE MAIN LOW. SURFACE ANALYSIS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON SHOWED A FAIRLY COMPLEX PATTERN. A 996 LOW PRESSURE CENTER WAS OVER EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA WITH AN OCCLUDED FRONT CURVING EAST AND THEN SOUTH OF THE LOW INTO ANOTHER LOW OVER WESTERN KANSAS. DEWPOINTS IN THE LOCAL AREA WERE MOSTLY IN THE 50S TO LOWER 60S...WITH SOME DRIER AIR LOCATED TO THE WEST IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA. 12Z OAX SOUNDING SHOWED A FAIRLY STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATE. LAPS DATA SHOWED VERY LITTLE CONVECTIVE INHIBITION WITH 500 METER MIXED LAYER CAPE VALUES MOSTLY FROM 1500 TO 2200 J/KG. EXPECT SCATTERED STORMS TO INITIATE OVER OUR AREA AND THEN TRACK EAST OR NORTHEAST OUT OF OUR AREA. SOME SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED...WITH LARGE HAIL THE MAIN RISK. OTHERWISE...EXPECT COVERAGE OF PRECIPITATION TO DECREASE AFTER 1 AM TONIGHT AND ONLY HAVE LOW POPS FOR PARTS OF THE AREA. SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR SHOULD WORK INTO THE AREA OVERNIGHT AS WINDS TURN TO SOUTHWEST. HAVE LOWS MOSTLY IN THE MID AND UPPER 50S...WITH SOME LOWER 50S WEST OF HIGHWAY 81. SUNDAY...500 MB LOW SHOULD TRACK FROM SOUTH DAKOTA INTO MINNESOTA AND IT APPEARS OUR AREA WILL NOT BE QUITE AS ACTIVE. LAPSE RATES DO NOT LOOK AS STEEP AND 850 MB DEWPOINTS SHOULD GENERALLY BE LOWER. DID HOLD ONTO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH RAIN CHANCES SHOULD BE HIGHER TO OUR NORTH... EAST AND SOUTH. REALLY DID NOT MAKE MANY CHANGES FARTHER OUT...SINCE PREVIOUS GRIDS LOOKED GOOD. GFS SEEMED TO BE THE ODD MODEL OUT IN REGARDS TO THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. IN GENERAL...WENT CLOSER TO THE WETTER SOLUTION SUGGESTED BY THE 00Z ECMWF. DID ADJUST RAIN CHANCES A BIT FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SINCE SYSTEM APPEARS SLOWER THAN PREVIOUS RUNS. CONFIDENCE ON DETAILS BEYOND WEDNESDAY IS NOT VERY HIGH...WITH DIVERGING MODEL SOLUTIONS. 00Z ECMWF HAD A MUCH STRONG 500 MB RIDGE OVER THE ROCKIES COMPARED TO THE 12Z GFS. && .AVIATION... TAF SITES KOFK/KOMA/KLNK 18Z TAFS TIGHTLY WOUND UPPER LOW VERY EVIDENT ACROSS CENTRAL NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH MAINLY MID LEVEL CLOUDS AND LIGHT SHOWER ACTIVITY INTO THE KOFK REGION THROUGH 21Z. AFTER 21Z LOOK FOR CB DEVELOPMENT EVENTUALLY EVOLVING INTO THUNDERSTORMS. ALL THREE TAF SITES WILL LIKELY HAVE THUNDERSTORMS IN VICINITY BETWEEN 21Z AND 02Z PRODUCING ISOLATED MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && DISCUSSION...MILLER AVIATION...MEYER
Hazardous weather outlook, May 21, 3:35 PM CST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE 435 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 IAZ043-055-056-069-080-091-NEZ011-012-015>018-030>034-042>045- 050>053-065-066-088>090-092-221100- ANTELOPE-BOONE-BURT-BUTLER-CEDAR-COLFAX-CUMING-DODGE-DOUGLAS-GAGE- HARRISON IA-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-KNOX-LANCASTER-MADISON-MONONA IA- MONTGOMERY IA-PAGE IA-PAWNEE-PIERCE-PLATTE-POTTAWATTAMIE IA-SARPY- SAUNDERS-SEWARD-SHELBY IA-STANTON-THURSTON-WASHINGTON-WAYNE- 435 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING. THE MAIN HAZARD APPEARS TO BE LARGE HAIL. STORMS SHOULD DECREASE IN COVERAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR PARTS OF THE AREA SUNDAY...BUT SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA SUNDAY EVENING. AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE MAINLY OVER SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. LATER OUTLOOKS WILL ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS FROM MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...BUT THE SEVERE THREAT IS HIGHER SOUTH OF THE LOCAL AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING...BUT SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED OVERNIGHT OR SUNDAY. IAZ079-090-NEZ067-068-078-091-093-221100- CASS-FREMONT IA-MILLS IA-NEMAHA-OTOE-RICHARDSON-SALINE- 435 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA THIS EVENING. THE MAIN HAZARD APPEARS TO BE LARGE HAIL. STORMS SHOULD DECREASE IN COVERAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR PARTS OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY...BUT THE SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER FROM AROUND BROWNVILLE DOWNSTREAM THROUGH RULO. MINOR FLOODING OF THE MISSOURI RIVER WILL CONTINUE FROM AROUND PLATTSMOUTH TO NORTH OF BROWNVILLE. FLOODING IS ALSO OCCURRING IN PARTS OF SALINE COUNTY FROM THE BIG BLUE RIVER AND TURKEY CREEK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA SUNDAY EVENING. AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. LATER OUTLOOKS WILL ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS FROM MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. FLOODING SHOULD CONTINUE ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER FROM PLATTSMOUTH DOWNSTREAM TO RULO. FLOODING IS GENERALLY EXPECTED TO DECREASE THROUGH MONDAY IN SALINE COUNTY. IF ANY ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OCCURS... CURRENT FLOODING COULD INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING...BUT SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED OVERNIGHT OR SUNDAY. MILLER
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 21, 5:00 PM CST, 55 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
600 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0549 PM HAIL DAVID CITY 41.25N 97.13W
05/21/2011 E1.00 INCH BUTLER NE EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
JMEYERLocal storm report, May 21, 5:09 PM CST, 46 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
609 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0550 PM HAIL 2 E WEST POINT 41.84N 96.67W
05/21/2011 E1.50 INCH CUMING NE PUBLIC
HAIL UP TO PING PONG BALL SIZE
&&
MILLERLocal storm report, May 21, 5:16 PM CST, 39 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
616 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0610 PM HAIL 3 SW AUBURN 40.36N 95.88W
05/21/2011 E1.00 INCH NEMAHA NE TRAINED SPOTTER
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS
&&
MILLERLocal storm report, May 21, 5:26 PM CST, 29 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
626 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0533 PM HAIL 2 SW SHUBERT 40.22N 95.71W
05/21/2011 M0.75 INCH RICHARDSON NE CO-OP OBSERVER
HAIL UP TO PENNY SIZE AROUND 533 PM
&&
MILLERSpecial weather statement, May 21, 5:34 PM CST, 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA 634 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 IAZ090-091-220015- FREMONT IA-PAGE IA- 634 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR FREMONT AND SOUTHWESTERN PAGE COUNTIES UNTIL 715 PM CDT... AT 625 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER...NEAR BROWNVILLE. THESE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA THROUGH 700 PM CDT. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS MAY OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS. MILLER
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:37 PM CST, 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA 637 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 NEZ067-220015- CASS NE- 637 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR CASS COUNTY UNTIL 715 PM CDT... AT 635 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ELMWOOD...OR 19 MILES EAST OF LINCOLN... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... ELMWOOD... MURDOCK... WEEPING WATER... LOUISVILLE... MANLEY... MAHONEY STATE PARK... SOUTH BEND... PLATTE RIVER STATE PARK... LOUISVILLE STATE RECREATION AREA... THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AREA. BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. MILLER
The radar
The Omaha radar (KOAX), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:54 UTC.
Event by event
6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Mills
- When
- May 21, 6:16 PM CST
- Where
- Mills County, 2.32 mi SSE of Balfour
- Measured
- 1.5 in hail
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 40.990, -95.660
Hail, Harrison
- When
- May 21, 7:18 PM CST
- Where
- Harrison County, 0.86 mi SE of Logan
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 41.640, -95.790
Hail, Shelby
- When
- May 21, 7:20 PM CST
- Where
- Shelby County, 0.69 mi N of Harlan
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 41.660, -95.330
Hail, Shelby
- When
- May 21, 7:27 PM CST
- Where
- Shelby County, 3.49 mi S of Defiance
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 41.780, -95.340
Along Highway 59 south of town.
Hail, Pottawattamie
- When
- May 21, 7:40 PM CST
- Where
- Pottawattamie County, 2.08 mi NE of Lake Manawa
- Measured
- 1.25 in hail
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
- Coordinates
- 41.240, -95.820
Near a department store in east Council Bluffs.
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 Kansas, May 21, 2011
- Excessive Heat in Kentucky, May 21, 2011
- Hail in Nebraska, May 21, 2011
- Hail in Kansas, May 21, 2011
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, May 21 to 22, 2011
- Tornado and Hail in Minnesota, May 21 to 22, 2011
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 21, 2011
- Flooding in Arkansas, May 21 to 31, 2011
- Flash Flooding in Maine, May 21, 2011
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 21, 2011
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 21, 2011
- Tornado and Hail in Missouri, May 21, 2011
More
Every storm in Iowa in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, May 2011
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: 293195, 293685, 293196, 293197, 293198, 293199.