Hail in Nebraska, June 20, 2026

Name: Hail in Nebraska, June 20, 2026
Start: 2026-06-20T16:41
End: 2026-06-20T16:41
Location: Nebraska

June 20, 2026 · NWS OAX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

During the afternoon and evening hours of June 20, 2026, a cluster of thunderstorms tracked into eastern Nebraska, driven by increasing moisture transport and large-scale forcing for ascent. The greatest instability resided across southeast Nebraska, where radar interpretation noted the strongest hail cores through the evening. At 4:41 PM CST, the public reported quarter-sized hail (1.00 inch in diameter) near Jansen, Nebraska. The storms gradually pushed eastward and decayed later into the evening.

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 Jun 20, 1:30 PM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Heavy rain and flash flooding will be the main concern from late afternoon through the overnight hours. One to two inch rainfall totals with isolated totals three to five inches.
Slight to enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms late this afternoon into the late evening. Damaging winds and large hail are the primary threats.
There will be a pleasantly mild temperatures for the first full week of summer. High temperatures in the 70s and low temperatures in the 50s are expected.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 20, 1:30 PM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
230 PM CDT Sat Jun 20 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Heavy rain and flash flooding will be the main concern from
  late afternoon through the overnight hours. One to two inch
  rainfall totals with isolated totals three to five inches.

- Slight to enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms late this
  afternoon into the late evening. Damaging winds and large hail
  are the primary threats.

- There will be a pleasantly mild temperatures for the first
  full week of summer. High temperatures in the 70s and low
  temperatures in the 50s are expected.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 228 PM CDT Sat Jun 20 2026

Ongoing area of showers with embeded thunderstorms moving into
the western part of the forecast area early this afternoon.
Increasing moisture transport and increasing large scale ascent
aiding in the precipitation development along and east of MU-
CAPE gradient located across the area. Meso-scale models have
been poor in handling overall evolution, with previous 06z ARW
cores being the closest to what's current going on. Upper level
disturbance overtopping southern Rockies ridge axis will allow
precipitation to continue to evolve, as low level thermodynamics
sync and increase surface-mid level moisture transport. Better
surface-based instability appears to remain further south into
Kansas, with some intrusion into southern Nebraska. Better kinematics
associated with best SB- and MU-CAPE look to occur west of the
area. However, there will be a brief period from 23z-04z in
which there may be just enough mid-level instability and mid-
level shear to produce large hail and damaging winds, west of an
BVN to BIE line.

Heavy rainfall is expected in two areas. An area of along warm-
front and north of a warm front that will lift to about the
Kansas- Nebraska line by 00z, then as the upper disturbance
traverses the area between 03z and 09z, H9-H8 frontogensis
generally along an OLU- OMA-RDK line develops. With sustain
moisture transport, the severe threat will diminish but heavy
rainfall will become the primary threat. Operational GFS and EC
both highlight 50-90% probabilit of 6-hr rainfall above
100-year ARI at 06z and 12z. The NAEFS and ECENS are less
bullish, with probabilies 30-40%. Forecast precipitatable water
values are 80-99% of climatological normals, and with warm-rain
processes becoming dominate, cannot discount widespread 1-3 inch
rains with extreme shift-of-tails rainfall amounts three-five
inches.

Sunday through Friday...

Though there will be showers and isolated storms ongoing
daybreak Sunday, expected activity to move east of the area by
mid-day. with clearing condiitons. Synoptic models attempt to
redevelop showers across northeast Nebraska Sunday
afternoon/evening due to syncing of cyclonic conveyor of
upstream H5 disturbance and anti-cyclonic conveyor of downstream
disturbance. Left low PoP generated by NBM. Otherwise, forecast
looks "dry" through Tuesday when another more potent shortwave
dives out of western Canada. Better chances of strong to severe
storms appears to be Wednesday into Thursday.

Temperatures will be cooler than normal with eastern Nebraska
and western Iowa remaining under the influence of large wave
trough over the eastern U.S. High temperatures will remain in
the 70s and lows mainly in the 50s.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/...
Issued at 228 PM CDT Sat Jun 20 2026

Focus in the first 6 hours of the TAFs will be the onset of
showers and isolated thunderstorms. A large area of mainly
showers is moving into southeast Nebraska.
Thunderstorms/lightning remaining west of the CWA for now. As
the afternoon progresses, expected coverage of showers to
increase, with embedded thunderstorms to increase as well,
especially for KLNK and KOMA TAF which appear to be far enough
south to tap into better instability and surface-based
convection expected to form across the high plains and move
eastward. The convective allowing models have been inconsistent
in convective development overall, struggling with the location
of meso-scale versus syntopic forced development. Thunderstorms
still a possibility at KOFK with a frontogenesis at the upper
disturbance traversing northern Nebraska.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...Flood Watch from 7 PM CDT this evening through Sunday morning
     for NEZ030-042-043-050-051-065>068-078-088>093.
IA...Flood Watch from 7 PM CDT this evening through Sunday morning
     for IAZ090-091.

&&

DISCUSSION...Fortin
AVIATION...Fortin

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 20, 1:10 PM CST, 3 hours 31 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
210 PM CDT Sat Jun 20 2026

NEZ088-201945-
Jefferson NE-
210 PM CDT Sat Jun 20 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT WESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY THROUGH
245 PM CDT...

At 210 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Alexandria, or 15 miles northwest of Fairbury, moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

* Locations impacted include...
  Fairbury, Daykin, Gladstone, Crystal Springs Campground, and
  Alexandria State Recreation Area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 4013 9737 4034 9736 4029 9703 4005 9717
TIME...MOT...LOC 1910Z 290DEG 29KT 4025 9744

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Wood

Special weather statement, Jun 20, 1:35 PM CST, 3 hours 6 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley Nebraska
235 PM CDT Sat Jun 20 2026

NEZ088-089-202000-
Jefferson NE-Gage NE-
235 PM CDT Sat Jun 20 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN JEFFERSON AND
SOUTHERN GAGE COUNTIES THROUGH 300 PM CDT...

At 235 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 3
miles south of Jansen, or 5 miles east of Fairbury, moving east at 45
mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

* Locations impacted include...
  Odell, Diller, Endicott, Jansen, Barneston, Steele City, Harbine,
  Camp Jefferson, Rock Creek Station State Historical Park, and Cub
  Creek Recreational Area.

People attending Diller Picnic should seek safe shelter immediately!

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 4008 9715 4027 9705 4001 9646 4000 9694
TIME...MOT...LOC 1935Z 291DEG 39KT 4013 9707

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Wood

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Jefferson

When: June 20, 4:41 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, 1.06 mi E of Jansen
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 40.180, -97.060

Public report of hail estimated up to 1.00 inch in diameter.

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

Every storm in Nebraska in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Nebraska, June 2026

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: 1340522.