Hail in Phelps County, Nebraska

Line of thunderstorms with embedded supercells brings all severe hazards to portions of south central Nebraska during the evening of May 3, 2024. Thunderstorms initially developed over the Nebraska Panhandle during the late afternoon hours, then shifted eastward through the evening, arriving in far western portions of the forecast area (Dawson and Gosper Counties) between 7-8PM CDT. By this time, activity had organized into a NE to SW line, though some supercells remained embedded within the broader line. Of particular note and intensity was the portion of the line between Elwood and Holdrege in which a supercell evolved into a bowing line segment. During this transition, the primary threat changed from large hail (locally up to around golf ball size) to damaging straight line winds and brief tornadoes. The most notable and damaging tornadoes occurred near Atlanta and Holdrege. In fact, the town of Holdrege was quite fortunate in that two separate tornadoes touched down, one on the north side of town and one of the east side. Damage in town was relatively minimal (downed trees, power lines, small outbuildings), with the most costly and prevalent issue likely being the wind-driven hail. However, several homes and farmsteads just outside of town received more significant building damage up to EF-1 intensity. A single home was damaged just W of Atlanta in the first brief tornado of the event. Another two tornadoes were surveyed later in the event, but these were weak (EF-0), for an event total of 5 tornadoes. East of Hwy 183, the primary severe threat was damaging straight line winds in the 60-70 MPH range between 10PM and midnight. Severe wind gusts were reported in all three of the Tri-Cities. Activity largely shifted east into eastern Nebraska by around midnight.

Finally, it's worth noting that heavy rain caused brief issues with the I-80 eastbound ramps near Elm Creek. No other instances or impacts of flash flooding were reported.