Hail — Box Butte, Nebraska

2024-06-20 · near Hemingford, Box Butte, Nebraska

Event narrative

The public reported 2-inch diameter hail in Hemingford.

Wider weather episode

An intense supercell crossed into western Scotts Bluff County around 3:00 PM MDT on 6/20, quickly transitioning to an intense bow echo which produced widespread destructive straight line winds. These storms produced an EF-1 tornado to the southeast of the town of Morrill, NE, while a notable RFD (Rear Flank Downdraft) produced a broad swath of straight line winds in excess of 80 MPH. These RFD winds resulted in extensive tree and power line damage, most notably resulting in the collapse of a 300 foot KNEB communications tower. A member of the general public reported a wind gust to 104 MPH on a Davis weather instrument on the west side of Scottsbluff, which was consistent with the results of an official NWS Damage Survey. These storms quickly grew upscale into a large bowing MCS which tracked across much of western Nebraska, which continued to produce extreme winds through the evening with a peak wind gust to 81 MPH at Alliance.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.3200, -103.0800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1182166. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.