Hail — Pierce, Nebraska

2024-08-26 · near Osmond, Pierce, Nebraska

Event narrative

Broadcast media reported a hailstone that measured 3.25 inches in diameter.

Wider weather episode

For the end of August, ridging was noted across the eastern two-thirds of the CONUS. This upper-level pattern and associated surface high pressure system brought afternoon highs in the upper 90s and low 100s in addition to dew points in the 70s and lower 80s to much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. As a result, excessive heat was experienced by many the afternoons of both the 25th and the 26th, where heat indices ranged from 110 to 125 degrees during peak heating in the afternoon.

By the 26th, a shortwave trough ejected into the Pacific Northwest and moved across the northern Rockies. Isolated supercells developed the afternoon of the 26th along a weakening cold front that was slowly pushing south into northern Nebraska. While most of the severe weather from these storms remained north and west of the Omaha NWS County Warning Area, one supercell did make its way into portions of northeast Nebraska bringing hail up to 3.25 inches in diameter.

By the 29th, another shortwave trough ejected into the northern Plains immediately behind the disturbance that brought large hail to portions of northern Nebraska on the 26th. A surface low-pressure associated with this disturbance developed in south-central Canada, with a secondary low pressure that developed near the North Dakota-South Dakota border. A surface cold front was also noted as extending from northeast South Dakota into eastern Colorado. Scattered thunderstorms developed along and ahead of this front across much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during the early afternoon hours. While most of these thunderstorms remained under severe limits, there were a few instances of wind gusts ranging from 60 to 70 miles per hour, and one report of quarter sized hail from northeast Nebraska.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.3188, -97.5108)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1208274. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.