Thunderstorm Wind — Hitchcock, Nebraska

2025-05-18 · near Stratton, Hitchcock, Nebraska

Event narrative

A NWS storm survey found damage to a farmstead at the intersection of CR 716 and 351 from straight line winds. Damage included part of a wheat header rotated in place. An empty grain bin was destroyed, with parts of it blown against a machine shed to the northeast. Part of door blown off track; doors were closed. Part of the destroyed bin was impaled in the roof. Wheels on a grain auger were bent. Hardwood trees were snapped. A roof was also blown off of a well house. Another farmstead to the northeast across Road 351 sustained damage which included an empty gravity wagon tipped over along with a large swath of tree trunks apart of a wind break snapped. An old barn was also collapsed.

Wider weather episode

Numerous severe storms moved into SW Nebraska from northeast Colorado and northwest Kansas and led to numerous reports of hail, wind and tornadoes. The strongest tornado was an EF 3 to the north of Stratton, Nebraska along with hail around 2 inches north of Stratton and in Benkelman as well. The EF 3 caused major damage to structures, electric poles, and farm machinery. The same thunderstorm also produced swaths of straight-line winds that also caused damage to electric poles, trees, and structures.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.2069, -101.2689)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1259556. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.