Hail in Gage County, Nebraska

Trained spotter report of hail measured up to 1 inch in diameter in Beatrice, NE.

During the late evening and overnight hours of April 14th, 2026, a surge of low-level moisture moved northward into the region. This influx, combined with steep mid-level lapse rates and strong, highly unidirectional wind shear, generated an environment favorable for severe organized convection.

Widely scattered strong to severe thunderstorms subsequently developed and tracked across the area during the late evening. The storms produced multiple reports of quarter-sized hail (one inch in diameter), including a report from a trained weather spotter in Beatrice, NE at 9:17 PM CST, and another from Emergency Management in Essex, IA at 10:27 PM CST.

In addition to the hail threat, repeated rounds of storms trained over the same areas, producing localized heavy rainfall across portions of southeast Nebraska. This training behavior prompted the issuance of two Flash Flood Warnings covering Gage, Johnson, and Otoe counties, where radar imagery estimated localized rainfall totals of 2.00 to 3.50 inches within a few hours. Despite the heavy downpours, no flash flooding impacts were reported.