Thunderstorm Wind in Clay County, Nebraska

At least 80 mph winds toppled a newly constructed 125 foot tall grain bin and pulled the anchor bolts out of the cement foundation.

A wild afternoon and early evening of high winds, hail, flooding and even a brief tornado was had over south central Nebraska. The tornado occurred on the east side of Hastings. This EF0 tornado traveled on the ground for about 1.5 miles and lifted around the Hastings Motorsports Track just southeast of town. Damage was minor. Elsewhere in Hastings, tree damage was excessive due to straight line winds near 70 mph. The hardest hit area was the eastern half of town where large trees were toppled and some damage was had to homes and other buildings. Hastings was the beginning of a corridor of high winds, which extended east along U.S. Highway 6 across Clay County and into Fillmore County. Another hard hit area was from Harvard to Saronville. A 125-foot tall grain bin was completely destroyed at a grain storage facility near Saronville. Ironically, the bin had just been completed. Over $100,000 in electrical equipment for the facility was lost as well. Winds were estimated at 80 mph and were enough to pull the anchor bolts out of the cement foundation. Further east, the town of Fairmont in Fillmore County was pounded as well. The roof was torn from the local car wash and tree damage was extensive. Power was lost to many parts of Fillmore County, including the Fillmore Central Middle School where classes were cancelled the next day. In rural areas, pivots were overturned, outbuildings damaged and the corn crop was trampled by the wind. Damage to corn and soybeans is hard to assess, but will likely reach several million dollars. Heavy rain of 2 to 5 inches resulted in water issues around the area as well. Many streets in Hastings were flooded and there were numerous road closures on county roads across Adams and Clay counties. There were sporadic reports of large hail and high winds elsewhere in south central Nebraska that afternoon and evening. Finally, in far northern Valley County near the Garfield County line, heavy rain caused flash flooding to occur on Highway 11.