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Howard County, NE hail & severe wind history
107 storm reports on file for Howard County between 2010-06-03 and 2025-04-01 — 74 hail and 33 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 6.7 reports a year, and Jun is the busiest month.
Hail reports
74
4.6 per year
Largest hail
2.75"
baseball size · 2022-07-16
Strongest gust
75 mph
65 kt · 2021-08-26
Reported damage
$75.4M
property + crop, as filed
Storm days
64
distinct days with a report
Busiest year
2014
20 reports
Search every Howard County report
Filter the full record below — pick a year, narrow to a month, or drag the hail-size slider to see only the storms big enough to dent a roof (1" and up is the usual threshold insurers care about).
107 of 107 reports match.
Reports by month for the current filter — the shape of Howard County’s storm season.
| Date | Type | Size / gust | Nearest location | Report detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-01 20:17 | Hail | 1" quarter | 3.12 mi E of Farwell | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2025-04-01 20:25 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | .86 mi SE of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Social Media |
| 2024-08-29 13:08 | Hail | 1" quarter | .86 mi SE of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2024-06-02 20:55 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | .52 mi E of St Paul | Wind gusts estimated to be near 60 MPH resulted in tree damage in St. Paul. |
| 2024-04-26 12:15 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 0 mi N of Cotesfield | No narrative filed · source: Emergency Manager |
| 2024-04-16 02:20 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 3 mi W of Dannebrog | Minor outbuilding damage was reported three miles west of Dannebrog. |
| 2024-04-16 02:30 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | .86 mi SE of St Paul | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH. A trampoline was blown onto the roof of a home. |
| 2023-07-29 04:50 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | .52 mi E of St Paul | Wind gusts estimated to be between 60 and 70 MPH resulted in numerous downed tree branches in St. Paul. |
| 2022-07-23 16:37 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | 1.04 mi E of Farwell | Wind gusts estimated to be at least 70 MPH resulted in tree and crop damage in the area, as well as overturned pivots. |
| 2022-07-23 16:44 | Hail | 1" quarter | .86 mi NE of Elba | Hail up to the size of quarters was accompanied by wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH. This wind resulted in tree damage in Elba, including tree limbs near one foot in diameter downed and whole trees blown over. |
| 2022-07-23 16:46 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | .86 mi NE of Elba | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in tree damage in Elba, including tree limbs near one foot in diameter downed and whole trees blown over. Hail up to the size of quarters accompanied this wind. |
| 2022-07-23 16:52 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | .86 mi SE of St Paul | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in tree damage across much of St. Paul, especially across the southern part of town. |
| 2022-07-23 16:55 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 4.38 mi WNW of Cushing | No narrative filed · source: Social Media |
| 2022-07-23 16:59 | Wind | 50 kt 58 mph | 2.59 mi SE of St Paul | A wind gust of 58 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles southeast of St. Paul. |
| 2022-07-16 19:07 | Hail | 2.75" baseball | 7 mi W of Elba | Hail up to the size of baseballs was reported. A CoCoRaHS observer noted in comments that crops and trees were damaged and did not look good. |
| 2022-07-16 19:25 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | .69 mi S of Farwell | Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in Farwell by an NWS Employee. Emergency management later reported that a swath approximately three miles wide running from the Farwell area to west of Dannebrog suffered widespread crop damage and broken windows and siding. |
| 2022-06-04 19:55 | Hail | 1" quarter | 5 mi NE of Cushing | An NeRAIN observer commented that hail up to 1 inch diameter lasted about 20 minutes. |
| 2022-05-30 10:30 | Hail | 0.75" penny | 3 mi NE of Cushing | No narrative filed · source: Storm Chaser |
| 2022-04-29 17:01 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 0 mi N of Boelus | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2022-04-28 18:44 | Hail | 1" quarter | .86 mi NE of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2021-12-15 14:13 | Hail | 0.75" penny | .86 mi SE of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2021-08-26 21:37 | Wind | 65 kt 75 mph | 2.5 mi SE of Farwell | An isolated microburst with estimated gusts of 75 MPH caused localized damage. Crops were damaged, a few large trees were uprooted and tree limbs downed, grain bins were damaged and an irrigation pivot was overturned. |
| 2021-08-26 21:44 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 2.95 mi SSE of Elba | Nickel size hail was reported three miles south of Elba on Highway 11. |
| 2021-03-26 19:16 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | .69 mi N of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Social Media |
| 2020-06-30 20:35 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of St Libory | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2020-06-03 19:34 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 1 mi WNW of St Paul | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH. |
| 2020-06-03 19:45 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | 4 mi NE of St Libory | Wind gusts estimated to be near 65 MPH resulted in downed tree limbs up to 5 inches in diameter. Wind-driven hail of unknown size also caused crop damage in the area. |
| 2019-09-30 18:15 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 4 mi W of Cotesfield | No narrative filed · source: Social Media |
| 2019-08-07 01:15 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 3 mi ESE of Farwell | Wind gusts estimated to be near 60 MPH resulted in tree damage in a shelter belt, where several large limbs were blown down. |
| 2019-05-05 14:20 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | 4.65 mi ENE of St Libory | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2019-04-21 19:47 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2019-04-21 19:59 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 3.2 mi ESE of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2019-04-21 20:15 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | 0 mi N of St Paul | Hail ranging from quarter to ping pong ball size was reported in town. |
| 2018-08-16 02:55 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 0 mi N of Farwell | The combination of hail up to the size of golf balls and wind gusts of 60-75 MPH resulted in damage across central/southern Howard County. Most of the hail reports were dime to quarter size, with one report of golf ball hail north of Dannebrog, but a common theme was the copious amounts of hail. In a few spots, hail d… |
| 2018-08-16 02:55 | Wind | 65 kt 75 mph | 0 mi N of Farwell | The combination of hail up to the size of golf balls and wind gusts of 60-75 MPH resulted in damage across central/southern Howard County. Most of the hail reports were dime to quarter size, with one report of golf ball hail north of Dannebrog, but a common theme was the copious amounts of hail. In a few spots, hail d… |
| 2018-06-09 00:15 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | 8 mi WNW of Elba | An NeRAIN observer near Dannevirke estimated gusts to around 65 MPH. |
| 2017-08-27 02:45 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | 0 mi N of Boelus | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in tree damage across the area. Large tree limbs were downed along Highway 58 near Dannebrog. A large pine tree in Boelus had its top snapped off, with a large branch impaling the roof of a nearby house. |
| 2017-08-15 18:02 | Hail | 1" quarter | 3.12 mi E of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2017-06-27 21:40 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | 0 mi N of Boelus | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 65 MPH. There was tree damage reported on the east side of town. |
| 2017-04-14 19:45 | Hail | 0.75" penny | 8 mi N of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2016-11-27 16:16 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 0 mi N of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2016-09-15 20:15 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 5 mi E of Boelus | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2016-07-05 18:40 | Hail | 1.25" half dollar | 3 mi SE of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2016-07-05 18:49 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | 1 mi S of St Paul | Local country club and golf course suffered tree damage as a result of damaging winds. One extremely large tree approximately 5 feet in diameter was blown down. Large branches were downed from other trees. |
| 2015-09-09 18:01 | Wind | 51 kt 59 mph | 0 mi N of Farwell | Numerous tree limbs and power lines were downed. Some home windows were also broken. |
| 2015-09-09 18:04 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | 4.17 mi NW of Nysted | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2015-09-09 18:14 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 0 mi N of Dannebrog | Quarter to golf ball size hail was reported in the area. |
| 2015-06-04 01:25 | Hail | 1" quarter | 2.5 mi W of Elba | Pea to quarter size hail lasted around 10 minutes. |
| 2015-04-01 17:22 | Hail | 1" quarter | .87 mi NW of Boelus | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2015-04-01 18:52 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 2.32 mi NNE of St Libory | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2014-09-03 12:45 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2014-08-17 18:38 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 8 mi WNW of Elba | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH by an NeRAIN observer. |
| 2014-08-02 17:04 | Hail | 1" quarter | 2 mi W of Cotesfield | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2014-07-09 19:29 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of Boelus | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2014-06-20 15:03 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | 1.73 mi NE of Cotesfield | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2014-06-20 16:35 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 2.76 mi S of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2014-06-20 16:40 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2014-06-20 20:09 | Hail | 1" quarter | 6 mi W of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: 911 Call Center |
| 2014-06-20 20:45 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 1.38 mi S of Boelus | A thunderstorm wind gust was estimated at 60 mph. |
| 2014-06-16 17:12 | Hail | 1" quarter | 2 mi WSW of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2014-06-06 20:04 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | 2.94 mi NNE of St Paul | Law enforcement reported ping pong size hail 3 miles north of St. Paul on Highway 281. |
| 2014-06-03 18:30 | Hail | 1" quarter | .86 mi SE of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: COOP Observer |
| 2014-06-03 18:35 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | 3.7 mi E of St Paul | A large, healthy tree limb about 6 inches in diameter came down with a wind gust estimated to be 70 mph. Three quarter inch diameter hail was also falling and being driven by the damaging wind. |
| 2014-06-03 20:35 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | 0 mi N of Boelus | Downed trees and power lines occurred. |
| 2014-06-03 20:42 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 0 mi N of Farwell | Hail ranged in size from from nickels to golf balls. Piles of nickel to quarter size hail were reported near Farwell. |
| 2014-06-03 20:57 | Hail | 1" quarter | 1.04 mi E of St Libory | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2014-06-03 20:57 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | 4.27 mi NNE of St Libory | A 12 inch diameter tree limb fell on and damaged a car. |
| 2014-06-03 21:32 | Hail | 2" hen egg | 4 mi SW of Dannebrog | Golfball to hen egg size hail was reported. |
| 2014-06-03 21:58 | Wind | 56 kt 64 mph | 3.41 mi ESE of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Mesonet |
| 2014-05-07 20:25 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 0 mi N of Elba | Tree damage, with some power outages, was reported in Elba. |
| 2013-10-02 18:36 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | 1.25 mi WSW of Cotesfield | Quarter to ping pong size hail occurred. Moderate to heavy rain also occurred. |
| 2013-08-01 19:43 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 5.02 mi NW of Farwell | Nickel size hail also occurred with heavy rain. |
| 2013-08-01 19:43 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 5.02 mi NW of Farwell | Nickel size hail fell with heavy rain, along with estimated 60 mph wind gusts. |
| 2013-08-01 20:04 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 2.14 mi SSW of Farwell | Three quarter inch diameter hail also fell. |
| 2013-08-01 20:04 | Hail | 0.75" penny | 2.14 mi SSW of Farwell | Estimated 60 mph wind gusts also occurred. |
| 2013-07-24 18:28 | Hail | 1.5" ping pong | 0 mi N of Boelus | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2013-07-24 18:28 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 0 mi N of Boelus | Wind gusts estimated at 60 MPH were accompanied by quarter to ping pong ball size hail. |
| 2013-05-29 17:23 | Hail | 1" quarter | 4.43 mi NNW of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2013-05-19 15:44 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 4 mi N of St Libory | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2012-11-10 16:40 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 1 mi SW of St Libory | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2012-11-10 16:53 | Hail | 1.25" half dollar | 3 mi ENE of Cushing | Extensive roof and siding damage was reported. |
| 2012-08-07 18:00 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 2 mi E of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2012-08-07 18:00 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2012-07-25 15:07 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 0 mi N of St Libory | Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in the area. |
| 2012-05-27 17:42 | Hail | 1" quarter | 3 mi E of Farwell | No narrative filed · source: NWS Employee |
| 2012-05-04 19:50 | Hail | 1" quarter | 8 mi NE of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2012-05-04 19:59 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2012-05-04 20:07 | Hail | 2.75" baseball | 3 mi NNW of St Paul | Hail ranging from the size of quarters to at least the size of baseballs was reported in and around St. Paul. There were numerous reports of vehicle damage, along with window, siding, and gutter damage to homes. A local greenhouse had 21 roof panels destroyed. |
| 2012-05-04 20:24 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 6 mi W of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2012-05-03 18:41 | Hail | 1" quarter | 4 mi NNE of Boelus | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2012-05-02 18:29 | Hail | 0.75" penny | 0 mi N of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Fire Department/Rescue |
| 2012-05-02 18:47 | Hail | 1" quarter | 1 mi W of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2011-10-07 18:00 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of Dannebrog | No narrative filed · source: Public |
| 2011-08-06 16:15 | Hail | 1" quarter | 4 mi NE of St Libory | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2011-06-19 22:40 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 8 mi WNW of Elba | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 MPH. |
| 2011-06-19 22:40 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | 8 mi WNW of Elba | No narrative filed · source: CoCoRaHS |
| 2011-06-19 22:53 | Hail | 2.5" tennis ball | 0 mi N of Cotesfield | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2011-06-19 23:35 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 0 mi N of St Paul | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 MPH, knocking down small tree limbs. Wind was accompanied by pea to penny size hail. |
| 2011-05-30 20:15 | Wind | 61 kt 70 mph | 0 mi N of St Paul | Damage reports included roof, gutter and tree damage, with one tree landing on a vehicle in town. Three outbuildings were also damaged. |
| 2011-05-30 20:30 | Wind | 65 kt 75 mph | 0 mi N of Dannebrog | Wind gusts were estimated at 75 MPH. |
| 2011-05-12 16:19 | Hail | 1" quarter | 0 mi N of St Libory | No narrative filed · source: County Official |
| 2011-05-11 14:00 | Wind | 52 kt 60 mph | 8 mi N of St Paul | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| 2010-07-19 23:35 | Hail | 1" quarter | 5 mi NE of Boelus | No narrative filed · source: Fire Department/Rescue |
| 2010-06-22 19:48 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | 3.7 mi E of St Paul | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
| 2010-06-05 00:10 | Hail | 1.75" golf ball | .74 mi ENE of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Law Enforcement |
| 2010-06-03 19:10 | Hail | 0.88" nickel | .52 mi E of Elba | No narrative filed · source: Fire Department/Rescue |
| 2010-06-03 19:30 | Hail | 1" quarter | 4.56 mi NE of Dannevirk | No narrative filed · source: Trained Spotter |
Worst storm days in Howard County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-03 | 8 | 2" (hen egg) | 70 mph |
| 2022-07-23 | 6 | 1" (quarter) | 70 mph |
| 2014-06-20 | 5 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 60 mph |
| 2012-05-04 | 4 | 2.75" (baseball) | — |
| 2011-06-19 | 4 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | 60 mph |
| 2013-08-01 | 4 | 0.88" (nickel) | 60 mph |
| 2015-09-09 | 3 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 59 mph |
| 2019-04-21 | 3 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | — |
| 2022-07-16 | 2 | 2.75" (baseball) | — |
| 2018-08-16 | 2 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 75 mph |
Reports by year
Report counts are driven partly by how many people were around to report a storm, so recent years tend to look busier than the early 2010s. Treat the trend as a reporting trend, not purely a weather trend.
Notable large-hail events (2" and up)
| Date | Size | Near | What was reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-07-16 | 2.75" baseball | 7 mi W of Elba | Hail up to the size of baseballs was reported. A CoCoRaHS observer noted in comments that crops and trees were damaged and did not look good. |
| 2014-06-03 | 2" hen egg | 4 mi SW of Dannebrog | Golfball to hen egg size hail was reported. |
| 2012-05-04 | 2.75" baseball | 3 mi NNW of St Paul | Hail ranging from the size of quarters to at least the size of baseballs was reported in and around St. Paul. There were numerous reports of vehicle damage, along with window, siding, and gutter damage to homes. A local greenhouse had 21 roof panels destroyed. |
| 2011-06-19 | 2.5" tennis ball | 0 mi N of Cotesfield | No narrative filed |
When does hail hit Howard County?
Across 16 years of records, June produced the most reports (31), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 1 | 0.9% |
| April | 13 | 12.1% |
| May | 17 | 15.9% |
| June | 31 | 29.0% |
| July | 16 | 15.0% |
| August | 17 | 15.9% |
| September | 6 | 5.6% |
| October | 2 | 1.9% |
| November | 3 | 2.8% |
| December | 1 | 0.9% |
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About these numbers
Every row above is a report filed with the National Weather Service and archived in the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (FIPS 31093). Reports are eyewitness, trained-spotter and damage-survey observations, so they cluster near roads and towns and miss storms over empty country. Hail sizes are estimates. Damage figures are preliminary as filed and are never revised in this archive. Use this page for background, not for an insurance claim, a legal filing, or a roof assessment — for those, get the official record from NOAA directly.