On Wednesday morning, strong winds were the main feature of severe thunderstorms that spread across southeastern Nebraska into Kansas and Missouri. More severe weather is expected on Thursday.
In Jefferson County, Nebraska, emergency management reported wind gusts of 75 mph in Fairbury and 72 mph near Harbine. A gust of 66 mph was recorded at the Beatrice Municipal Airport. Other areas in Nebraska, including Milford, Chester, Western, and Nemaha, saw wind gusts of 60 mph or higher.
Early Wednesday, several counties in Nebraska and Kansas were under tornado warnings as a line of thunderstorms quickly moved southeast.
On Tuesday night, there were at least five reports of tornadoes or chimney clouds south and west of Norfolk. Large hail struck Omaha and surrounding areas, with one observer in LaVista reporting hail the size of baseballs. There have been several reports of damaging hail, including grape-sized hail in Papillion and golf ball-sized hail at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue.
As the storm moved into northeastern Kansas, communities such as Marysville and Frankfort in Marshall County saw downed trees and downed power lines, with winds estimated at 70 mph. In Dover, near Topeka, 80 mph winds damaged trees and caused power outages.
