Stratton, NE Hail Storm – June 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Stratton, NE on June 20, 2026, producing 4.37-inch stones and prompting 75 NWS alerts from mid-afternoon into the next day. The event produced multiple radar-detected hail cores and spotter-verified surface impacts across the Stratton area.

What Happened

The first radar-detected hail signatures appeared in the late afternoon, with an initial alert at 2:49 PM CDT showing quarter-to-larger size echoes. Dual-polarization radar continued to flag intense cores through the afternoon and early evening. Notable radar-derived alerts include substantial hail signatures at 3:54 PM CDT and 4:02 PM CDT, followed by spotter-verified reports in the 4 PM hour.

Field observations synchronized with the radar timeline. At 4:08 PM CDT a storm chaser estimated 3-inch hail while on-scene. Multiple mPING submissions around 4:00–4:10 PM CDT reported stones measured at 1.75 to 2.5 inches in diameter. Later evening mPING entries recorded larger stones identified as tennis-ball and baseball sizes near Stratton around 7:00 PM CDT. The NWS issued repeated warning-area messages through the night; many later alerts were labeled NWS warning only and tracked smaller-size echoes as the core weakened.

Radar-detected hail signals recurred into the late evening and into early June 21, with dozens of dual-polarization detections and periodic spotter confirmations. The combined record shows a multi-hour, multi-core storm track focused on Stratton and adjacent rural corridors.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and radar detections indicate concentrated surface impacts in and immediately around Stratton. Multiple spotter-verified submissions at 4:00–4:10 PM CDT and again near 7:00 PM CDT report stones large enough to produce severe surface effects. A trained spotter at 4:50 PM CDT reported golf ball-sized hail in town. A public phone report at 5:43 PM CDT documented varying sizes with golf balls listed as the largest observed at that location.

The spatial clustering of mPING and chaser reports aligns with the radar-derived hail cores that passed over central Stratton and the county roads to the east and south. Reported stone sizes in the 2.5–3.0 inch range and multiple 1.75-inch observations imply high-impact loading on horizontal surfaces where those reports were logged. Vehicle denting and broken glazing were reported by public callers in Stratton during the 4 PM hour. The later mPING reports of tennis-ball and baseball-size stones near 7:00 PM CDT indicate isolated pockets of very large hail on the storm’s trailing segments.

Reported damage locations concentrate inside the NWS warning area issued for Stratton on June 20. Many later alerts in the warning area traced smaller echoes and passed without additional spotter verification. Ground reports remain the primary evidence for the most severe surface impacts listed above.

Stratton, NE Hail Storm – June 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 76

What Happened

Damage Assessment

Storm Details

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