Hay Springs, NE Hail Storm – July 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Hay Springs, NE on July 3, 2026, producing 3.18-inch stones and multiple spotter-verified impacts from mid‑afternoon into late evening.

What Happened

Fifteen NWS alerts were issued for the Hay Springs area between 3:14 PM CDT and 9:25 PM CDT. The sequence began with a radar-detected hail alert around 3:14 PM CDT and continued through a series of strong radar returns into the evening. Several radar-detected cells produced inch-class hail between mid‑afternoon and early evening.

Spotter-verified observations punctuated the radar record. An mPing submission at 4:07 PM CDT recorded 1.5-inch hail. A radar plus spotter-verified alert at 4:26 PM CDT corresponded with larger radar returns in the same corridor. Multiple social media videos at 6:00 PM CDT captured 1.5-inch stones at ground level. Time-estimated spotter reports later in the evening recorded smaller stones near 1.0–1.25 inches.

An NWS warning-only alert was issued at 7:38 PM CDT that estimated 1.00-inch hail within the official warning area. Later radar-detected alerts showed renewed intensity near 8:16 PM CDT and 9:09 PM CDT, the latter again supported by radar plus spotter verification. The pattern shows repeated cells tracking over the same general corridor through Hay Springs from late afternoon into the night.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and time-estimated observations indicate multiple surface impacts across the Hay Springs area but include few direct damage claims in the Local Storm Reports. Eleven spotter-verified entries in the official record documented hailstone sizes ranging from 1.00 to 1.50 inches, including four separate social-video corroborations at about 6:00 PM CDT and an mPing entry at 4:07 PM CDT.

Radar returns tied to spotter-verified observations at 4:26 PM CDT and 9:09 PM CDT indicate pockets of larger hail through the same corridor. Time-estimated spotter entries around 4:40 PM CDT and 7:22 PM CDT recorded 1.00-inch stones, and an 8:57 PM CDT entry estimated 1.25-inch stones. The NWS warning-only estimate at 7:38 PM CDT appears alongside these spotter and radar reports rather than as the sole source of impact data.

The available reports do not include detailed structural loss listings in the public LSR text. Surface evidence in the record is limited to measured and estimated stone sizes, video documentation, and observer notes tied to specific times and locations within the Hay Springs vicinity.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections for properties along the radar and spotter track between roughly mid‑afternoon and late evening on July 3. Focus first on the areas nearest the 4:26 PM CDT and 9:09 PM CDT spotter-verified cells. Those times coincide with the largest radar returns and with observer reports that may indicate the greatest surface impact.