Newport, NE Hail Storm – September 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Newport, NE on September 1, 2026, producing stones up to 4.83 inches and widespread radar-detected hail cells across the metro. The storm progressed from late afternoon into the night and generated 45 separate NWS alerts.

What Happened

Late afternoon convection intensified into a long-lived hail-producing cell that moved northeast through the Newport metro. Dual-polarization radar (NEXRAD) first detected severe hail signatures in the area around 3:22 PM CDT, and alerts continued at frequent intervals through 11:57 PM CDT. Multiple radar-detected peaks occurred in the early evening and near sunset, with several radar returns later corroborated by spotter reports.

Around 6:18 PM CDT, spotters reported golf ball-sized hail and 40–50 mph gusts with heavy rainfall. Ground observations and photos relayed through NWSChat and social media placed quarter-size stones in Plainview and on the northeast side of Osmond later in the evening. The Randolph Fire Department submitted photos near 9:59 PM CDT showing roughly 2-inch hail, with the timing cross-referenced to radar.

NWS warnings accompanied portions of the storm at times when radar signatures were present but spotter coverage was limited. Other alerts were issued on the basis of radar-detected hail signatures alone. The aggregate record for the metro includes repeated radar detections and multiple spotter-verified observations across several hours.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and photographs show surface impacts concentrated along the radar-detected track through Newport and nearby towns. The Randolph photo of 2-inch stones indicates localized significant surface impact in that area. Multiple spotters described ground covered with hail ranging up to half dollar size after the late-afternoon convection. Plainview and northeast Osmond each reported quarter-size hail in photos relayed via social media and observer networks.

Spotters at approximately 6:18 PM CDT reported both golf ball-sized hail and 40–50 mph wind gusts, and those combined forces were observed where trees and lightweight structures bore visible abrasion and puncture marks. Repeated spotter-verified reports of dime-to-quarter and up to hen-egg size hail along the storm track align with clusters of strong radar returns; these clusters coincide with the times that larger radar-detected signatures passed over populated points in the metro.

Vehicle denting and impact marks were documented in images from the Randolph area and in public posts from Plainview. Gutters and soft trim showed concentrated impact scarring in the zones where observers noted ground coverage and photographed accumulations. Reports specifically cite heavy rainfall during the same periods, creating surface runoff and localized accumulation of hail that increased short-term loading on roof drainage systems in low-lying properties.

Newport, NE Hail Storm – September 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 45

What Happened

Damage Assessment

Storm Details

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