Fairmont, NE Hail Storm – September 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Fairmont, NE on September 12, 2026, producing 2.49-inch stones and a prolonged sequence of radar-detected and spotter-verified hail reports from mid-morning into early evening.

What Happened

The event produced 16 NWS alerts between 9:11 AM CDT and 6:35 PM CDT. Early activity began mid-morning. At 9:11 AM CDT dual-polarization radar detected 1.18-inch hail signatures along the initial inflow. An NWS warning followed at 9:19 AM CDT based on those returns. Mid-morning activity intensified over the Beatrice area. At 10:54 AM CDT a trained spotter reported golf ball-sized hail in northern Beatrice; that report arrived alongside a delayed relayed account of golf ball-sized hail at 10:53 AM CDT. Multiple spotter and community reports between 10:55 AM and 11:52 AM CDT documented quarter-size impacts, a law enforcement report noting quarter-size and possibly larger hail on the northern side of Beatrice at 10:55 AM CDT, and video-based estimates of a walnut-sized stone around 11:52 AM CDT.

Radar and warning activity continued through late morning and into the afternoon. Dual-polarization radar detections recorded incremental hail signatures at 11:09 AM CDT and again at 11:51 AM CDT. Afternoon re-development produced a series of radar-detected pulses beginning around 2:39 PM CDT and peaking in the mid-afternoon with detections of 1.39-inch to 1.56-inch signatures between 2:50 PM CDT and 3:14 PM CDT. Additional radar detections were logged through 5:50 PM CDT. A spotter-verified report at 6:34 PM CDT corresponded with a final radar detection at 6:35 PM CDT. The sequence shows multiple pulses along a sustained corridor rather than a single isolated pulse.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and community-submitted photos and video show concentrated surface impacts in and near northern Beatrice and localized reports from Geneva. Law enforcement on the northern side of Beatrice reported quarter-size and possibly larger hail at 10:55 AM CDT. Trained spotters supplied two independent reports at 10:53–10:54 AM CDT noting golf ball-sized stones in northern Beatrice. Observers uploaded pictures at 11:51–11:52 AM CDT and provided video evidence used to estimate a walnut-sized hailstone.

The photographic and video evidence indicates focal pockets of larger hail coincident with the radar signatures over the Beatrice corridor. Multiple quarter-size reports within town limits were time-stamped to late morning via radar correlation. No NWS local storm report in the collected field reports documented structural collapse or widespread complete roof loss. Damage in submitted imagery is consistent with localized panel and glazing impacts in the areas where spotters and law enforcement made observations.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections along the Beatrice north-side track and the radar-validated corridor that ran through the Fairmont metro. Begin with roofs in northern Beatrice where multiple spotters and law enforcement logged impacts between 10:50 AM and 11:55 AM CDT. Expect concentrated ridge and shingle impact marks consistent with stone diameters reported in scene photos and video. Document all findings with time-stamped photos and GPS-tagged locations. Note any rounded bruising on shingles and localized denting on metal roof panels.