For the fourth time in five evenings, severe weather affected parts of the NWS Hastings coverage area on Wednesday, July 14, 2010. Although this round of storms was more widespread, the action mainly focused across eastern portions of the area, mainly along and east of a line from York to Red Cloud Nebraska, to Alton Kansas. The storms initiated during the oppressive heat and humidity of the late afternoon, along a well-defined cold front sinking south across the region.

Severe Weather:
Here are a few "highlights" of the event, based on reports from storm spotters, local law enforcement/emergency management, and the public:

• Golf ball size hail 5 miles south-southwest of Inavale Nebraska at 520 PM
• 4-inch diameter tree limbs down, and power out in Alton Kansas around 620 PM. 
• 68 MPH winds and tree damage reported by a storm chaser 15 miles south of Beloit Kansas at 808 PM.
• 3.60 inches of storm-total rainfall reported by a trained spotter in Waco Nebraska

The radar loop below, courtesy of the Iowa Environmental Mesonet (Iowa State University), depicts storms across southern NE and KS between 510pm-845pm, July 14, 2010. 

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1004 PM CDT WED JUL 14 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0520 PM     HAIL                5 SSW INAVALE           40.03N 98.67W
07/14/2010  E1.75 INCH       WEBSTER            NE   PUBLIC

0538 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 N LAWRENCE            40.36N 98.26W
07/14/2010                           CLAY               NE   PUBLIC
            3 INCH TREE LIMBS DOWN AND ONE INCH OF RAIN FELL

0545 PM     HAIL               3 NW DEWEESE            40.38N 98.18W
07/14/2010  E0.75 INCH       CLAY               NE   PUBLIC
            40 MPH WINDS

0550 PM     HAIL                 LEBANON                 39.81N 98.56W
07/14/2010  E0.50 INCH       SMITH              KS   PUBLIC

0550 PM     TSTM WND GST     BURR OAK                39.87N 98.30W
07/14/2010  E60.00 MPH        JEWELL             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER
            ESTIMATED WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 50 AND 60 MPH LASTED FROM
            550 TO 605 PM

0556 PM     HAIL             2 WNW PALCO             39.26N 99.60W
07/14/2010  E0.75 INCH       ROOKS              KS   PUBLIC

0612 PM     HEAVY RAIN       SUTTON                  40.61N 97.86W
07/14/2010  M0.85 INCH       CLAY               NE   PUBLIC

0614 PM     HEAVY RAIN       3 WNW DEWEESE           40.37N 98.19W
07/14/2010  M0.97 INCH       CLAY               NE   PUBLIC
            FELL IN 30 MINUTES

0617 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 SE ESBON              39.79N 98.39W
07/14/2010  E60.00 MPH          JEWELL             KS   PUBLIC

0620 PM     TSTM WND DMG     ALTON                   39.47N 98.95W
07/14/2010                           OSBORNE            KS   TRAINED SPOTTER
            4 INCH TREE LIMBS DOWN IN THE CITY OF ALTON

0620 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SW ALTON              39.45N 98.97W
07/14/2010                           OSBORNE            KS   CO-OP OBSERVER
            SMALL LIMBS DOWN. LOTS OF PEA SIZE HAIL. POWER OUT AT
            TIME OF REPORT WHICH WAS 641 PM. THE STORM HIT ABOUT 20
            MINUTES EARLIER.

0624 PM     HAIL               3 SE ESBON              39.79N 98.39W
07/14/2010  E0.75 INCH       JEWELL             KS   PUBLIC

0632 PM     HEAVY RAIN       6 ESE CLAY CENTER       40.49N 97.95W
07/14/2010  M0.76 INCH       CLAY               NE   PUBLIC
            HEAVY RAIN FELL IN 30 MINUTES.

0636 PM     HAIL             10 SSE SMITH CENTER     39.65N 98.71W
07/14/2010  E0.75 INCH       SMITH              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0643 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 S GENEVA              40.51N 97.60W
07/14/2010  E60.00 MPH       FILLMORE           NE   TRAINED SPOTTER

0645 PM     TSTM WND DMG     JEWELL                  39.67N 98.15W
07/14/2010                           JEWELL             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER
            TREES DOWN 3 TO 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER

0652 PM     TSTM WND GST     BYRON                   40.01N 97.77W
07/14/2010  E60.00 MPH        THAYER             NE   TRAINED SPOTTER
            ESTIMATED 60 MPH WINDS AND HAIL DIME SIZE OR SMALLER

0704 PM     TSTM WND GST     5 W OSBORNE             39.44N 98.79W
07/14/2010  E70.00 MPH         OSBORNE            KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0719 PM     TSTM WND GST     CAWKER CITY             39.51N 98.43W
07/14/2010  E50.00 MPH          MITCHELL           KS   PUBLIC
            HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING

0735 PM     TSTM WND GST     5 E TIPTON              39.34N 98.38W
07/14/2010  E50.00 MPH          MITCHELL           KS   TRAINED SPOTTER
            ESTIMATED 50 MPH WINDS

0740 PM     TSTM WND GST     HUNTER                  39.24N 98.40W
07/14/2010  E60.00 MPH         MITCHELL           KS   CO-OP OBSERVER
            ESTIMATED WIND GUST BETWEEN 50 AND 60 MPH.

0750 PM     TSTM WND GST     5 S BELOIT              39.39N 98.11W
07/14/2010  E60.00 MPH         MITCHELL           KS   TRAINED SPOTTER
            ESTIMATED 60-70 MPH WINDS

0751 PM     HEAVY RAIN       ALTON                   39.47N 98.95W
07/14/2010  M1.65 INCH       OSBORNE            KS   CO-OP OBSERVER
            STORM TOTAL RAINFALL THROUGH 752PM

0752 PM     TSTM WND GST     BELOIT AIRPORT          39.47N 98.13W
07/14/2010  M48.00 MPH         MITCHELL           KS   AWOS

0752 PM     TSTM WND GST     BELOIT                  39.47N 98.11W
07/14/2010  M50.00 MPH        MITCHELL           KS   BROADCAST MEDIA
            KSN WEATHERLAB REPORT FROM JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL

0808 PM     TSTM WND GST     15 S BELOIT             39.25N 98.11W
07/14/2010  M68.00 MPH        MITCHELL           KS   STORM CHASER
            DELAYED REPORT OF MEASURED 68 MPH WINDS. BRANCHES DOWN AT
            LEAST 4-6 INCHES IN DIAMETER

0817 PM     HAIL             19 S OSBORNE            39.16N 98.70W
07/14/2010  E1.00 INCH       OSBORNE            KS   PUBLIC

0823 PM     HAIL             17 SSE OSBORNE          39.21N 98.58W
07/14/2010  E0.88 INCH       OSBORNE            KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0906 PM     HEAVY RAIN       WACO                    40.90N 97.46W
07/14/2010  M3.60 INCH       YORK               NE   TRAINED SPOTTER
            3.60 INCHES OF STORM TOTAL RAINFALL

Locally Heavy Rainfall:
The graphic below depicts an approximation of 24-HOUR RAINFALL totals ending around 7 AM on the morning of July 15, 2010. Clearly, the heaviest rain focused along and east of a line from Alton Kansas to York Nebraska. A few of the highest known gauge readings within the area included:

•  3.60 inches at Waco Nebraska in eastern York County Nebraska (unofficial report from storm spotter)
•  2.62 inches three miles north of York Nebraska (NWS Cooperative Observer)
•  1.65 inches two miles southwest of Alton Kansas in Osborne County (NWS Cooperative Observer).