June 1, 2011: Large Hail and Heavy Rain Affects Western And Southern Areas

June 1, 2011

Severe Weather Event

Widespread Large Hail, Heavy Rain and Flooding, and Some Damaging Winds

To the right is a National Weather Service Radar loop
from 3:30 pm CDT June 1st to 4:30 am CDT June 2nd.

The NWS Hastings coverage area is located within the orange
outlined area labeled "GID", with the interstates in red.

(Click Radar Loop To Enlarge)

Severe Weather Summary:

South Central Nebraska and North Central Kansas found itself starting out the month of June with yet another round of severe weather, with the main impact being across the southwestern half of the Hastings CWA. This severe weather was not driven by a notable, strong storm system, but rather by a weaker, more subtle wave in the upper level flow. Southeasterly winds throughout the day allowed for warmer, more moist air to be drawn north into the area, resulting in high levels of instability across the entire CWA, but especially across the west. Combined with modest shear, any thunderstorms that developed had the potential to become severe, and many did. The main threat of these thunderstorms was hail anywhere from the size of quarters to baseballs and heavy rainfall, along with a few wind gusts at/over 60 mph. There were a few reports of funnel clouds and tornadoes across the area, and these reports are currently being investigated. The heaviest rain, which ranged from 2 to almost 5 inches, targeted North Central Kansas and resulted in extensive flooding along rivers and low land areas, along with numerous water covered roads. River gauges along the North and South forks of the Solomon River went into flood at several locations, including Portis, Osborne and Beloit (see below for more heavy rain and flooding details).

Here are a few "highlights" of this severe weather event Wednesday evening, June 1st, based on reports from storm spotters/chasers, local law enforcement, emergency management, and the public:

Dawson County, Nebraska: Baseball size hail reported 1 mile south of Cozad.
Osborne and Rooks Counties, Kansas: Hen egg (2") size hail reported near Stockton and Natoma.
Numerous reports across western portions of the Hastings CWA of golf ball size hail.
Buffalo County, Nebraska: Excessive street flooding, with water running through the local grocery store in Elm Creek.
Mitchell County, Kansas: Highway 14 was under a foot of water, with water running over many other county roads across North Central Kansas.
Mitchell County, Kansas: A 68 mph wind gust was reported by the AWOS at the Beloit Airport.

For a complete listing of the PRELIMINARY storm reports, please click the linked image below.

June 1, 2011 Storm Reports.
Click image for detailed reports.

Heavy Rainfall and Flooding:
Below is a table rainfall amounts from portions of the Hastings CWA, and are 24 hour totals ending Thursday morning, June 2nd. See below for graphical depiction.

Location	Rainfall Total
Ionia, KS	4.59
Lebanon, KS	3.38
Hunter, KS	3.24
Smith Center, KS	3.21
2SW Alton, KS	3.10
Beloit, KS	3.08
Cawker City, KS	2.96
Mankato, KS	2.45
Natoma, KS	1.64
Riverton, NE	1.57
Burr Oak, KS	1.48
Red Cloud, NE	1.48
Cozad, NE	1.46
Superior, NE	1.25
Orleans, NE	1.22
8S Elwood, NE	1.09
Campbell, NE	1.05
Hubbell, NE	1.05
4NE Kearney, NE	0.97
Holdrege, NE	0.96
Lexington, NE	0.83

The following photos of flooding in North Central Kansas were taken on Thursday, June 2, 2011, by NWS Hastings staff.

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)


Looking east at flooded White Rock Creek at Burr Oak, KS on 6-2-11. Approximate stage at this time was 18.5 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.)	Looking west at flooded White Rock Creek at Burr Oak, KS on 6-2-11. Approximate stage at this time was 18.5 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.)

Hwy 281 bridge over North Fork Solomon River at Portis, KS. Approximate river stage at this time was 21 feet (flood stage is 15 feet)	Looking east at flooded Solomon River a few miles east of Glen Elder, KS on 230 Road

Large washout at intersection of Hwy 128 and D Road approximately 3 miles south of Ionia, KS.	Opposite side of large washout at intersection of Hwy 128 and D Road approximately 3 miles south of Ionia, KS.

Please note: This rainfall map is a "best-approximation" of actual measured amounts from NWS Cooperative Observers along with NeRAIN and CoCoRaHS observers. The data may not match exactly due to the effects of interpolation and "smoothing" used to create the maps. These preliminary data may contain errors.