Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 128 hail storms within 25 miles of Kearney, NE. Of those, 110 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was baseball-sized or larger, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2022 was the most active year on record locally, with 36 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Kearney| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 3 events | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 16 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 35 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 56 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 18 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 events |
| 2025 | 4 events |
| 2024 | 27 events |
| 2023 | 35 events |
| 2022 | 36 events |
2022 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Kearney, with 36 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Kearney typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-12 | 1 NE Holdrege, NE | Significant | 1.00" | Picture from X. Time estimated from radar. |
| 2026-09-12 | Holdrege, NE | Significant | 1.25" | Video from X. Estimated largest hailstone was the size of a walnut. Exact time estimated from radar. |
| 2026-09-12 | Holdrege, NE | Significant | 1.00" | Picture from Facebook. Time estimated from radar. |
| 2026-06-20 | 6 N Riverdale, NE | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-06-20 | Gibbon, NE | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2026-06-20 | 4 NNW Pleasanton, NE | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-06-11 | 1 ENE Axtell, NE | Severe | 1.75" | — |
| 2026-06-11 | 1 SSE Minden, NE | Severe | 1.50" | Report from Facebook of ping pong ball size hail. Time estimated from Radar. |
| 2026-06-11 | 7 S Overton, NE | Destructive | 2.50" | Report from Facebook with photo of hail compared to a tennis ball. Time estimated from Radar. |
| 2026-06-11 | Kearney, NE | Significant | 1.00" | Public phone call reported 1 inch hail. |
| 2026-06-11 | 2 S Elm Creek, NE | Severe | 1.75" | Facebook Photo. |
| 2026-06-11 | Kearney, NE | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-06-11 | 8 S Elm Creek, NE | Severe | 1.75" | Facebook messages indicated golf ball size hail in Northern Phelps County. |
| 2026-06-11 | 1 N Kearney, NE | Moderate | 0.75" | Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). |
| 2026-06-11 | Kenesaw, NE | Significant | 1.00" | Report from Facebook. |
| 2026-06-11 | 5 W Gibbon, NE | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-06-11 | Heartwell, NE | Severe | 1.50" | Report from Facebook. Time estimated from radar. |
| 2026-06-11 | 7 NE Minden, NE | Destructive | 2.75" | Report with Picture on Facebook. Time estimated from Radar. |
| 2026-06-11 | Minden, NE | Severe | 1.50" | Report from Facebook picture. Time estimated from Radar. |
| 2026-05-17 | 5 NNE Kearney, NE | Significant | 1.00" | — |
NOAA has recorded 231 high-wind events within 25 miles of Kearney, NE in the past five years. Of those, 231 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 100 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Destructive | 1 event |
| Severe | 102 events |
| Significant | 128 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-28 | 3 SSE Amherst, NE | 58 | Significant | Personal Weather Station reports gust to 58mph. |
| 2026-08-28 | 7 NNW Minden, NE | 51 | Significant | Personal Weather Station reports gust to 51mph. |
| 2026-08-22 | 0 W Wilcox, NE | 57 | Significant | Ambient Weather Station. |
| 2026-08-22 | 2 E Holdrege, NE | 52 | Significant | KHDE. |
| 2026-08-22 | 4 E Kearney, NE | 51 | Significant | Nebraska Mesonet. |
| 2026-08-22 | 1 SW Pleasanton, NE | 55 | Significant | PWS station KNEPLEAS32. |
| 2026-08-22 | 1 E Odessa, NE | 55 | Significant | UPR Station. |
| 2026-08-22 | 5 NE Kearney, NE | 55 | Significant | KEAR AWOS. |
| 2026-08-22 | 6 NW Minden, NE | 66 | Severe | Ambient Weather Station. |
| 2026-08-14 | 6 SSW Minden, NE | 60 | Significant | — |
| 2026-08-14 | 7 SSW Poole, NE | 63 | Significant | personal weather station. |
| 2026-08-14 | 1 W Heartwell, NE | 53 | Significant | — |
| 2026-07-03 | 3 ENE Holdrege, NE | 51 | Significant | AWOS station KHDE Holdrege Airport. |
| 2026-07-03 | 4 N Holdrege, NE | 51 | Significant | via Nebraska Mesonet station. |
| 2026-07-03 | 5 ENE Kearney, NE | 52 | Significant | AWOS station KEAR Kearney Airport. |
| 2026-07-01 | 3 ESE Kearney, NE | 50 | Significant | — |
| 2026-07-01 | 3 ESE Kearney, NE | 51 | Significant | Personal weather station report. |
| 2026-07-01 | 2 SE Amherst, NE | 52 | Significant | Personal weather station report. |
| 2026-07-01 | 7 NNW Gibbon, NE | 54 | Significant | — |
| 2026-07-01 | 1 W Heartwell, NE | 58 | Significant | Personal weather station report. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Kearney was on September 12, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Kearney averages roughly 26 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 110 of the 128 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Kearney in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Kearney-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in NE cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Kearney. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Kearney took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationKearney sits inside the central United States hail belt, where warm Gulf moisture collides with cold continental air to produce supercell thunderstorms capable of dropping the hail documented above. Properties in this zone typically see at least one significant hail event every two to four years.