Kearney, NE · Storm history
Hail Reports in Kearney, Nebraska — Last 90 Days
NOAA Storm Prediction Center logged 3 hail reports within 25 miles of Kearney across 1 storm day, most recently on September 12, 2026. Source: SPC Local Storm Reports (preliminary, may be revised).
Data as of November 3, 2026 (last successful NOAA check). The newest report in the feed is from Nov 2, 2026. The 90-day log is SPC preliminary data. The county history (2017 to June 2026) is the NOAA Storm Events archive, 2014–June 2026; it has no storms after it ends.
- 1.25 inlargest hail near the city, last 90 days (quarter size)
- 59days with hail 1 in or larger in the county, 2014–June 2026
- 51days with 58+ mph thunderstorm wind, 2014–June 2026
- #11 of 212among the cities we cover, by hail days of 1 in or more
Has hail hit my Kearney roof since it was installed?
County-level hail reports for Kearney from the NOAA archive this page uses; a county report is not proof of damage at your Kearney address.
When does hail hit Kearney?
NOAA NCEI Storm Events, county level, 2014–June 2026
If insurance covers it, what do I pay in Kearney?
Only if the claim is approved. The ACV math is a straight-line example over a 25-year life; insurers writing Kearney policies use their own schedules, so check your policy.
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Hail near Kearney in the last 90 days
- 1.25 inLargest hail in 90 days (quarter size)
- 1Hail day near Kearney
- 3SPC reports
- September 12, 2026Most recent event
Around Kearney, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center logged 3 hail reports within 25 miles between September 12 and September 12, 2026, spread over 1 storm day. That day brought stones of 1″ or more, and 0 of the 3 Kearney reports with coordinates fell within 10 miles of the city center. In a typical year Kearney sees about 7 hail-producing storms, which is why insurers price separate wind-and-hail deductibles in this market.
Kearney's storm-climate context
Kearney sits in central Nebraska's High Plains corridor, where roofs absorb punishment from three directions. Summers push past 100 F -- the record high is 114 F -- while winters bite to a record low of -30 F, a swing that cycles shingles through aggressive freeze-thaw expansion. Average annual snowfall of 21.8 inches adds sustained snow load stress, and Great Plains hail and wind events are a seasonal constant. UV degradation is accelerated by the region's high sun exposure and dry air, shortening asphalt shingle lifespans compared to more humid markets. Roofs here must handle thermal shock, snow load, and periodic hail impact in the same year.
Kearney's 2020 population of 33,790 anchors a stable mid-Nebraska service hub. Key institutional employers include Good Samaritan Hospital and the University of Nebraska at Kearney, each with over 1,000 employees, alongside national manufacturers like Baldwin Filters and The Buckle. This employer mix sustains steady residential and commercial roofing demand, with institutional campuses representing an ongoing flat and low-slope maintenance market for local contractors.
How close the hail came
Kearney's nearest hail report, one of 3, came 22.6 miles from the city center on September 12, 2026 (1.00″ at 1 NE Holdrege). September 12, 2026 was the heaviest day around Kearney, with 3 reports and a top stone of 1.25″. Stones of 1″ or more came on 1 of the 1 Kearney-area hail day.
| Distance from city center | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|
| Within 5 miles | 0 | — |
| Within 10 miles | 0 | — |
| Within 25 miles | 3 | 1.25″ |
Distances are straight-line from the city center to each SPC report point; reports without coordinates are left out of the table.
Hail events near Kearney by date
September 12, 2026 3 reports, hail up to 1.25″ (quarter size)
| Time (UTC) | Hail size | Location | Distance from Kearney |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1652 | 1.25″ | Holdrege, Phelps County | 23.8 mi |
| 1651 | 1.00″ | Holdrege, Phelps County | 23.5 mi |
| 1652 | 1.00″ | 1 NE Holdrege, Phelps County | 22.6 mi |
The Kearney tables above list preliminary Local Storm Reports from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Sizes are reported hailstone diameters; times are UTC. Reports can be added or corrected for about a day after each event. A quiet log does not mean no hail: small or unreported events happen. The closest report in this window landed 22.6 miles from Kearney's center.
View the 3 Kearney-area reports on a map
On the Kearney map, circle positions are the NOAA SPC report coordinates; tap a circle for the date and hail size.
Hail size: < 1″ 1–1.75″ ≥ 2″ not recorded
How severe was it? The NWS yardstick, applied to Kearney's reports
The National Weather Service calls hail severe at 1″ (quarter size) and significant at 2″ (hen-egg size). Scoring Kearney's 3 area reports (filed in Phelps County) against that scale: 3 of the Kearney reports met the severe 1″+ criterion — the size at which asphalt shingles start taking granule loss and bruising that shows up as leaks a season later. At these sizes, damage on a Kearney roof is rarely visible from the ground, and homeowners policies typically cover it when it is documented promptly.
Hail history in Kearney: the long picture
County-level NOAA records for the county behind Kearney, 2014–June 2026. Each figure shows its source. Storms after the archive ends are not in these numbers. Ranks count from 1, the highest.
Kearney against the 212 cities we cover
- #11of 212Days with hail 1 in or larger in Kearney: top quarter
- #9of 212Days with hail 1.75 in or larger (golf ball) in Kearney: top quarter
- #98of 212Days with 58+ mph thunderstorm wind in Kearney: middle
- #141of 213Tornadoes in Kearney: middle
- #36of 212Reported storm property damage in Kearney: top quarter
- #120of 213Share of homes built before 1980 in Kearney: middle
Hail events by year
| 2017 | 10 |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 16 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 24 |
| 2023 | 18 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 4 |
Years with no record show as 0. In its busiest full year (2022) Kearney's county logged 24 events; the whole span, 2017 to 2025, holds 94.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county level, 2017–2025Hail history at a glance
- 94Hail events in the county, since 2017 (NOAA)
- 4.00 inLargest hailstone on record
- May 18, 2025Last recorded event in the archive
For Kearney's county, NOAA records a most severe stone of 4.00″ and 94 hail events since 2017, close to 10 every year. Set against that baseline, the 1 hail day near Kearney in the 90-day window above runs below the long-term average rate. Check your own Kearney address on the hail risk lookup.
Kearney's county sits right at the Nebraska median of 94 hail events per county since 2017 — average exposure for the state.
Three ways a storm reaches a roof
Hail
Kearney's county days with at least one report at that size. Largest stone: 4.00 in.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Thunderstorm wind
51 Kearney's county days with 58+ mph
58 mph is the NWS severe threshold. Strongest gust on record in Kearney's county (NOAA's maximum counts measured and estimated gusts): 92 mph on Dec 15, 2021.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Tornadoes
5 in Kearney's county
Strongest tornado in Kearney's county: EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Costliest storm day
Jul 9, 2014
6 reports that day (4 hail, 2 wind); reported property damage $10,001,000; county FIPS 31019, 2014–June 2026.
Source: NOAA Storm Events, 2014–June 2026Peak storm month
June
In Kearney's county, 56 of 244 hail, wind and tornado reports (23%) fell in June.
Source: NOAA Storm Events, 2014–June 2026Older homes
49.2% of Kearney homes built before 1980
About 7,000 of Kearney's 14,652 housing units (share times units, rounded). Median year built: 1981. Housing units, not roofs: many Kearney homes have been re-roofed since.
Source: Census ACS (Kearney city), 2019–2023Year-by-year table with the largest stone
| Year | Recorded hail events | Largest stone |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 1.75″ |
| 2024 | 9 | 1.75″ |
| 2023 | 18 | 2.75″ |
| 2022 busiest largest stone | 24 | 4.00″ |
| 2021 | 3 | 2.00″ |
| 2020 | 5 | 1.75″ |
| 2019 | 16 | 2.00″ |
| 2018 | 5 | 1.75″ |
| 2017 | 10 | 1.50″ |
NOAA Storm Events archive, Kearney's county. Years missing from the table have no record in the archive. * 2026 covers only January to June: NOAA's file ends there, so it is not counted as the worst year or in the yearly average.
2022 was the standout hail year in Kearney's county on both counts: the most recorded events (24) and the largest stone (4.00″).
In a market with repeat hail, impact-resistant Class 4 shingles often pay for themselves through insurer premium discounts — worth discussing with a Kearney roofer if a recent event tips you into a replacement.
Buffalo County fact sheet for Kearney homeowners
Housing age, federal disaster declarations and your state's claim deadlines in one place. All three come from public records, county level.
How old are the roofs? Homes in Buffalo County by decade built
| pre-1940 | 14.5% |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.3% |
| 1950s | 6.4% |
| 1960s | 8.6% |
| 1970s | 18.6% |
| 1980s | 9.9% |
| 1990s | 14.6% |
| 2000s | 12.4% |
| 2010s | 10.9% |
| 2020+ | 0.8% |
21,181 homes, median built in 1979. 51.4% date from before 1980 and 11.8% from 2010 on; 65.2% are owner-occupied. The most common decade is the 1970s.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey · data as of ACS 5-yearWhat to do if your roof was in the hail path
- Walk the ground, not the roof. Hail came as near as 22.6 miles to Kearney (1 NE Holdrege, September 12, 2026) in the last 90 days. Granule piles under a Kearney downspout and dents on gutters, vents and screens are the signs to look for.
- Document everything before any repair. The log's worst day near Kearney: September 12, 2026, 3 reports, largest 1.25 in. Pair that date with your dated photos and a coin-for-scale shot to pin the loss to a storm.
- Crews from outside town will canvass; slow down. Near Kearney, the single hail day reached 1 inch or more, and storm crews canvass within days of storms like that. In Kearney, do not sign a contract or an Assignment of Benefits at the door; get a written scope from a roofer you picked.
- Watch two deadlines: the policy's and the insurer's. 52 days ago: that is how long since the newest hail day near Kearney. Your window to report a Kearney loss sits in the policy; the insurer's answer clocks are state law, linked below.
- Bring the written scope to the adjuster. Hand over the scope in writing: an adjuster working a Kearney claim then has the contractor's numbers. Step-by-step: the roof insurance claim guide.
Insurer clocks for Kearney homeowners: rule text, quotes and links on the Nebraska claim-deadlines page (checked 2026-10-09). Not legal advice.
Verified roofing contractors in Kearney
Contractors PickARoofer has already verified in Kearney. A badge on a Kearney contractor means we confirmed an active license or registration in a public registry. Ask any Kearney roofer for a current certificate of insurance before signing.
Baylor Roofing
VerifiedBuffalo Roofing
VerifiedC Squared Roofing
VerifiedDialed-In Roofing
VerifiedFisher Roofing Of Kearney
VerifiedHail in Kearney — questions homeowners ask
When did hail last hit Kearney, NE?
The most recent NOAA hail report within 25 miles of Kearney is from September 12, 2026, with hail up to 1.25″.
How large was the hail near Kearney?
The largest hailstone reported near Kearney in the last 90 days measured 1.25″ — about quarter size. Kearney had 1 hail day of 1″ or more, the size where asphalt shingles start to bruise; the biggest came on September 12, 2026.
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage in Kearney?
The latest hail day near Kearney was September 12, 2026, 52 days ago, a date a claim can point to. Standard homeowners policies generally cover sudden storm damage and not gradual wear. For a Kearney claim, document the damage before repairs, keep this NOAA log as proof of the September 12, 2026 event date, and read your own policy for its filing deadline: the policy sets that window, not a universal rule.
How often does hail hit the Kearney area?
In Kearney's county, NOAA's archive since 2017 shows 94 recorded hail events. Kearney averages about 10 a year, and its biggest stone on record measured 4.00″.
How close did hail get to Kearney in the last 90 days?
On September 12, 2026, 22.6 miles from the Kearney city center, 1.00 in. at 1 NE Holdrege: that is the nearest SPC report of the last 90 days.
How long does an insurer in Nebraska have to respond to a hail claim?
Nebraska sets the insurer's clocks by rule: it must acknowledge a claim within 15 days and tell the homeowner whether it is accepted or denied within 15 days. For Kearney homeowners, the deadlines to report and to sue come from the policy and state law. Not legal advice; rule text and links are on the claim-deadlines page, checked 2026-10-09.
Check your own ZIP in Kearney
The county figures above average over everything inside the county line. For a score tied to your Kearney address, run your ZIP through the hail risk lookup — Kearney ZIP codes include 68847, 68850, 68836, 69127, 68839.
Kearney neighborhoods — hail exposure varies by area
Hail paths track with storm cell movement, not city limits. If you're in Central District, Westside, Downtown Kearney, University Heights or East Side, check your specific street against the report locations above — distance from Kearney's center is listed for each report.
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More resources
- Roofing contractors in Kearney
- Storm damage repair in Kearney
- Roof repair in Kearney
- Roof inspection in Kearney
- Insurance claim guide
- Roof replacement costs in Kearney
- Emergency roof repair
- All recent hail reports
- Hail risk lookup
Sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Local Storm Reports (last 90 days, preliminary) and the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county of the city, 2014–June 2026); U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (housing). The Storm Events archive used here ends in 2025, so storms between that date and the start of the 90-day log are not shown. How we collect data. Are you a roofer in Kearney? See how requests reach contractors.
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How to cite this page
Free to quote with credit, under CC BY 4.0, no permission needed. The numbers are NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary reports: unverified, and not confirmed damage to any roof. This is not an official NOAA or NWS product.