BEATRICE – A severe thunderstorm system moving southeast through the region brought quarter to nearly golf ball-sized hail for 10-to-15 minutes in Beatrice Tuesday night, stripping leaves and branches from trees.

The severe weather caused power outages and street flooding near 7th and Court in the downtown…..and at 19th and Elk, where a vehicle became stalled in high water.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for several southeast Nebraska counties, while Republic, Washington and Marshall Counties in northeast Kansas had tornado warnings issued for radar-indicated rotation in strong storms.  So far, there have been no confirmed reports of tornadoes to the National Weather Service in Kansas.  In northeast Kansas, 60 to 70-mile-per-hour storm gusts were reported from Morrowville, Linn and Blue Rapids.  There were reports of numerous trees and power lines down, in Blue Rapids.

Golf ball-sized hail also fell northeast of Tobias in Saline County with quarter-sized hail reported west of Wilber.   A storm wind gust of 66-miles-per-hour was recorded near Western, in Saline County. A spotter observation at McCool Junction reported golf ball-sized hail.

In Sterling, Nebraska…several tree limbs were reported broken by high winds and some shingle damage occurred.  Power poles were reported to be damaged near Dunbar.

Numerous reports of thunderstorm winds of 60-to-70 miles-per-hour were received by the National Weather Service, from an area southeast of Hastings. 

At least four reports of tennis ball to baseball-sized hail were received from near Eagle, Hastings, Ravenna and Culbertson.