BEATRICE – An early October line of strong thunderstorms moved across Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas…and later into Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri Tuesday evening.

In Nebraska and northern Kansas, severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for several counties…as many as fifteen in southern Nebraska.  The warnings were for winds up to 70-to 80-miles-per-hour and golf-ball sized hail….with the storms moving east at around 45-miles-per-hour.  

Jefferson County Emergency Management and local law enforcement reported tree branches down across roads in and around Fairbury, at about mid-evening.  Observers reported downed branches just north of Beatrice and near Hickman.

Several counties in eastern and northeast Nebraska were also under storm warnings.  A report to the National Weather Service indicated the south side of Osceola, Nebraska sustained tree damage and power was out, following thunderstorm winds of up to 80-miles-per-hour. 

During the early evening, a tornado warning was issued for the David City area but expired a short time later.

Early Tuesday evening, weather spotters reported golf ball sized hail south of Hastings and near Harlan County Reservoir at Alma…..also along the north edge of Phillipsburg, Kansas….in the north central area of the state.  One spotter reported baseball sized hail falling near Norton, Kansas….in the northwest part of the state.

Earlier, during the mid-afternoon hours, the National Weather Service received a storm chaser report of a brief tornado, near Winona, Kansas in the western area of the state.