May 16, 2026 Storm Near Kearney, NE: Reported Hail and Peak Gusts

On May 16, 2026, storm reports placed hail up to 3.00 in. (tea cup size) and wind gusts up to 82 mph within 25 miles of Kearney, Nebraska. 29 reports and station readings meet National Weather Service severe criteria: hail 1.00 in. or larger, or a gust of 58 mph or more.

Hail and wind reports near Kearney on May 16, 2026

27 ground reports fall within 25 miles of the Kearney city center on May 16, 2026: 7 hail reports and 20 wind reports. The closest value meeting NWS severe criteria came from Kearney, 0.2 miles southeast of Kearney: 59 mph reported gust.

  • 3.00 in. hail (tea cup size) — 4 W Amherst, 17.4 mi NW — NWS Local Storm Report (Trained Spotter, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 2.00 in. hail (hen egg size) — Shelton, 19.2 mi E — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 74 mph reported gust — 8 SE Kearney, 7.3 mi SE — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 74 mph measured gust — 2 NNW Wilcox, 22.1 mi S — NWS Local Storm Report (Mesonet, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 1.75 in. hail (golf ball size) — Shelton, 19.2 mi E — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 1.75 in. hail (golf ball size) — 1 E Miller, 21.8 mi NW — NWS Local Storm Report (Fire Dept/Rescue, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 71 mph measured gust — 8 ESE Kearney, 7.7 mi SE — NWS Local Storm Report (Mesonet, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 70 mph reported gust — 5 ENE Kearney, 5.2 mi E — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 1.50 in. hail (ping pong ball size) — Shelton, 19.2 mi E — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 67 mph measured gust — 1 N Minden, 14.3 mi SE — NWS Local Storm Report (Mesonet, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 65 mph reported gust — 1 W Kearney, 0.9 mi W — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 64 mph reported gust — 2 NNE Kearney, 2.3 mi NE — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 63 mph measured gust — Kearney Airport, 3.8 mi NE — NWS Local Storm Report (AWOS, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 63 mph measured gust — 1 SW Axtell, 16.4 mi S — NWS Local Storm Report (Mesonet, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 61 mph reported gust — 2 ENE Holdrege, 22 mi SW — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office GID) — meets NWS severe criteria

Plus 12 more reports within 25 miles that day.

Measured station gusts near Kearney

2 airport weather stations (ASOS/AWOS) within 25 miles of Kearney logged a peak gust of 50 mph or more on May 16, 2026. These are instrument measurements from the NWS and FAA observing network.

  • Holdrege/Brewstr (HDE): 82 mph — 21.8 mi SW of Kearney — meets NWS severe criteria
  • Kearney Municipal (EAR): 70 mph — 4.3 mi NE of Kearney — meets NWS severe criteria

What the May 16, 2026 numbers mean

The National Weather Service defines a severe thunderstorm as one that produces hail at least 1 inch in diameter, winds of at least 58 mph, or a tornado (NWS glossary). The same 58 mph gust mark triggers an NWS High Wind Warning for wind outside thunderstorms. The largest hail reported near Kearney that day, 3.00 in., meets the NWS hail criterion. The strongest gust, 82 mph, meets the NWS wind criterion.

StormAuditor also uses lower screening thresholds — hail 0.75 in. and wind 45 mph — to flag dates worth researching at an address. Screening thresholds are not NWS severe criteria. Hail sizes compare to everyday objects in the Hail Size Guide; gust speeds are explained in the Wind Speed Guide.

Check your Kearney address for May 16, 2026

Storm reports are points on a map; a property sits somewhere between them. Run the Free Report Snapshot for any Kearney address: a free YES/NO on whether the public record shows estimated wind of 45 mph or more or hail of 0.75 in. or larger at the property itself. Those are StormAuditor screening thresholds.

For the numbers, the Single Weather Report ($2.99) lists the estimated peak gust and estimated maximum hail size for every qualifying storm date at one address, including May 16, 2026 when the estimate there clears the screening thresholds. The Audit Report shows the evidence and arithmetic behind the estimate for a single date.

Other Nebraska cities with NWS severe reports on May 16, 2026

3 other cities in Nebraska had a report meeting NWS severe criteria within 25 miles the same day:

More storm days near Kearney and in Nebraska

How these numbers are counted

This page and the Kearney city page share one set of definitions:

  • This page (NWS severe): Every NWS hail and wind report within 25 miles of Kearney that day (StormAuditor records reports from hail 0.50 in. and wind 40 mph), plus airport weather-station gusts of 50 mph or more. The page exists because at least one report or station gust met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant.
  • Each observation counts once: A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Reports merge only when they are copies of one report: the identical report repeated, or the same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI). Different reports from the same spot, such as two hail sizes reported at one place, count separately.
  • Kearney storm-day table: The city page lists storm days: hail 0.75 in.+ or wind 45 mph+ within 25 miles in the last 12 months (StormAuditor screening thresholds; reports and station gusts, never warnings alone). When this date is in that table, it shows the same largest hail and strongest gust as this page; a value below the screening thresholds shows as a dash.
  • Events (12-month counts): The Kearney city page also counts events, which include NWS warnings. Events measure how busy the area was, not whether a storm hit, so they are not compared with the report counts here.

Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.

Sources for this page

Reports come from NWS Local Storm Reports; station gusts come from ASOS/AWOS airport observations. StormAuditor merges copies of the same report that arrive through more than one feed, counts a storm report that relays an airport station's reading once, as the station reading, measures each distance from the Kearney city center, and compiled this record on October 7, 2026. See Data Sources and Methodology.

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