Mainly between 4:30-8:30 p.m. CDT on this Sunday, a small-scale, but intense severe thunderstorm cluster carved a nearly due west-to-east swath across South Central Nebraska, highlighted by several reports of hail up to around golf ball size and a handful of wind gusts ranging from 60-72 MPH. The vast majority of severe weather concentrated within a narrow, 15 mile wide corridor centered from roughly Elwood-Holdrege-Blue Hill-Fairfield-Milligan.
Initially, when storms first entered far western counties such as Gosper/Furnas/Phelps, they were in the form of a short-but-intense line segment featuring severe winds, highlighted by a measured 72 MPH gust southwest of Elwood. However, a fairly abrupt transition in storm mode occurred over Phelps and southern Kearney counties, as the wind-producing line segment morphed into more of a supercell structure with a large hail threat. In fact, large hail was the only type of severe weather reported along a roughly 100-mile path from near Holdrege eastward to the edge of the local coverage area near Milligan. Golf ball size stones were reported in or very near communities such as Holdrege, Campbell, Bladen, Blue Hill and Fairfield, with one report of 2-inch diameter hail along the Kearney-Franklin County line. In addition, there were several other reports of quarter to ping pong ball size hail along the way.
At first glance, this may have seemed like a sneaky severe weather event, as it unfolded behind/to the west of the primary, synoptic scale dryline and instability axis residing from eastern Kansas into Iowa. Because of this, the environment over South Central Nebraska might have seemed less supportive of severe weather compared to areas farther east, especially given surface dewpoints only in the upper 40s-mid 50s F. Nonetheless, multiple factors supported this post frontal severe potential. In the mid-upper levels, a pair of upper level disturbances were traversing the region, including the primary one which entered western Nebraska during the mid-late afternoon. At the surface, forcing/convergence was enhanced by a secondary cold front surging in from the west off the High Plains. Despite modest-at-best low level moisture, cold air aloft and steep lapse rates (evidenced by 500 millibar temperatures of -16 to -18C) resulted in mixed-layer CAPE up to around 1000 J/kg, which proved plenty sufficient for isolated severe storm development given strong effective wind shear of 40-50 knots.

Hail in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 17:16:00 to 09-APR-17 17:29:00 (CST-6)
Location: AXTELL
Magnitude: 2.00 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

Hail up to 2 inches in diameter was reported along this path. Hail was accompanied by 60 MPH wind gusts.

Hail in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 16:43:00 to 09-APR-17 17:02:00 (CST-6)
Location: BERTRAND
Magnitude: 1.75 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Quarter to golf ball size hail was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind in FURNAS, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 15:49:00 to 09-APR-17 15:49:00 (CST-6)
Location: CAMBRIDGE
Magnitude: 56.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

Thunderstorm Wind in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 16:13:00 to 09-APR-17 16:13:00 (CST-6)
Location: ELWOOD
Magnitude: 63.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

Thunderstorm Wind in GOSPER, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 16:24:00 to 09-APR-17 16:24:00 (CST-6)
Location: ELWOOD
Magnitude: 59.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Thunderstorm Wind in DAWSON, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 16:35:00 to 09-APR-17 16:35:00 (CST-6)
Location: LEXINGTON
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH.

Thunderstorm Wind in PHELPS, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 16:43:00 to 09-APR-17 16:43:00 (CST-6)
Location: BERTRAND
Magnitude: 61.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Wind gusts were estimated to be between 65 and 70 MPH.

Thunderstorm Wind in KEARNEY, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 17:25:00 to 09-APR-17 17:25:00 (CST-6)
Location: MINDEN
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Wind gusts estimated to be near 60 MPH accompanied hail up to 2 inches in diameter.

Hail in BUFFALO, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 17:19:00 to 09-APR-17 17:19:00 (CST-6)
Location: ODESSA
Magnitude: 1.00 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Hail in FRANKLIN, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 17:43:00 to 09-APR-17 17:43:00 (CST-6)
Location: CAMPBELL
Magnitude: 1.75 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Hail in ADAMS, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 17:45:00 to 09-APR-17 18:05:00 (CST-6)
Location: HOLSTEIN
Magnitude: 1.50 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Hail in WEBSTER, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 17:45:00 to 09-APR-17 18:10:00 (CST-6)
Location: BLADEN
Magnitude: 1.75 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Amateur Radio

Golf ball size hail broke a car windshield just southeast of Blue Hill.

Hail in CLAY, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 18:29:00 to 09-APR-17 18:44:00 (CST-6)
Location: FAIRFIELD
Magnitude: 1.75 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Quarter to golf ball size hail was reported in the area along this path.

Hail in THAYER, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 18:54:00 to 09-APR-17 19:21:00 (CST-6)
Location: DAVENPORT
Magnitude: 1.50 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Hail up to the size of ping pong balls was reported along this path.

Hail in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 19:04:00 to 09-APR-17 19:08:00 (CST-6)
Location: SHICKLEY
Magnitude: 1.50 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Hail up to the size of ping pong balls covered the road near Shickley.

Hail in FILLMORE, NEBRASKA
From 09-APR-17 19:24:00 to 09-APR-17 19:27:00 (CST-6)
Location: MILLIGAN
Magnitude: 1.00 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Quarter size hail was reported along a north-south oriented line of thunderstorms.