Severe Weather Recap From May 17-18, 2026
OVERVIEW
From May 17-18, 2026, eastern Nebraska experienced multiple rounds of severe weather, including tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail, and flooding. A total of seven confirmed tornadoes touched down, causing damage from the St. Libory area across parts of southeast Nebraska.
RADAR
Here’s the radar loop showing all warnings issued from Sunday afternoon ( May 17, 2026)- Monday night (May 18, 2026):
ST. LIBORY EF-3 TORNADO:( MAY 17, 2026)
An EF-3 tornado tracked near St. Libory Sunday evening from 5:04 PM to 5:15 PM. The tornado stayed on the ground for 6.09 miles with a maximum width of 350 yards and peak winds near 160 mph. Significant damage occurred along the tornado path across parts of central Nebraska.
ARCHER EF-0 TORNADO: ( MAY 17, 2026)
An EF-0 tornado tracked near Archer Sunday evening from 5:23 PM to 5:25 PM. The tornado traveled 1.3 miles with a maximum width of 30 yards and peak winds near 70 mph. Minor damage was reported along the tornado path.
SOUTH HEBRON EF-1 TORNADO: ( MAY 17, 2026)
An EF-1 tornado tracked near South Hebron Sunday evening from 6:42 PM to 6:53 PM. The tornado traveled 4.25 miles with a maximum width of 200 yards and peak winds near 95 mph. Localized damage was reported along the tornado path.
N ASHLAND EF-1 TORNADO: ( MAY 17, 2026)
An EF-1 tornado tracked north of Ashland Sunday evening from 7:55 PM to 7:58 PM. The tornado traveled 0.8 miles with a maximum width of 40 yards and peak winds near 104 mph. Damage was reported along the tornado path.
S PLATTSMOUTH EF-1 TORNADO: ( MAY 17, 2026)
An EF-1 tornado tracked SW of Plattsmouth Sunday evening from 8:45 PM to 8:47 PM. The tornado traveled 0.8 miles with a maximum width of 100 yards and peak winds near 104 mph. Minor damage was reported along the tornado path.
SE TECUMSEH EF-1 TORNADO: ( MAY 18, 2026)
An EF-1 tornado tracked SW of Plattsmouth Monday evening from 4:05 PM to 4:11 PM. The tornado traveled 3.8 miles with a maximum width of 200 yards and peak winds near 97 mph. Minor damage was reported along the tornado path.
W AUBURN EF-1 TORNADO: ( MAY 18, 2026)
An EF-1 tornado tracked west of Auburn Monday evening from 4:20 PM to 4:22 PM. The tornado traveled 1.9 miles with a maximum width of 80 yards and peak winds near 100 mph. Minor damage was reported along the tornado path.
MAY 16–18, 2026: SEVERE WEATHER RECAP
Over 400 storm reports were recorded across Nebraska from Saturday through Monday as multiple rounds of severe weather brought heavy rain, tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail.
There were 14 tornado reports, with the strongest tornado an EF-3 tornado near St. Libory. There were 7 confirmed tornadoes out of the 14 reports.
Nearly 200 wind reports were received, with peak gusts of 88 mph near Fairbury and 90 mph near Johnson.
Around 140 hail reports were also recorded. The largest hail reached 3.00 inches near Ashton in Sherman County, with many reports ranging from golf ball to tennis ball size.
Meteorologist Houston Hall
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