The biggest hailstone to hit the state of Nebraska so far this month (based on preliminary reports) has been baseball-sized, that’s 2.75″ thick! Could we get a larger ball of ice to fall from the sky today? Let’s dive into the forecast:

Many of the ingredients will be present today to get supercell thunderstorms to develop across the western Plains. First, a boundary will be draped across the South Dakota and Nebraska border, with another boundary present in eastern Colorado. These “boundaries” are lines separating two differing air masses. The line makes it easier for storms to form.

Secondly, the next weather attribute that will be available today will be moisture. We will have our typical summer moisture, from the monsoon in the Southwest to the muggy air across the Plains, in place and that will fuel thundershowers.

A snapshot around 11 p.m. MDT Thursday where green shows light rain and yellows show heavy rain.Finally, upper-level winds will help support strong thunderstorms today. What is referred to as wind shear will keep storms tilted, allowing for larger hail and strong winds to develop. If a severe thunderstorm warning is issued for your location, it means the storm could produce 58 mph wind or stronger and/or 1″-thick hail or larger. If you have time, look for further information regarding how large the hail size could be in the warnings. Many of these thunderstorms are expected to be finished around midnight local time.