Spencer, NE – Residents across northern Holt and Boyd counties are scrambling for cover Monday evening as a severe thunderstorm barreled through with ping pong ball-size hail and wind gusts up to 60 mph, threatening homes, vehicles, and power lines until at least 8 p.m.
According to the National Weather Service in North Platte, the storm is tracked near Naper around 7:04 p.m., moving east at 35 mph. Warning sirens sounded from Spencer and Butte to Lynch and Gross, as radar detected large hailstones and damaging winds capable of snapping trees and shattering windows. Highway 281 between mile markers 198 and 223, and Highway 12 from mile markers 91 to 144, are at particular risk for hazardous conditions.
Communities including Anoka, Bristow, Dustin, and the Redbird State Wildlife Management Area should expect rapid changes in visibility and debris on roads. Residents are urged to move to an interior room on the lowest floor, stay away from windows, and avoid travel until the warning expires. Emergency officials recommend securing loose outdoor items and having flashlights and charged devices ready in case of outages.
Thunderstorm warnings remain active until 8 p.m. Additional alerts may follow if the system intensifies or shifts eastward.
