Blog Article
June 20, 2026 Severe Weather Recap: 91 MPH Winds & Floods
A complete recap of the June 20, 2026 severe weather event, featuring 91 mph winds in Kansas, 4-inch hail in Nebraska, and major flooding in the South.
Recapping the Extreme Hail, 91 MPH Winds, and Flooding of June 20, 2026
Y'all, yesterday was a heavy one. We saw the atmosphere produce a little bit of everything on June 20, 2026. From destructive wind gusts in the Central Plains to life-threatening floods down in the Deep South, the data from yesterday is sobering.
The day saw a steady escalation in severity. We started with localized flood advisories in the morning. By the evening, we were looking at widespread flash flood emergencies and destructive severe thunderstorm warnings.
Let us look at the hard facts and see exactly what happened.
The Severe Threat: Wind, Hail, and Tornadoes
The convective activity started as discrete supercells before merging into an organized, linear Mesoscale Convective System across the Central Plains. That transition brought some intense severe reports.
Get this. Down in Rexford, Kansas, a measured wind gust hit 91 mph. That is strong enough to cause structural damage and overturn semi-trailers, which is exactly what happened. Up in Trumbull, Nebraska, we saw an extreme hail event with hailstones measuring 4.00 inches in diameter. That is the size of a grapefruit.
We also had multiple tornado reports.
- A tornado was reported 13 miles southeast of Ludell, Kansas. A public report noted it hit a car and tossed it 10 yards off the road, leaving behind debris and downed power lines.
- Storm chasers reported brief tornadoes near Atwood, Kansas, and Stratton, Nebraska.
- Down in Texas, law enforcement reported a tornado near Tivoli after a tropical funnel cloud touched down.
The Flood Threat: Water Rescues and Evacuations
Here is the thing about days like yesterday. The wind and hail get the attention, but the water is what catches people off guard.
Leon County, Texas, picked up a massive 7.65 inches of rainfall in a single day. That led to multiple highway closures. Over in Harrison County, Mississippi, life-threatening flash flooding submerged vehicles and forced evacuations at an RV resort. Jefferson County, Alabama, saw 3 to 7 inches of rain that led to emergency water rescues.
When we look back at the forecast, the models had a good handle on the environment. The Sunday morning update highlighted the 91 mph winds and grapefruit hail we saw overnight. The transition from isolated supercells to a heavy rain-producing system was well anticipated. The atmosphere did exactly what the ingredients suggested it would do.
What Comes Next
The system that caused all this trouble is moving east. Today, the Weather Prediction Center has a Moderate Risk for excessive rainfall from northern Missouri through central Illinois and Indiana. The Storm Prediction Center also has a Slight Risk for severe storms in that same general area, with a hatched risk for 75 mph winds and 2-inch hail.
By Monday, that severe threat shifts toward the Mid-Atlantic. If you live near Washington D.C., Baltimore, or Charlotte, you will want to watch for scattered damaging wind gusts tomorrow afternoon.
Bottom Line
Yesterday proved that you have to respect the water just as much as the wind. A 91 mph gust will take the roof off a building, but 7 inches of rain will wash the road right out from under you. If you live in the Midwest flood threat zone today, have multiple ways to get warnings and never drive through flooded roadways.