Monday morning May 24 about 8 a.m., John Griffith with the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, phoned Emergency Management Deputy Mike Schadegg in Kimball and told him, “Mike. It’s coming today but I don’t know when.”
When, turned out to be about 11:15 a.m.
A vicious hail storm hit Kimball at that time. The storm had laid down a swath of hail from the Clean Harbors Plant about five miles south of town and then moved north through the county line. It hit an eight mile wide stripe stretching from a mile east of Kimball to six miles west.
A tornado touched down about three miles west and three miles north of town. No massive damage has been reported from the twister. Three or four other funnel clouds were reported, again with no major damage reported.
Many of the hail stones were two or a bit more inches in diameter. Strong winds briefly drove the hail stones at a near horizontal angle, putting them under awnings and porch overhangs.
County Sheriff Harry Gillway has received no reports of vehicle accidents or injuries.
Gillway said, “It’s really a miracle there are no reports of injuries. Many auto windshields were broken and there must have been glass landing on occupants.”
A car did go off Highway 71 near the sugar beet dump north of Kimball. It was a relatively minor occurrence and no one was hurt.
Kimball Health Services would make no comment on any admissions or emergency room treatments from storm caused injuries.
The Kimball County Court House was closed down at 12:33 p.m. because of extensive glass breakage. Approximately 20 windows on the south side of the building were broken by hail and another four or five on the west side.
All the second story windows in the Bemis Drug building on the corner of Chestnut and 2nd Street were broken.
The sound of breaking glass was still heard at 3:15 p.m. as Mike Bemis broke out shards of glass remaining in some of those second story windows.
Pedestrians should avoid walking near two or more story buildings anywhere in town.
City Hall had five windows on the south side and four on the west side broken in.
The new facade atop the Kimball Bakery south wall is badly dented.
Terry Anderson at Hometown Hardware reported that lots of Kimball residents were picking up plastic sheeting, plywood, duct tape and caulking.
The phones were busy at Farm Bureau Insurance as clients phoned in to report storm damage.
The Kimball Public Library had two broken storm windows on the south side.
Blattner Energy had just set up shop in the old Book and Tea location. Steve Miller, field boss, had just come into town from Texas this morning when the storm took three windshields on Blattner vehicles.
Blattner is contractor for the BP wind generator project just south of the state line.
Welcome to the Panhandle, Steve.
A Hazardous Weather Outook issued by the National Weather Service in Cheyenne at 10:57 a.m. said there was “a slight risk of severe thunderstorms for southeast Wyoming east of a line from Douglas to Kimball. ... The primary threats from severe thunderstorms will be hail over one inch in diameter.... damaging winds in excess of 60 mph ... and possible isolated tornadoes. Thunderstorm movement will b e to the north at 40 to 50 mph.”
The storm hit Kimball about 18 minutes later.
