By MIKE HAMMETT

Hays Daily News

Thunderstorms brought hail, wind and heavy rain to the area Sunday evening.

The storms developed across northern Kansas and moved south, with the strongest part of the storms hitting Osborne and Russell counties.

The strongest storms moved through Osborne and Russell counties between 7 and 9 p.m., and the counties later were hit by weaker storms that dropped more rain.

The Russell County Sheriff's office had received no damage reports this morning, while there was crop damage and a home with broken skylights reported to the Osborne County Sheriff's office.

The National Weather Service office in Wichita received a report of a branch measuring 6 inches in diameter that was blown 40 feet from the tree in Russell County near Luray. Hail reaching the size of 1.25 inches also was reported near Luray.

The NWS office in Hastings, Neb., received reports of hail reaching a diameter of 1.75 inches and thunderstorm wind gusts over 60 mph near Osborne.

Russell Municipal Airport recorded 0.60 inches of rain. Heavier rain occurred in northeastern Russell and southeastern Osborne counties, which were placed under flood warnings after receiving 2 to 4 inches of rain.

The NWS observation station in Hays recorded an inch of rain from a storm that moved through Ellis County this morning between 1 and 2 a.m.

The forecast from the NWS in Dodge City calls for hot and dry weather through Thursday, with temperatures hitting more than 100 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday. Rain re-enters the forecast Thursday and Friday, when a cold front is predicted to enter central Kansas.

Reporter Mike Hammett can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 139, or by e-mail at

mhammett@dailynews.net.