By Scott Carlson-North Platte Post
NORTH PLATTE, Neb.-Severe weather season reminded us of its presence yesterday as another round of severe weather pummeled southwest Nebraska.
The first severe thunderstorm warnings for northern Kansas were issued around 11:30 a.m., and the system decided to make its home in that geographical area for the next several hours.
Rapidly developing supercell thunderstorms dropped numerous large tornadoes in rural areas of Dundy and Hitchcock counties with Max and Benkelman as the primary target areas.
Tornadoes were reported both north and south of Benkelman, and a large tornado remained on the ground for an extended period of time near the tiny unincorporated village of Max.
Tornado warnings were also issued for Red Willow and Hayes counties. The Weather Service has not received any confirmed reports of tornadoes in those areas.
The National Weather Service in Goodland, Kansas has not released a tally on the number of confirmed tornadoes with yesterday's outbreak.
There have been no reports of damage.
In addition to tornadoes, the storms packed baseball-sized hail, driven by 75 mph winds, and prompted severe thunderstorm warnings across the area.
Flash flood warnings remained in effect for Frontier and Hayes counties on Thursday morning.