Crops were gnawed off, irrigation pipe was bent around trees or scattered across fields, and sheds and grain bins were damaged, but a major sentiment from farmers and emergency personnel regarding the June 20 tornadoes near Hampton was that it could’ve been worse.

"There was quite a bit of damage, but luckily no one was hurt," Hamilton County Emergency Management director Kirt Smith said. "Our dispatchers, law enforcement and emergency personnel did a great job. We’re blessed it wasn’t any worse than what it was."

According to National Weather Service information, the tornado started six miles south-southwest of Hampton and tracked to four miles north-northeast of Hampton for a total path length of about 10 miles. The NWS rated it an EF-2 with winds of up to 125 mph.

 

It was one of 11 known twisters to touch down on the evening of June 20 in the Hastings NWS office’s 30-county area in south central Nebraska and north central Kansas.

For a complete story, see this week's print and e-editions.