May 2, 2014 Nebraska Panhandle hailer

On May 2, there was a risk of thunderstorms along a front in the Nebraska Panhandle (SPC did not indicate a risk for severe weather). Flow aloft was strong and from the northwest, but dew points were in the 30s. Forecast CAPE values were nearly 500, though, so we held out a little hope for something interesting — maybe some lightning. We watched a lot of really high-based convection spit out some virga bombs around Courthouse Rock, near Broadwater. We drifted south just a little and photographed an abandoned farmstead while watching the cumulus clouds struggle overhead. At about 6 p.m., a stronger and larger blob materialized to our north, and we watched it move to our north and northeast, from about 15 miles WNW of Dalton, NE. It strengthened nicely and started to spit out the occasional CG. The main show was the intriguing hail curtains and rainbow, though. We chased it east past Dalton and watched the storm weaken, but it was a fun chase with plenty of pleasant surprises, including a hail roar, thunder, and fabulous High Plains light and color.