Grand Island, NE Live Doppler Radar

Watch storms move over Grand Island in real time — every NWS radar combined, storm tracks, official warnings, and the closest radar's full 250 m detail.

Open live radar for Grand Island What TALON shows

Which radars cover Grand Island?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Grand Island, NE is KUEX (Hastings), about 42 miles to the south. Radar beams climb as they travel because the Earth curves away underneath them, so the height of the lowest scan over a city decides how much of a storm's base the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Grand Island	View of low-level rotation
KUEX Hastings, NE	42 mi south	2,800 ft	Good — low-level rotation is usually visible
KOAX Omaha, NE	106 mi east-northeast	10,600 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground
KLNX North Platte, NE	136 mi west-northwest	15,500 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, using standard atmospheric refraction. Hills and buildings near the radar can block it further.

On TALON you get Grand Island's live radar loop, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

Tornado & hail history near Grand Island

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 226 tornadoes within 25 miles of Grand Island, 51 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in May and June. The strongest was an F5 on May 5, 1964, which passed about 18 miles southeast of the city and caused 4 deaths. The most recent was a tornado of unknown strength on June 24, 2025, which touched down about 21 miles northeast of the city.

Hail: 760 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Grand Island since 1955, 109 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 7.00-inch hail (grapefruit size) on June 22, 2003.

Tornadoes since 1950	226
EF2/F2 or stronger	51
Strongest tornado	F5 · May 1964
Busiest tornado month	May
Largest hail	7.00 in · Jun 2003

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.

Grand Island radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Grand Island?

KUEX near Hastings, NE, about 42 miles away. A second radar, KOAX (Omaha), is 106 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Grand Island?

Radar can't see the tornado itself, but it can see the rotating storm and, once a tornado is lofting debris, a debris signature. Over Grand Island the lowest scan from KUEX is roughly 2,800 ft up. Good — low-level rotation is usually visible. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit Grand Island?

NOAA records show 226 tornadoes within 25 miles of Grand Island since 1950 — about 3.0 a year on average, most often in May and June. Most were weak, but 51 were EF2/F2 or stronger.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Grand Island, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.