The Thursday evening storms brought golf ball size hail to an area about four miles southeast of Junction City and also  to Grandview Plaza. In that city a spokesman Jerome Thomas confirmed the golfball size hail fell for about five minutes before reducing to pea size hail as a major storm cell moved through.

Thomas said after the hail downpours continued. “The damage I’ve seen from the hail it just peeled the leaves off of trees, looked like it might have dented some cars, no other structural damages.”

Heavy rain fell throughout the area along with other reports of pea size hail.

The Junction City High School track and softball teams were delayed a bit making it home from their competitions. Athletic Director Matt Westerhaus confirmed the softball team returning from a Class 6A Regional Tournament in Wichita had to pull into Lindsborg where they stayed at Smoky Valley High School for about one hour before returning home. There had been storm warnings issued for Saline and Dickinson Counties ahead of them so the team waited before coming on to Junction City.

The JCHS boys and girls track team completed competition in their Class 6A Regional meet in Lawrence just as the rain began to fall. On the way home on I-70 between Topeka and Junction City they pulled into a rest area for about one half hour because of stormy weather, but then returned home safe.