A flattened farm building near Harbine (National Weather Service photo)

Damage assessment teams from the National Weather Service are fanning out across a wide section of south-central Nebraska after another round of severe weather.

Reports say as many as nine tornadoes touched down Wednesday afternoon and evening in the Interstate 80 corridor.

There are multiple reports of damage to trees, homes and businesses but no reports of any serious injuries.

Tornadoes were thought to have touched down in Clay, Hamilton and York counties. A twister was reported near Comstock in Custer County, staying on the ground for a half-mile. Another tornado was reported near Bartlett in Wheeler County.

Spotters near O’Neill report several center pivots were overturned and large trees were uprooted with winds clocked at 70 miles an hour.

Flash flooding Wednesday night near Broken Bow washed out a bridge on the Callaway Road. Some areas report more than three inches of rain during the day, along with large hail from one to two inches in diameter.

On the plus side, forecasters say the pattern of severe weather should be shifting away from Nebraska by later today and into Friday.

Another plus, all of the rain is helping to end the drought that’s held a stranglehold on the state for well over a year.

The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor finds about 7% of Nebraska is now out of the drought, an area in the southeast corner of the state. The rest of the state is still under the drought, but it’s lessening in severity.

Portions of far western Nebraska are still in the category of extreme or exceptional drought.

Severe weather continues to plague Nebraska with the National Weather Service reporting thunderstorms over much of central Nebraska.

Tornadoes have been reported near Clay Center, Sutton and York. As many as nine tornadoes were reported in that area along I-80.

Forecasters say the severe weather pattern might well hang over the state through Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Valley reports a storm system hit southeastern Nebraska this morning, carrying heavy rain and pea-size hail. The storms mostly hit Otoe and Cass Counties.

This weather pattern could spawn tornadoes over the Central and High Plains, including Oklahoma, Kansas and south-central Nebraska. Thunderstorms could produce local flooding.

After a weekend of severe weather across the state more is on the way.

Jim Meyer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley says after last year’s drought we may be out of practice when it comes to dealing with severe weather. He says May and June are the most active months to experience severe weather and the pattern we are in right now is promising just that.

Meyer says an east-west frontal boundary is stalled across the central part of the country and that is why we are experiencing a good round of severe weather. While we are getting a break from rain this afternoon more severe weather is expected to start tonight and continue for the next few days. He says some of them will be severe so expect hail, strong winds and there likely be the threat of tornados as the week progresses.