Devastating hail that accompanied the storms that moved through the panhandle Wednesday likely destroyed miles of crops east of Scottsbluff and north of Minatare.

Roger Nichols, who farms property seven miles east of Scottsbluff, says the pea to marble size hail came down for a half hour and was over a half foot deep. Nichols says it looks like it snowed.

Nichols says the real damage will come from the hail covering the corn crop for an extended period of time, basically freezing it.

Nichols says he planted mostly corn, and had alfalfa that was mostly mowed, but is definitely cut now.

KNEB's Larry Hubbard estimates the damage runs from two miles north of Scottsbluff to twelve miles east of Scottsbluff and from Minatare five miles north, covering approximately a fifty square mile area.