- Chelsi Pettit and her family live in Omaha, Nebraska, and are accustomed to severe weather in the area.
- On April 17, 2025, after her husband came home from work around 5:30 p.m., the couple decided to seek shelter at Chelsi’s parents’ house.
- After a 15-minute hailstorm, both of their houses sustained damage they had never seen before.
A family living outside of Omaha is sharing their story after a violent hail storm ripped through their town, causing devastation and sparking a viral TikTok with over 44 million views.
On April 17, 2025, a severe thunderstorm and tornadoes struck, turning a calm evening into chaos in a matter of minutes for those in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.
Wind gusts of 80 mph and hailstones larger than baseballs shattered windows and vehicles, tore apart trees and roofs, and forced people to seek immediate shelter.
“It was very loud. “It sounded like gunshots going off in all directions,” Chelsi Pettit tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Severe weather alerts had been issued throughout the week, warning of potential tornadoes, large hail, and strong winds. Without a basement of their own, Pettit and her husband, both lifelong Nebraskans, decided to seek refuge at her parents’ home.
“The day the storm hit, we knew it was going to be bad when we found out there were many storm chasers and the Dominator 3 in our town,” the woman, 23, says.
Her family and pets took precautions and retreated to the basement to wait. The storm started around 6:15 p.m. and lasted about 15 minutes, according to Pettit.
Despite its short duration, the storm had a significant emotional impact. “We were terrified [by] how loud it was, we witnessed most things outside become shredded,” according to her. “I remember being very emotional about my childhood home being destroyed. It also broke my heart to think about all the livestock and wildlife that were left without shelter during such a fierce storm.”
The scale of destruction was impossible to ignore. The storm damaged her parents’ house’s windows, roof, gutters, outdoor lights, and plants. Her own home was hit just as hard, causing additional damage to personal items in the bedroom, such as their bed and clothing.
Although the Pettits have yet to determine the cost of repairing their home, her parents have received an estimate of approximately $150,000 in property damage.
“This was the worst hail storm we have ever seen, my parents both agreed as well,” she tells us. “We have all seen hail before, but never this size in person and accompanied by such extreme winds.”
Despite the fact that the storm occurred more than a week ago, the cleanup process is still ongoing. “We have the inside of our home cleaned up, but the work outside will be a long haul,” Pettit says. “There is an endless supply of debris everywhere. Windows that were shattered are still covered in plywood, but they should be repaired soon.
She and her husband live outside the city limits, with a large yard and plenty of outdoor space, which they have always taken great pride in maintaining. For her, one of the most difficult aspects of the aftermath has been witnessing all of their hard work destroyed.
“We are both accustomed to severe weather. We have always been told to prepare for the worst, but most storms are not as bad as expected or completely miss us,” Pettit tells PEOPLE.
She and her family intend to take extra precautions and keep a closer eye on developing storms in the future.
“Although this hail storm was the worst we have ever seen or experienced, we are extremely thankful it was not any worse,” Pettit tells me. “Our animals and lives are safe, and our home is still standing. Homes can be repaired, and plants replaced. We learned an important lesson: stay on top of the weather and always prepare for the worst.”