USA.com / Nebraska / Fillmore County / Milligan, NE / 68406 / Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
68406 Zip Code Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in 68406 Zip Code is about the same as Nebraska average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in 68406 Zip Code is much higher than Nebraska average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #311
| 68406 Zip Code | 0.02 |
| Nebraska | 0.04 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| 68406 Zip Code | 0.0000 |
| Nebraska | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #59
| 68406 Zip Code | 302.10 |
| Nebraska | 205.07 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 4,017 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of 68406 Zip Code were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 15 | Cold: | 41 | Dense Fog: | 8 | Drought: | 8 |
| Dust Storm: | 2 | Flood: | 172 | Hail: | 2,176 | Heat: | 21 | Heavy Snow: | 30 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 19 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 70 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,155 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 137 | Winter Weather: | 23 |
| Other: | 140 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near 68406 Zip Code.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near 68406 Zip Code.
No historical earthquake events found in or near 68406 Zip Code.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 112 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near 68406 Zip Code.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 5.0 | 1965-05-08 | 3 | 40°10'N / 97°34'W | 40°43'N / 97°19'W | 40.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Thayer |
| 5.0 | 1953-05-09 | 3 | 40°18'N / 97°27'W | 40°46'N / 97°09'W | 35.70 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 6.5 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 40°21'N / 97°37'W | 40°37'N / 97°24'W | 23.00 Miles | 180 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 9.8 | 1957-04-25 | 4 | 40°35'N / 97°34'W | 40°42'N / 97°14'W | 19.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 9.9 | 1956-06-06 | 2 | 40°33'N / 97°40'W | 40°22'N / 97°28'W | 16.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Fillmore |
| 10.0 | 1978-05-30 | 2 | 40°37'N / 97°27'W | 40°40'N / 97°24'W | 3.80 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fillmore |
| 10.0 | 2004-05-22 | 2 | 40°15'N / 97°30'W | 40°28'N / 97°21'W | 8.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 500K | Thayer |
| Brief Description: A tornado traveled 8 miles and damaged 6 farmsteads. One house was hit by the tornado. Damage was so severe; the owners burnt the 120 year old house. A machine shed was destroyed toward the end of the tornadoes path. Three semi-trucks were stacked on top of each other at one site. Several center pivot systems were destroyed. One of the worst severe weather outbreaks in recent years struck south-central Nebraska the afternoon and evening of May 22. No less than 17 different tornadoes rolled across south-central Nebraska. Dozens of homes were damaged and a few completely destroyed. Over 250 center irrigation pivots were damaged or destroyed in south-central Nebraska alone. Large hail and strong straight-line winds of up to 80 mph also wreaked havoc on the region. Several million dollars in property damage was reported. Hundreds of power poles were snapped resulting in dozens of miles of downed electrical line. | |||||||||||
| 11.3 | 1992-06-15 | 3 | 40°29'N / 97°20'W | 40°44'N / 97°07'W | 19.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Saline |
| 12.0 | 1974-04-20 | 3 | 40°19'N / 97°44'W | 40°36'N / 97°29'W | 23.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Nuckolls |
| 12.6 | 1967-06-09 | 2 | 40°18'N / 97°34'W | 40°25'N / 96°54'W | 35.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer |
| 15.2 | 1957-04-25 | 3 | 40°22'N / 97°57'W | 40°39'N / 97°24'W | 34.70 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clay |
| 15.4 | 1998-05-15 | 2 | 40°40'N / 97°34'W | 40°41'N / 97°34'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 150K | Fillmore |
| Brief Description: Midday thunderstorms spawned a tornado south of York damaging a farmstead significantly. The tornado set down two miles north of Fairmont and was on the ground for seven miles before lifting just east of McCool Junction. The tornado nearly destroyed at least one farmstead and caused damage to power poles and lines and center pivot systems. A semi tractor trailer was overturned three miles southeast of York. The driver sustained minor injuries. The same storm also produced a brief tornado south of Benedict destroying two hog confinement facilities but no hogs were injured. | |||||||||||
| 16.7 | 2004-05-22 | 2 | 40°20'N / 97°17'W | 40°29'N / 96°54'W | 20.00 Miles | 1200 Yards | 0 | 8 | 20.0M | 0 | Saline |
| Brief Description: See description below This long tracked tornado is often referred to as the Hallam tornado. It initially touched down 3 miles west of Daykin in northern Jefferson county. The tornado was rated an f0 or f1 in Jefferson county damaging farm outbuildings, grain bins and trees. From there the tornado crossed into Saline county southwest of Western and remained an f0 or f1 until it struck the southern portion of Wilber where it strengthened to f2. Roofs were blown off of homes just southeast of Wilber. The tornado traveled from Wilber into Gage county, crossing the county line west of Clatonia where it grew to its most intense stage, f4. The tornado remained nearly at this strength as it crossed into Lancaster county near Hallam with a damage path of around 2 1/2 miles. Many well-built homes were demolished from Clatonia to Hallam, along with grain bins, farm sheds, and outbuildings. Many trees were destroyed or uprooted. Although Hallam itself escaped the strongest winds from the storm, which occurred just south of town, 95 percent of the buildings in town were either destroyed or severely damaged. The lone fatality from the tornado occurred in Hallam. The storm also toppled several hopper cars from a freight train on the west edge of town. In total 55 railroad cars were derailed. From Hallam the tornado traveled east for several miles prior to turning northeast again just north of Cortland. The storm then tracked 2 miles north of Firth, severely damaging the Firth-Norris high school and a nearby middle school. School busses were tossed in this area. Several homes northeast of the schools were flattened as the tornado regained its f4 strength. The damage path continued northeast to Holland and then to 2 miles north of Panama where the tornado weakened to around an f2 and the damage path began to narrow. The track then curved more toward the north, passing just south of Bennet where a few homes sustained f3 damage. After passing south of Bennet, the storm moved back to the northeast and began to weaken to f0 or f1 strength as it crossed into Otoe county southwest of Palmyra. The tornado finally dissipated 1 miles west southwest of Palmyra. In total the tornado was on the ground for around 54 miles with a maximum intensity of f4. Besides the fatality, 38 people sustained injuries, 158 homes were leveled and 57 others were seriously damaged. The dollar amount of damage was estimated at 160 million, with 60 million of that agricultural including 100 cattle and 50 hogs lost. Some 150,000 acres of crop land sustained significant damage. The 5 counties were declared national disaster areas by Fema. | |||||||||||
| 16.8 | 1953-05-09 | 3 | 40°15'N / 97°34'W | 40°18'N / 97°27'W | 6.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 5 | 80 | 2.5M | 0 | Thayer |
| 17.7 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 40°19'N / 97°40'W | 40°21'N / 97°37'W | 2.00 Miles | 180 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Thayer |
| 19.2 | 1986-04-26 | 2 | 40°10'N / 97°34'W | 40°18'N / 97°25'W | 10.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer |
| 20.3 | 1956-04-28 | 3 | 40°15'N / 97°23'W | 40°29'N / 96°42'W | 39.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson |
| 21.3 | 1984-06-12 | 3 | 40°16'N / 97°48'W | 40°18'N / 97°33'W | 13.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Thayer |
| 21.6 | 1980-06-02 | 2 | 40°14'N / 97°36'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Thayer | |
| 22.3 | 1992-06-15 | 3 | 40°44'N / 97°07'W | 40°46'N / 97°07'W | 2.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Seward |
| 22.9 | 1964-04-25 | 2 | 40°01'N / 97°55'W | 40°36'N / 97°34'W | 44.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Nuckolls |
| 23.3 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 40°38'N / 97°50'W | 40°43'N / 97°42'W | 15.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 23.7 | 1953-05-09 | 3 | 40°46'N / 97°09'W | 40°46'N / 97°03'W | 4.70 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Seward |
| 23.9 | 1982-06-14 | 2 | 40°24'N / 96°57'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Saline | |
| 24.1 | 1964-05-23 | 2 | 40°50'N / 97°13'W | 40°46'N / 97°05'W | 7.90 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Seward |
| 24.4 | 1957-04-25 | 4 | 40°42'N / 97°14'W | 40°49'N / 96°54'W | 19.00 Miles | 333 Yards | 1 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Seward |
| 24.7 | 1968-07-30 | 2 | 40°50'N / 97°35'W | 40°50'N / 97°32'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | York | ||
| 24.9 | 1975-04-27 | 2 | 40°10'N / 97°34'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Thayer | |
| 25.3 | 1952-06-26 | 2 | 40°38'N / 96°56'W | 40°35'N / 96°55'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Saline |
| 25.4 | 1957-05-20 | 2 | 40°41'N / 97°15'W | 40°50'N / 96°50'W | 23.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Saline |
| 25.9 | 1957-05-20 | 2 | 40°04'N / 97°30'W | 40°42'N / 96°20'W | 75.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer |
| 26.4 | 2008-05-29 | 2 | 40°04'N / 97°23'W | 40°12'N / 97°06'W | 15.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.8M | 0K | Jefferson |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado was a continuation of a long-tracked tornado that started in Jewel county Kansas and tracked into Thayer county Nebraska before crossing into Jefferson county Nebraska. The tornado did EF3 damage in Kansas and EF2 damage in Jefferson county. In Jefferson county the tornado started 2 miles west and 1 1/4 mile north of Reynolds, knocking over large tree branches, snapping trees and overturning several center pivot irrigation systems. The storm tracked northeast from there continuing to snap wooden power poles and causing additional tree damage as well as farm outbuilding damage. The tornado crossed the Little Blue River 2 3/4 miles northwest of Fairbury before turning east where it attained EF2 strength. There it tore the roof off of a house and destroyed a garage and shed 1 mile west of Highway 15. Heading east from there it hit the Fairbury airport where hangers were damaged. East of the airport, a large barn was destroyed and large trees snapped. The tornado finally lifted about 3 miles east and 3 miles north of Fairbury. From the there the parent thunderstorm continued to produce additional wind damage from eastern Jefferson county into Gage county. In total the tornado caused serious damage to 5 houses in Jefferson county. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front lifted north across the region during the afternoon and evening of May 29th followed by a weak cool front passage later that night. As the warm front passed, temperatures warmed into the lower to mid 80s and dewpoint temperatures climbed into the 65 to 70 degree range. The whole system was aided by an intense upper level low pressure area that moved from the eastern Rockies into the northern plains. The combination of the high instability in place, the 2 fronts and the upper level disturbance created conditions that were favorable not only for severe thunderstorms, a few of which were supercells that produced tornadoes, but also areas of very heavy rainfall that produced flash flooding that night and river and stream flooding that lasted a day or two later. | |||||||||||
| 26.6 | 1985-05-10 | 2 | 40°53'N / 97°20'W | 0.50 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Seward | |
| 26.8 | 1987-08-17 | 2 | 40°09'N / 97°10'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 27.0 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 40°43'N / 97°42'W | 41°02'N / 97°22'W | 23.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25.0M | 0 | York |
| 27.6 | 1957-06-21 | 3 | 40°54'N / 97°28'W | 40°54'N / 97°21'W | 5.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | York |
| 27.6 | 1957-06-15 | 2 | 40°47'N / 97°14'W | 40°56'N / 97°04'W | 13.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Seward |
| 28.1 | 1954-07-30 | 2 | 40°52'N / 97°37'W | 1.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | York | |
| 29.0 | 1970-07-14 | 2 | 40°29'N / 96°53'W | 40°30'N / 96°47'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Gage |
| 29.4 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 40°01'N / 97°37'W | 40°10'N / 97°28'W | 13.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer |
| 29.4 | 2004-05-22 | 4 | 40°28'N / 96°53'W | 40°31'N / 96°46'W | 7.00 Miles | 2640 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20.0M | 0 | Gage |
| Brief Description: See description below. This long tracked tornado is often referred to as the Hallam tornado. It initially touched down 3 miles west of Daykin in northern Jefferson county. The tornado was rated an f0 or f1 in Jefferson county damaging farm outbuildings, grain bins and trees. From there the tornado crossed into Saline county southwest of Western and remained an f0 or f1 until it struck the southern portion of Wilber where it strengthened to f2. Roofs were blown off of homes just southeast of Wilber. The tornado traveled from Wilber into Gage county, crossing the county line west of Clatonia where it grew to its most intense stage, f4. The tornado remained nearly at this strength as it crossed into Lancaster county near Hallam with a damage path of around 2 1/2 miles. Many well-built homes were demolished from Clatonia to Hallam, along with grain bins, farm sheds, and outbuildings. Many trees were destroyed or uprooted. Although Hallam itself escaped the strongest winds from the storm, which occurred just south of town, 95 percent of the buildings in town were either destroyed or severely damaged. The lone fatality from the tornado occurred in Hallam. The storm also toppled several hopper cars from a freight train on the west edge of town. In total 55 railroad cars were derailed. From Hallam the tornado traveled east for several miles prior to turning northeast again just north of Cortland. The storm then tracked 2 miles north of Firth, severely damaging the Firth-Norris high school and a nearby middle school. School busses were tossed in this area. Several homes northeast of the schools were flattened as the tornado regained its f4 strength. The damage path continued northeast to Holland and then to 2 miles north of Panama where the tornado weakened to around an f2 and the damage path began to narrow. The track then curved more toward the north, passing just south of Bennet where a few homes sustained f3 damage. After passing south of Bennet, the storm moved back to the northeast and began to weaken to f0 or f1 strength as it crossed into Otoe county southwest of Palmyra. The tornado finally dissipated 1 miles west southwest of Palmyra. In total the tornado was on the ground for around 54 miles with a maximum intensity of f4. Besides the fatality, 38 people sustained injuries, 158 homes were leveled and 57 others were seriously damaged. The dollar amount of damage was estimated at 160 million, with 60 million of that agricultural including 100 cattle and 50 hogs lost. Some 150,000 acres of crop land sustained significant damage. The 5 counties were declared national disaster areas by Fema. | |||||||||||
| 30.0 | 1991-05-16 | 2 | 40°48'N / 97°13'W | 40°58'N / 97°01'W | 11.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Seward |
| 30.1 | 1964-06-08 | 2 | 40°24'N / 96°55'W | 40°30'N / 96°43'W | 12.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Saline |
| 30.3 | 1975-12-13 | 2 | 40°02'N / 97°35'W | 40°07'N / 97°28'W | 8.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer |
| 30.6 | 2003-06-22 | 2 | 40°09'N / 97°43'W | 40°09'N / 97°46'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 7 | 10.0M | 1.0M | Thayer |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado set down on the southeast side of Deshler near the fairgrounds and moved west through the south side of Deshler. The slow moving tornado lifted a couple of miles west of town. M47PH Thunderstorms erupted during the evening in south-central Nebraska. One storm near Aurora produced very large hail. One stone measured by an NWS Storm Survey team was determined to be the largest sized stone to fall in the United States. It measured 7 inches in diameter and 18.75 inches in circumference. Many other large stones were noted on the northern side of Aurora. Given the lack of wind, damage was limited to roofs, a few windows and some crop land near town. The storm also produced a couple of brief small tornadoes as it slowly moved through northern Hamilton county. At nearly the same time, another very slow moving storm produced several tornadoes, hail and extremely heavy rains in Thayer county. One tornado moved through the town of Deshler going from the southeast side of town to the west. One man was killed in his garage before he was able to get to shelter. Over 400 homes in Deshler were damaged with four being completely demolished. Nearly 100 homes were moderately to severely damaged. Six businesses in town were considered a complete loss and 25 others reportedly suffered moderate to severe damage. Seven people were injured, most were minor and were from broken glass. Later in the evening, a tornado was reported north of Bradshaw in York county. Storm spotters about 1 mile west of the tornado saw debris being flung through the air. A farmstead was hit with most of the damage done to an old barn. Despite ongoing drought conditions, widespread flooding was reported in Thayer and southern Fillmore counties. The flash flood along the Rose Creek at Hubbell provided some of the worst damage. Water was flowing into houses and businesses on main street to the tune of up to 5 feet deep. Boats were the only mode of travel through the business district. Up to 15 residents had to be evacuated by the local Dive and Rescue team using jet skis. The flooding was caused by extremely heavy rainfall in nearby Republic County, Kansas. Flooding and flash flooding was also a problem throughout Thayer county. Rainfall of over 12 inches was reported about 5 miles north of Deshler. Residents reported nearly 5 hours of constant, wind-driven rain. Windows were blown out and the rain just poured into homes. Widespread agricultural damage was done due to the rain. The runoff in the Snake and Spring creeks ravaged Deshler, the town which had already been hammered by tornadoes that evening. Flooding was concentrated in the southern part of town and most widespread near the park and fairgrounds. Major river flooding was reported along the Little Blue River from just west of Hebron to the Jefferson county line. One man at his farmstead near Gilead had to be air lifted to safety by the National Guard as flooding waters rose on his property. Dozens of county roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed. U. S. Highway 81 was restricted to one lane travel at Hebron due to the high water on the road. Portions of Highways 81, 136 and 9 were closed for a time due to high water. The Big Sandy Creek flowed out of its banks at Alexandria and crested at 14.5 feet. Water was flowing over the highway near town and filling back into the town's sewer drains. In all, several million dollars in damage was done by the flooding alone. Some locals said this was the worst flooding in the area in 55 years. | |||||||||||
| 31.0 | 2001-09-22 | 3 | 40°26'N / 97°58'W | 40°25'N / 97°58'W | 9.00 Miles | 1250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.3M | 1.5M | Clay |
| Brief Description: Tornado exited Clay county and entered Fillmore county. A cold front sagging south into a very unstable airmass was the trigger for severe thunderstorms which produced two tornadoes and some hail across the region. Within an hour of the initial thunderstorm development, the first tornado set down southwest of Saronville in Clay county. This rope-like tornado was witnessed by many people, including numerous storm chasers, in Clay county. The tornado drifted slowly south across farmland and damaged two pivots and did some minor crop damage. The second tornado, which was rated an F3, was on the ground for about 30 minutes. The tornado basically followed state highway 74 from north of Edgar in southeast Clay county, to northwest of Shickley in far southwest Fillmore county. Along its path, 14 irrigation pivots were destroyed, at least 15 grain bins were lost and two farmsteads sustained extensive damage. One farmhouse was deemed a total loss, while another incurred broken windows, damaged siding and minor roof damage. Over 10,000 acres of corn and soybeans suffered an average yield loss of 30 percent. | |||||||||||
| 31.0 | 1974-04-20 | 3 | 40°06'N / 97°56'W | 40°19'N / 97°44'W | 18.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Nuckolls |
| 31.0 | 1956-06-06 | 2 | 40°44'N / 96°53'W | 40°42'N / 96°51'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Lancaster |
| 31.9 | 1967-06-09 | 2 | 40°25'N / 96°54'W | 40°28'N / 96°40'W | 12.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Gage |
| 32.0 | 1963-04-28 | 2 | 40°05'N / 97°08'W | 40°06'N / 97°04'W | 3.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jefferson |
| 32.7 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 40°21'N / 98°11'W | 40°38'N / 97°50'W | 28.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25.0M | 0 | Clay |
| 33.0 | 1976-04-15 | 2 | 40°22'N / 98°06'W | 40°23'N / 97°53'W | 11.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clay |
| 33.2 | 2001-06-13 | 4 | 40°51'N / 97°05'W | 40°57'N / 96°59'W | 8.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 1.0M | 0 | Seward |
| Brief Description: A slow moving tornado tracked from south of Seward to just east of town with a total track length of 8 miles. The tornado was caught on film by several chasers. The tornado destroyed an entire farmstead and a propane and anhydrous ammonia tank farm and machine shed. Several vehicles were tumbled and tossed into a field across from the farm house. The tornado was at its maximum intensity at the farmstead it destroyed. Northeast of highway 34 the tornado struck several sheds and barns. | |||||||||||
| 34.1 | 1992-06-15 | 3 | 40°46'N / 96°57'W | 40°58'N / 96°57'W | 14.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25.0M | 0 | Seward |
| 34.8 | 1976-04-14 | 2 | 40°00'N / 97°38'W | 40°03'N / 97°35'W | 4.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer |
| 34.9 | 1955-06-04 | 4 | 40°00'N / 97°33'W | 40°01'N / 97°32'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer | ||
| 35.2 | 1964-05-05 | 5 | 40°51'N / 97°50'W | 41°03'N / 97°34'W | 19.40 Miles | 880 Yards | 2 | 30 | 2.5M | 0 | York |
| 36.0 | 1996-05-08 | 2 | 40°17'N / 96°49'W | 40°18'N / 96°42'W | 9.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 15 | 12.0M | 0 | Gage |
| Brief Description: The beginning of the tornado started 4 1/2 miles west northwest of downtown Beatrice, just north of the Homestead National Monument. The storm damaged trees just north of state highway 4 when it struck several homes, primarily lifting the roofs off of them. The tornado was rated F1 at that point. Around 1/2 mile to the east, the tornado struck a subdivision. The damage was more severe, with collapsed outer walls and roofs off homes. The tornado damage was rated as a strong F2 in this area. The tornado, continuing to move in an east southeast direction, nearly paralleling highway 4, struck a church. Part of the roof was lost off the church. After striking the church, the tornado hit several more homes and barns before entering the heart of the city. The damage path width of the tornado was 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide, with damaging thunderstorms winds out to 11/2 mile. The main tornado path remained 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide north of U.S. highway 136, with much of the damage south of highway 136 due to thunderstorm downburst winds. The tornado strength weakened when entering the city, with an F-scale strength between F0-F1. Although much of the damage in the central city area was due to falling trees and large tree limbs, other damage noted was roofing torn off of several buildings and a collapsed 200 foot communication tower. After the storm exited the city, it regained strength. The tornado also began curving to the northeast. The storm maintained about F1 strength from about 1 mile east of downtown Beatrice to the storm's dissipation, approximately 3 miles northeast of the city. The strong F2 tornado's path was 9.5 miles long. | |||||||||||
| 36.9 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 41°02'N / 97°22'W | 41°02'N / 97°20'W | 4.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Seward |
| 38.1 | 1964-05-05 | 5 | 40°36'N / 98°16'W | 40°51'N / 97°50'W | 28.40 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clay |
| 38.4 | 1975-06-15 | 3 | 41°21'N / 97°57'W | 40°45'N / 97°02'W | 63.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Nance |
| 38.6 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 40°54'N / 97°54'W | 0.10 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hamilton | |
| 38.9 | 2008-05-29 | 2 | 40°51'N / 98°02'W | 40°52'N / 97°53'W | 8.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 100K | Hamilton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado started southwest of Aurora and moved southeast. The parent supercell had produced a rear flank downdraft (RFD) that was traveling down Interstate 80. As the tornado interacted with this RFD about a mile north of the Interstate, it rapidly increased in size and strength and started to move eastward. At this point the tornado damaged several homes and brought down a self standing cell tower. One home along Highway 14 sustained considerable damage. The tornado then moved to the northeast and dissipated just southwest of the village of Hampton. To the west of Hampton, several empty rail cars were blown off the tracks by what appeared to be inflow winds into the tornado. A major high voltage power line was brought down by the tornado as well as many power lines and poles in the rural areas. Also many center pivot irrigation systems were blown over along the tornadoes path. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant severe weather outbreak occurred during the late afternoon and evening of May 29th. Several tornadoes were reported from near Elwood to north of York. Two tornadoes caused damage in the city of Kearney and one occurred just to the south of town. Another tornado damaged homes and power poles near Aurora. Another tornado started in north-central Kansas and entered south-central Nebraska near Hubbell. Very strong winds moved down a portion of Interstate 80 and pushed cars and trucks off of the roadway near Aurora. Other areas of south-central Nebraska received heavy rains and hail. Hail to the size of baseballs was reported near Arapahoe in Furnas County. These storms also produce a lot of rainfall over areas that had fairly wet ground. Several areas of flooding were noted in the Platte and Republican River valleys. | |||||||||||
| 38.9 | 2004-05-22 | 2 | 40°27'N / 98°16'W | 40°29'N / 97°59'W | 20.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 4.5M | 1.0M | Clay |
| Brief Description: A large tornado moved out of Adams county and into central Clay county. Approximately 15 residences were hit by the tornado. Thirty-eight cars of a forty-nine car Union Pacific train were derailed southeast of Glenvil. Over 100 center irrigation pivots were damaged or destroyed across Clay County. One of the worst severe weather outbreaks in recent years struck south-central Nebraska the afternoon and evening of May 22. No less than 17 different tornadoes rolled across south-central Nebraska. Dozens of homes were damaged and a few completely destroyed. Over 250 center irrigation pivots were damaged or destroyed in south-central Nebraska alone. Large hail and strong straight-line winds of up to 80 mph also wreaked havoc on the region. Several million dollars in property damage was reported. Hundreds of power poles were snapped resulting in dozens of miles of downed electrical line. | |||||||||||
| 39.2 | 1951-05-25 | 2 | 39°56'N / 97°26'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Republic | |||
| 39.6 | 1991-04-26 | 3 | 40°01'N / 96°55'W | 40°15'N / 96°42'W | 19.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Gage |
| 39.6 | 1959-08-30 | 2 | 40°55'N / 96°52'W | 4.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lancaster | |
| 40.4 | 2004-05-22 | 4 | 40°30'N / 96°47'W | 40°41'N / 96°28'W | 19.50 Miles | 4400 Yards | 1 | 30 | 100.0M | 0 | Lancaster |
| Brief Description: See description below. F73PH This long tracked tornado is often referred to as the Hallam tornado. It initially touched down 3 miles west of Daykin in northern Jefferson county. The tornado was rated an f0 or f1 in Jefferson county damaging farm outbuildings, grain bins and trees. From there the tornado crossed into Saline county southwest of Western and remained an f0 or f1 until it struck the southern portion of Wilber where it strengthened to f2. Roofs were blown off of homes just southeast of Wilber. The tornado traveled from Wilber into Gage county, crossing the county line west of Clatonia where it grew to its most intense stage, f4. The tornado remained nearly at this strength as it crossed into Lancaster county near Hallam with a damage path of around 2 1/2 miles. Many well-built homes were demolished from Clatonia to Hallam, along with grain bins, farm sheds, and outbuildings. Many trees were destroyed or uprooted. Although Hallam itself escaped the strongest winds from the storm, which occurred just south of town, 95 percent of the buildings in town were either destroyed or severely damaged. The lone fatality from the tornado occurred in Hallam. The storm also toppled several hopper cars from a freight train on the west edge of town. In total 55 railroad cars were derailed. From Hallam the tornado traveled east for several miles prior to turning northeast again just north of Cortland. The storm then tracked 2 miles north of Firth, severely damaging the Firth-Norris high school and a nearby middle school. School busses were tossed in this area. Several homes northeast of the schools were flattened as the tornado regained its f4 strength. The damage path continued northeast to Holland and then to 2 miles north of Panama where the tornado weakened to around an f2 and the damage path began to narrow. The track then curved more toward the north, passing just south of Bennet where a few homes sustained f3 damage. After passing south of Bennet, the storm moved back to the northeast and began to weaken to f0 or f1 strength as it crossed into Otoe county southwest of Palmyra. The tornado finally dissipated 1 miles west southwest of Palmyra. In total the tornado was on the ground for around 54 miles with a maximum intensity of f4. Besides the fatality, 38 people sustained injuries, 158 homes were leveled and 57 others were seriously damaged. The dollar amount of damage was estimated at 160 million, with 60 million of that agricultural including 100 cattle and 50 hogs lost. Some 150,000 acres of crop land sustained significant damage. The 5 counties were declared national disaster areas by Fema. | |||||||||||
| 40.4 | 1991-04-11 | 2 | 40°21'N / 98°10'W | 40°26'N / 98°07'W | 6.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clay |
| 40.8 | 1981-04-03 | 2 | 40°52'N / 96°52'W | 40°53'N / 96°42'W | 8.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lancaster |
| 41.0 | 1978-07-06 | 2 | 40°00'N / 96°59'W | 40°01'N / 96°55'W | 3.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jefferson |
| 41.4 | 1956-05-29 | 2 | 40°04'N / 96°52'W | 40°04'N / 96°49'W | 2.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Gage |
| 41.5 | 2003-06-22 | 2 | 39°57'N / 97°47'W | 39°59'N / 97°43'W | 4.00 Miles | 450 Yards | 0 | 0 | 80K | 0 | Republic |
| Brief Description: A tornado struck 3 miles northeast of Republic and moved northeast 4 miles and destroyed a house in its path before it dissipated near the Nebraska border. Thunderstorms developed over Republic county the evening of the 22nd and persisted into the early morning hours of the 23rd. Numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds along with several tornadoes (discussed separately) were the result. The persistance of the thunderstorms in the same location led to flash flooding in Republic County as well as the Republican River to flood and do considerable crop damage. | |||||||||||
| 42.0 | 1978-07-06 | 2 | 40°01'N / 96°55'W | 40°00'N / 96°55'W | 1.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Gage |
| 42.1 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 40°00'N / 96°47'W | 40°31'N / 96°31'W | 38.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Gage |
| 42.2 | 2006-09-15 | 2 | 41°06'N / 97°19'W | 41°07'N / 97°18'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Butler |
| Brief Description: A tornado did extensive tree damage and some structual damage throughout the town of Surprise including destroying a mobile home and tearing the roof off of a bar. The tornado was embedded in a larger downburst area that did damage over a 28 square mile area surrounding Surprise according a NWS storm survey. The tornado was rated an F2 in Surprise, where it initially touched down, and then weakened and lifted a few minutes later 1 mile northeast of town. | |||||||||||
| 42.5 | 2006-04-15 | 2 | 40°08'N / 96°47'W | 40°27'N / 96°28'W | 29.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 4.5M | 0 | Gage |
| Brief Description: This tornado formed about 6 miles west of Wymore at 433 pm CDT (1533 CST), tracked northeast to around 4 miles east of Beatrice where it caused f2 damage, then tracked just south of Adams and crossed into Johnson county 2 miles southeast of Adams around 515 pm CDT. In Johnson county the tornado tracked another 5 miles before dissipating or lifting 3 miles north of Sterling. This tornado formed from a supercell which then became rain-wrapped and took on a heavy rain (hp) supercell characteristics. In Gage county, the average width of the damage path of the tornado was around 150 yards, but it did reach around 1/2 mile in a 3 mile stretch from 4 miles east of Beatrice to 6 miles east northeast of Beatrice. The total path length in Gage and Johnson counties was 34 miles. Seventy-three homes were affected by the tornado, one house was basically destroyed and two others received major damage. One farmstead had 10 trees uprooted. The tornado also destroyed two large chicken houses that when full could house up to 86,000 broilers. In Gage county the damage was estimated at $4.5 million. | |||||||||||
| 42.7 | 2008-05-29 | 2 | 40°20'N / 96°42'W | 40°21'N / 96°30'W | 11.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 0K | Gage |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A bow echo that moved across the Beatrice area spun up an EF2 tornado just north of town while south through east of town a narrow path of straight line wind damage occurred. The tornado touched down around 2 miles east of Highway 77 near Hackberry Road where it severely damaged two houses. Farm outbuildings were also severely damaged or destroyed. The tornado was rated an EF2 at that location. From there the tornado damaged a church on Elm Road with trees also snapped or uprooted in both areas as well. The tornado continued east northeast causing substantial tree and outbuilding damage to 10 more farmsteads, along with some house damage. Most of the damage occurred along Hackberry Road with the damage path around 1/4 mile wide. As the tornado worked its way east northeast toward Johnson county...the damage gradually weakened and the path narrowed. The tornado was estimated to have lifted a little northeast of Filley. Emergency management estimated that the tornado and the wind damage south through east of town caused at least a million dollars worth of damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front lifted north across the region during the afternoon and evening of May 29th followed by a weak cool front passage later that night. As the warm front passed, temperatures warmed into the lower to mid 80s and dewpoint temperatures climbed into the 65 to 70 degree range. The whole system was aided by an intense upper level low pressure area that moved from the eastern Rockies into the northern plains. The combination of the high instability in place, the 2 fronts and the upper level disturbance created conditions that were favorable not only for severe thunderstorms, a few of which were supercells that produced tornadoes, but also areas of very heavy rainfall that produced flash flooding that night and river and stream flooding that lasted a day or two later. | |||||||||||
| 42.9 | 1991-04-26 | 3 | 39°57'N / 96°57'W | 40°01'N / 96°55'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 43.4 | 2009-03-23 | 2 | 40°37'N / 96°35'W | 40°38'N / 96°34'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Lancaster |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is the second of 5 cyclic tornadoes that a low-topped supercell thunderstorm produced at it tracked southeast through east of the Lincoln area. This tornado touched down around 2 miles east of Hickman and damaged a house in the area, destroyed some farm outbuildings, took the roof off of a barn and also caused tree damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An intense upper level low pressure system tracked from eastern Colorado into southeast South Dakota from March 23rd into March 24th. This caused a surface low pressure system to move from western Nebraska into southeast South Dakota during that time. As the low tracked northeast, a dry-line moved into eastern Nebraska during the afternoon of March 23rd. With surface temperatures in the 60s and 70s, and dewpoint temperatures in the 50s, ample instability was in place to allow a line of severe thunderstorms to develop as the dry-line punched eastward. Several fast moving low-topped supercell thunderstorms were embedded in the line, and one cell produced cyclic tornadoes from southeast of Lincoln into western Iowa. The storms in the line were moving north northeast at 50 to 60 mph. In addition to the severe weather, strong southerly gradient winds prevailed ahead of the low pressure. In some cases the winds gusted between 50 and 65 mph for several hours across parts of eastern Nebraska. | |||||||||||
| 43.4 | 1986-09-18 | 3 | 40°01'N / 97°56'W | 40°02'N / 97°55'W | 1.00 Mile | 80 Yards | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Nuckolls |
| 43.7 | 1976-04-14 | 2 | 39°53'N / 97°55'W | 40°00'N / 97°38'W | 17.00 Miles | 330 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Republic |
| 43.8 | 1958-07-03 | 2 | 40°09'N / 96°51'W | 40°14'N / 96°28'W | 20.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Gage |
| 44.1 | 1967-06-13 | 2 | 40°48'N / 98°10'W | 41°00'N / 97°55'W | 18.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hamilton |
| 44.7 | 1986-09-18 | 3 | 39°59'N / 97°55'W | 40°01'N / 97°56'W | 1.00 Mile | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Republic |
| 45.1 | 1953-08-02 | 2 | 40°05'N / 96°45'W | 40°05'N / 96°42'W | 1.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Gage |
| 45.6 | 1968-07-30 | 2 | 41°10'N / 97°39'W | 41°07'N / 97°32'W | 6.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Polk |
| 45.8 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 40°18'N / 98°16'W | 40°21'N / 98°11'W | 7.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25.0M | 0 | Nuckolls |
| 45.8 | 1991-04-11 | 2 | 40°13'N / 98°15'W | 40°21'N / 98°10'W | 10.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Nuckolls |
| 45.9 | 2009-06-17 | 2 | 40°52'N / 98°10'W | 40°52'N / 98°04'W | 5.00 Miles | 450 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 75K | Hamilton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A large tornado touched down west of Aurora on Highway 34, then traveled east approximately 5 miles before lifting. In its path, it destroyed a house and several outbuildings, power poles, trees, and overturned about a dozen railcars. The occupants were able to seek shelter before the tornado struck. Numerous storm chasers documented this storm. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Early on in the afternoon, a few scattered thunderstorms developed across eastern portions of South Central Nebraska, with one severe thunderstorm across Thayer County, where quarter to baseball size hail was reported. The main show came later during the early evening hours, after a surface warm front had moved north into the area. Near the front, good instability and shear was present, as was moisture. Scattered thunderstorms developed along the edge of the mid level cap near the surface front, and with the environment present, some became strong to severe. The main storm of the day developed in Buffalo County, then moved east across Hall and Hamilton Counties. In each of these counties, this storm produced a tornado, with the largest occurring in Hamilton County, along Highway 34 near the town of Aurora. This tornado caused EF2 damage to a home in its path, before dissipating a few miles west of Aurora. Other damage caused by this storm included downed power poles and derailed train cars, as well as roof damage to the Iams plant caused by strong inflow winds. Weaker tornadoes were reported on the south side of Grand Island in Hall County, as well as north of Gibbon in Buffalo County, where EF1 damage occurred at a few farmsteads. Penny to tennis ball size hail was also reported across the area, causing damage to crops, with one report of broken house windows in Valley County. | |||||||||||
| 45.9 | 1978-04-05 | 2 | 40°27'N / 98°16'W | 40°28'N / 98°15'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Clay | ||
| 46.2 | 1975-06-02 | 2 | 40°07'N / 96°40'W | 0.20 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Gage | |
| 46.3 | 1975-06-02 | 2 | 40°40'N / 98°33'W | 40°23'N / 97°59'W | 35.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Adams |
| 46.6 | 1982-05-26 | 2 | 41°00'N / 97°59'W | 0.80 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hamilton | |
| 46.7 | 1984-06-12 | 2 | 40°54'N / 96°50'W | 40°54'N / 96°30'W | 20.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Lancaster |
| 47.2 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 41°10'N / 97°35'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Polk | |
| 47.2 | 1982-06-14 | 2 | 40°44'N / 98°16'W | 40°51'N / 98°08'W | 10.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hamilton |
| 47.2 | 2004-05-22 | 2 | 39°54'N / 97°51'W | 39°55'N / 97°49'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 90K | 0 | Republic |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down at the Pawnee Indian Museum and damaged a roof to the museum building before moving 2 miles and lifting at the edge of Republic. Along the tornado's path a windmill was destroyed, power lines were downed, and 3 center pivoting irrigation systems were damaged. A one ton granite memorial at the Pawnee Indian Museum was moved 8 feet off the foundation. | |||||||||||
| 47.4 | 1991-04-26 | 2 | 40°26'N / 96°30'W | 40°31'N / 96°28'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Gage |
| 47.5 | 2008-05-29 | 3 | 39°43'N / 97°55'W | 40°00'N / 97°30'W | 30.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0K | Republic |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado crossed from Jewell County into Republic County 4 miles South Southwest of Courtland. There, tree damage was noted, and several outbuildings were destroyed at a residence. An old rock home was also destroyed. Significant tree, power pole, and power line damage was reported along the path. Several of these trees had been uprooted and thrown for several hundred feet. Irrigation units were destroyed. Several homes, a newspaper reported at least six, were damaged along the path. The home that sustained the most significant damage had portions of the roof removed, and it's eastern wall blown out. Barns, outbuildings, and grain bins were destroyed at the residence as well. The old Union Valley Schoolhouse was demolished, and several headstones and trees in the Union Valley Cemetary were blown down. The tornado was rated EF-3 when it entered the county. Local Emergency Management reported that several residents had to be rescued after the tornado because of debris and damage to their homes. Highway 36 was closed through Friday morning because of power poles and power lines on the roadway. Between Hwy 81 and a point two miles south of the state line along the path, EF-2 damage was surveyed. Thereafter, EF-1 damage was noted. The tornado exited Republic County and entered Thayer County 5 miles west northwest of Narka. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A supercell that tracked across much of north central Kansas spawned a long-lived tornado that tracked from Jewell County, KS (Hastings CWA) into Republic County, KS (Topeka CWA) into Thayer County, NE (Hastings CWA) and finally into Jefferson County, NE (Omaha CWA) before dissipating. The bulk of the damage that occurred in Republic County happened within a few minutes of crossing the county line. Damage there was rated EF-3. Six residences were reported to have been significantly damaged. A few residents of these homes needed to be rescued, as they were trapped by debris. Other damage occurred to trees, power lines, and farm related buildings. | |||||||||||
| 47.8 | 1986-09-18 | 3 | 39°56'N / 97°59'W | 39°59'N / 97°55'W | 5.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jewell |
| 47.9 | 1986-09-18 | 2 | 40°41'N / 98°16'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clay | |
| 48.4 | 1964-05-05 | 5 | 41°03'N / 97°34'W | 41°21'N / 97°16'W | 25.80 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Polk |
| 48.6 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 40°47'N / 98°10'W | 40°52'N / 98°15'W | 6.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hamilton |
| 48.6 | 1953-05-09 | 3 | 39°48'N / 97°54'W | 39°59'N / 97°48'W | 13.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Republic |
| 48.7 | 2010-06-20 | 2 | 40°01'N / 98°04'W | 40°01'N / 98°03'W | 1.00 Mile | 1300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Nuckolls |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The most significant damage was confined to the city limits of Superior. There was widespread tree damage, along with a warehouse building and several small buildings being destroyed and a number of snapped power poles. On the southeast edge of town, railroad cars were overturned. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Much like the previous day, most severe weather focused south of the Nebraska and Kansas border on this Sunday afternoon and evening. However, one severe storm crept just far enough north of the state line to produce a damaging EF2 tornado in the community of Superior in southern Nuckolls County. The storm complex that eventually produced this tornado initially developed across Northwest Kansas in the vicinity of a nearly stationary east-west surface front, as a subtle mid-level shortwave ejected from a large-scale western United States trough. As these storms snuck into far South Central Nebraska out of North Central Kansas, the synoptic environment was quite supportive of severe weather, featuring deep-layer wind shear of 40 knots, and MLCAPE values around 3500 J/kg. The low-level shear environment was also favorable for tornadoes, with 0-1 km shear values around 25 knots, and 0-1 km storm relative helicity of at least 300 m2/s2. The storm that produced the Superior tornado was essentially an embedded supercell on the north end of a squall line, associated with a bookend vortex that first developed within the line in North Central Kansas. Around the same time as the Superior tornado, a separate area of strong to severe storms flared up several counties to the north, resulting in a quarter-sized hail report from Valley County. | |||||||||||
| 48.7 | 1991-04-26 | 2 | 39°49'N / 97°07'W | 39°51'N / 97°03'W | 3.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 48.7 | 1961-05-31 | 2 | 39°49'N / 97°37'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Republic | |||
| 49.2 | 2006-04-06 | 2 | 39°47'N / 96°52'W | 40°00'N / 96°56'W | 17.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 0 | Washington |
| Brief Description: This tornado touched down at 420pm cst 5 miles north of Barnes and was on the ground for 17 miles before crossing the state line into Gage County, Nebraska 3.5 miles east-northeast of Hollenberg, Kansas...or about 3 miles south and 0.5 miles west of Odell, Nebraska. It was caused by a supercell thunderstorm and was sighted by many storm chasers and storm spotters. Most of the damage with this tornado was rated as F0 or F1. However, strong F2 damage was noted near the intersection of Highways 36 and 148, where one brick home had the roof torn off and some of the exterior walls knocked down. The occupants of the home were in the basement and had to be helped from the damaged home by emergency personel. Four outbuildings were also damaged at this location. Elsewhere, the tornado caused damage to one other home and five additional outbuildings as well as many trees, and one home was completely destroyed just southeast of Hanover. | |||||||||||
| 49.5 | 1974-05-10 | 2 | 40°02'N / 98°06'W | 1.00 Mile | 233 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Nuckolls | |
| 49.6 | 2001-10-09 | 3 | 41°05'N / 97°50'W | 41°15'N / 97°39'W | 16.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.8M | 800K | Polk |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado entered Polk County from Hamilton County. A powerful upper level low pressure system plowing into an unstable airmass triggered widespread severe weather across south-central Nebraska during the late afternoon and evening hours. As many as nine tornadoes were confirmed and many reports of hail were received. The tornado damage was confined to an area located north and east of Grand Island, which included Merrick, Nance, Polk, Greeley, and Hamilton counties. The tornadoes got going west of Marquette. One twister set down in Hamilton county and crossed the Platte River southeast of Chapman. Damage to outbuildings was of most significance. Other tornadoes were reported in the Marquette area, with one tornado on the ground for 12 miles from south of Marquette to southeast of Hordville. This tornado was rated an F1 and produced minor structural damage to buildings and grain bins at several farms. Power lines were lost and several trees were blown over. Numerous center pivot irrigation systems were damaged. Just before 6 pm CDT, the most damaging tornado of the day developed near the Polk and Hamilton county line, and proceeded northeast across western Polk county, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Storm chaser reports indicated this tornado frequently became multi-vortex in nature and produced a wide swath of damage. Three miles north of Polk, a home was completely ripped from its foundation and blown into some nearby trees. The tornado was rated an F3 at this point. Along its 18 mile path, the tornado damaged over 20 center pivots, and nearly every farmstead in the path of the tornado sustained damage to the home, outbuildings, machinery or grain bins. This tornado lifted southwest of Silver Creek. Just prior to the F3 tornado in Polk county, an F2 tornado was ripping up a farmstead in northern Merrick county. This tornado was responsible for tearing the roof from a home, destroying two large metal outbuildings and damage to a half-dozen vehicles. The tornado moved north and destroyed a barn on the Nance and Merrick county line, but narrowly missed the home. Window and siding damage was noted at the home. Later that evening, one final tornado was reported. This tornado moved from south of Silver Creek to northeast of Silver Creek just before sunset. The tornado clipped the southeast side of town, resulting in damage to the post office, several cars, trees, and 13 residences in town. Fortunately, most of the damage was minor. | |||||||||||
| 49.9 | 2001-04-11 | 2 | 40°15'N / 96°30'W | 40°16'N / 96°29'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 400K | 0 | Gage |
| Brief Description: A tornado caused extensive damage in Virginia with most of the damage occurring along a 4 block long and 1 block wide stretch through the center of town. One house was almost completely destroyed causing minor injuries to 2 people living there. Six other homes and businesses sustained extensive damage, and trees and other debris were scattered all over the community. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.