Hall County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Nebraska Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Hall County is about the same as Nebraska average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Hall County is much higher than Nebraska average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #81
| Hall County | 0.01 |
| 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
| Hall County | 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, #1
| Hall County | 379.96 |
| 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 12,436 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Hall County 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: | 29 | Cold: | 75 | Dense Fog: | 8 | Drought: | 12 |
| Dust Storm: | 2 | Flood: | 479 | Hail: | 7,392 | Heat: | 23 | Heavy Snow: | 38 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 24 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 86 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 3,702 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 194 | Winter Weather: | 39 |
| Other: | 333 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Hall County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Hall County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Hall County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 101 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Hall County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 2.3 | 1973-10-09 | 2 | 40°54'N / 98°30'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Hall | |
| 4.2 | 1977-05-19 | 2 | 40°49'N / 98°36'W | 40°58'N / 98°15'W | 20.80 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hall |
| 7.9 | 1967-06-13 | 2 | 40°42'N / 98°59'W | 41°13'N / 97°50'W | 69.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Buffalo |
| 8.0 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 40°47'N / 98°42'W | 40°58'N / 98°36'W | 12.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hall |
| 8.2 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 40°53'N / 98°28'W | 41°02'N / 98°20'W | 17.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hall |
| 8.3 | 1980-06-03 | 4 | 40°55'N / 98°21'W | 40°54'N / 98°21'W | 1.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hall |
| 8.9 | 1980-06-03 | 3 | 41°01'N / 98°24'W | 40°55'N / 98°23'W | 6.40 Miles | 700 Yards | 1 | 25 | 2.5M | 0 | Hall |
| 9.1 | 1980-06-03 | 3 | 40°56'N / 98°21'W | 40°55'N / 98°20'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hall | ||
| 9.3 | 1980-06-03 | 4 | 40°54'N / 98°21'W | 40°54'N / 98°18'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hall | ||
| 9.7 | 1980-06-03 | 3 | 40°58'N / 98°21'W | 40°56'N / 98°21'W | 2.30 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 40 | 25.0M | 0 | Hall |
| 9.7 | 1980-06-03 | 4 | 40°55'N / 98°18'W | 40°55'N / 98°21'W | 3 | 110 | 250.0M | 0 | Hall | ||
| 9.9 | 1990-03-13 | 2 | 40°43'N / 98°40'W | 40°49'N / 98°36'W | 7.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hall |
| 10.4 | 1980-06-03 | 2 | 40°54'N / 98°18'W | 40°51'N / 98°18'W | 3.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hall |
| 10.5 | 1984-06-11 | 3 | 41°00'N / 98°35'W | 41°02'N / 98°28'W | 7.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hall |
| 10.8 | 1980-06-03 | 2 | 40°51'N / 98°18'W | 40°51'N / 98°17'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hall | ||
| 10.9 | 1993-05-07 | 2 | 40°42'N / 98°34'W | 40°44'N / 98°34'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | 0 | Hall |
| Brief Description: Tornado touched down near Prosser. Equipment at a sand and gravel pit was damaged and five foot diameter cottonwood trees were uprooted. The tornado moved into southern Hall county and lifted. | |||||||||||
| 11.0 | 1980-06-03 | 2 | 40°54'N / 98°17'W | 40°54'N / 98°18'W | 0 | 18 | 2.5M | 0 | Hall | ||
| 12.9 | 1957-05-20 | 2 | 40°46'N / 98°22'W | 40°58'N / 98°08'W | 18.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hall |
| 13.9 | 1984-06-11 | 3 | 41°02'N / 98°28'W | 41°05'N / 98°22'W | 7.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Howard |
| 14.4 | 1958-07-18 | 3 | 40°47'N / 98°45'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Buffalo | |
| 14.7 | 1990-03-13 | 2 | 40°40'N / 98°39'W | 40°43'N / 98°40'W | 2.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Adams |
| 14.7 | 1956-05-10 | 2 | 40°35'N / 98°30'W | 40°44'N / 98°22'W | 12.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Adams |
| 14.9 | 1984-06-11 | 2 | 40°53'N / 98°47'W | 0.50 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Buffalo | |
| 15.3 | 1967-06-12 | 2 | 40°40'N / 99°03'W | 40°48'N / 98°25'W | 34.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Buffalo |
| 15.4 | 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 |
| 16.2 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 40°43'N / 98°50'W | 40°47'N / 98°42'W | 10.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Buffalo |
| 16.4 | 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 |
| 17.5 | 1986-09-18 | 2 | 40°41'N / 98°16'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clay | |
| 17.7 | 1999-05-02 | 2 | 40°35'N / 98°35'W | 40°39'N / 98°34'W | 10.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0 | Adams |
| Brief Description: As strong low pressure lifted across Nebraska and Kansas, a series of damaging tornadoes ripped across south-central Nebraska during the late afternoon and evening hours. No less than 10 tornadoes were confirmed across an area from west of Arapahoe to north of Grand Island near St. Libory. Tornado damage began around mid-afternoon near Holbrook. A brief tornado did some damage to a farmstead northwest of town. Another tornado set down in southern Gosper county and damaged or destroyed at least 3 irrigation center pivots. Tornadoes touched down near Ragan and west of Wilcox. Eventually, another twister near Macon hit two farms. With debris flying through the air, one man stood on his front porch as the tornado passed. Outbuildings, center pivots, and grain bins were heavily damaged by this tornado. Just after 6 pm, the first of three tornadoes in Adams county took aim on the region west of Kenesaw. Shortly thereafter, another tornado set down southeast of Kenesaw and moved northeast. One farm sustained damage southeast of Kenesaw as irrigation pipe littered the fields along the twister's path. Both tornadoes were on the ground at the same time. A third tornado set down west of Juniata but did no damage before lifting. Around 7 pm, a short lived tornado was observed just northwest of Wood River. This tornado destroyed grain bins, damaged a grain dryer and pulled shingles from a house nearby. Strong winds in the region also downed power lines and poles south of town. Finally, just after 8 pm, the final tornado of the evening set down in extreme western Merrick county and moved north just inside the Howard county line. This F2, multiple vortex tornado was on the ground for about 5 miles and damaged or destroyed numerous outbuildings and trees along its path. | |||||||||||
| 17.8 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 41°02'N / 98°20'W | 41°06'N / 98°14'W | 4.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Howard |
| 18.0 | 1964-04-26 | 2 | 40°56'N / 98°54'W | 41°00'N / 98°44'W | 9.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Buffalo |
| 18.5 | 1999-04-21 | 2 | 41°08'N / 98°33'W | 41°08'N / 98°31'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Howard |
| Brief Description: Thunderstorms developed west of Holdrege in the morning and spread quickly northeast to St. Paul and Greeley by noon. Early on, the thunderstorms dumped hail and torrential rainfall northeast of Holdrege. 2.75" diameter hail was reported north of Holdrege and some areas in northwest Phelps county noted three foot hail drifts. Rain and hail teamed to produce areas of erosion across freshly tilled fields. As the storms spread northeast, a brief tornado damaged a home under construction north of Dannebrog. The tornado nearly destroyed the entire main floor. Only one wall was left standing. The owner and construction crew at the house at the time escaped injury by going to the basement just before the tornado struck. Minor roof damage occurred on a nearby house. Another brief tornado touch down occurred just south of St. Paul, causing some minor damage to outbuildings. | |||||||||||
| 18.8 | 1959-06-27 | 2 | 41°05'N / 98°43'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard | |
| 19.4 | 1985-05-10 | 3 | 40°46'N / 99°00'W | 40°54'N / 98°44'W | 17.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Buffalo |
| 19.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 20.3 | 1965-05-08 | 3 | 41°03'N / 98°45'W | 41°11'N / 98°39'W | 10.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Howard |
| 21.1 | 1999-05-02 | 2 | 41°05'N / 98°19'W | 41°10'N / 98°15'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Howard |
| Brief Description: As strong low pressure lifted across Nebraska and Kansas, a series of damaging tornadoes ripped across south-central Nebraska during the late afternoon and evening hours. No less than 10 tornadoes were confirmed across an area from west of Arapahoe to north of Grand Island near St. Libory. Tornado damage began around mid-afternoon near Holbrook. A brief tornado did some damage to a farmstead northwest of town. Another tornado set down in southern Gosper county and damaged or destroyed at least 3 irrigation center pivots. Tornadoes touched down near Ragan and west of Wilcox. Eventually, another twister near Macon hit two farms. With debris flying through the air, one man stood on his front porch as the tornado passed. Outbuildings, center pivots, and grain bins were heavily damaged by this tornado. Just after 6 pm, the first of three tornadoes in Adams county took aim on the region west of Kenesaw. Shortly thereafter, another tornado set down southeast of Kenesaw and moved northeast. One farm sustained damage southeast of Kenesaw as irrigation pipe littered the fields along the twister's path. Both tornadoes were on the ground at the same time. A third tornado set down west of Juniata but did no damage before lifting. Around 7 pm, a short lived tornado was observed just northwest of Wood River. This tornado destroyed grain bins, damaged a grain dryer and pulled shingles from a house nearby. Strong winds in the region also downed power lines and poles south of town. Finally, just after 8 pm, the final tornado of the evening set down in extreme western Merrick county and moved north just inside the Howard county line. This F2, multiple vortex tornado was on the ground for about 5 miles and damaged or destroyed numerous outbuildings and trees along its path. | |||||||||||
| 22.2 | 1964-05-05 | 5 | 40°33'N / 98°22'W | 40°36'N / 98°16'W | 6.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 2 | 20 | 2.5M | 0 | Adams |
| 23.1 | 2008-05-29 | 2 | 40°43'N / 99°07'W | 40°48'N / 98°43'W | 22.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 11.0M | 500K | Buffalo |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado was the most organized tornado that hit the city of Kearney this night and was the most persistent. It appeared to stay on the ground for the majority of its 22 mile path in Buffalo County. The tornado did exit Buffalo County and entered Hall County. The tornado started in the northwest part of the city of Kearney where it damaged an apartment complex. It took the roof off of part of the complex, blew out a wall and stacked a couple of cars in the parking lot. The tornado then moved east, damaging trees in Harmon Park and took a part of the roof off a building near the hospital. At the Buffalo County Fairgrounds, it caused a portion of the Expo Center building to collapse. Two people in this building were shook up but not injured. The tornado then continued east to the Kearney Airport where it destroyed a hanger and the cooperate jet housed inside. The tornado then continued on east and northeast through rural parts of Buffalo County. Several farmsteads were hit but damage was limited to shingles removed from roofs, outbuildings damaged and empty grain bins destroyed. There were multiple power poles and lines down by this storm. 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. | |||||||||||
| 23.8 | 1965-05-08 | 4 | 40°52'N / 98°36'W | 41°33'N / 98°17'W | 49.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Hall |
| 23.9 | 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 |
| 24.0 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 41°06'N / 98°14'W | 41°11'N / 98°12'W | 6.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Merrick |
| 24.3 | 1982-05-10 | 2 | 41°13'N / 98°27'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard | |
| 24.7 | 1960-08-23 | 2 | 40°31'N / 98°24'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Adams | |
| 24.9 | 1984-04-25 | 3 | 41°11'N / 98°30'W | 41°16'N / 98°25'W | 8.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 18 | 25.0M | 0 | Howard |
| 25.1 | 1992-01-07 | 2 | 41°09'N / 98°48'W | 0.10 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sherman | |
| 25.4 | 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 |
| 25.6 | 1955-07-12 | 2 | 40°47'N / 99°01'W | 40°51'N / 98°57'W | 5.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Buffalo |
| 26.5 | 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 |
| 26.7 | 1993-05-07 | 2 | 40°16'N / 98°58'W | 40°49'N / 98°35'W | 40.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | 0 | Hall |
| Brief Description: Tornado touched down four miles southwest of Upland. Several farm buildings were destroyed and a house damaged. The tornado moved northeast in Kearney county with touchdowns eight miles south and four miles Minden. It crossed the Platte river east of Kearney. Funnel clouds were reported in eastern Buffalo county with 60 mph wind gusts at the Kearney Interstate 80 interchange. The tornado was last seen 1 1/2 miles east of Wood River in southwest Hall county. | |||||||||||
| 27.0 | 1964-05-05 | 2 | 41°07'N / 98°33'W | 41°23'N / 98°15'W | 24.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 27.4 | 1982-05-10 | 2 | 41°13'N / 98°15'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Merrick | |
| 27.5 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 40°32'N / 99°00'W | 40°43'N / 98°50'W | 10.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Kearney |
| 28.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 28.2 | 1967-06-13 | 2 | 40°52'N / 99°10'W | 41°15'N / 98°47'W | 33.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Buffalo |
| 28.4 | 1982-05-26 | 2 | 41°00'N / 97°59'W | 0.80 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hamilton | |
| 29.5 | 1990-03-13 | 2 | 41°15'N / 98°16'W | 41°17'N / 98°20'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Merrick |
| 30.0 | 1955-07-08 | 2 | 41°17'N / 98°44'W | 41°17'N / 98°35'W | 7.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Howard |
| 30.8 | 1978-04-05 | 2 | 40°27'N / 98°16'W | 40°28'N / 98°15'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Clay | ||
| 31.3 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 40°54'N / 97°54'W | 0.10 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hamilton | |
| 31.7 | 1955-06-02 | 2 | 40°28'N / 98°54'W | 40°34'N / 98°53'W | 6.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kearney |
| 32.2 | 1956-06-06 | 4 | 40°58'N / 99°06'W | 2.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Buffalo | |
| 32.3 | 1990-06-18 | 2 | 40°24'N / 98°27'W | 0.70 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Adams | |
| 32.3 | 1967-06-13 | 2 | 40°43'N / 99°05'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Buffalo | |
| 32.4 | 1986-04-13 | 2 | 40°34'N / 99°02'W | 40°36'N / 98°57'W | 5.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kearney |
| 33.1 | 1978-04-05 | 2 | 40°21'N / 98°26'W | 40°27'N / 98°16'W | 11.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Adams |
| 33.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 36.0 | 1990-03-13 | 2 | 41°17'N / 98°20'W | 41°25'N / 98°09'W | 11.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Nance |
| 36.4 | 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 |
| 37.7 | 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 |
| 37.8 | 1955-07-08 | 2 | 41°17'N / 99°12'W | 41°17'N / 98°44'W | 24.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 13 | 250K | 0 | Sherman |
| 37.9 | 2001-10-09 | 2 | 41°15'N / 98°00'W | 41°17'N / 98°00'W | 3.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 25K | Merrick |
| Brief Description: Tornado crossed from Merrick County into Nance 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. | |||||||||||
| 38.0 | 1974-04-20 | 2 | 41°12'N / 98°59'W | 41°29'N / 98°45'W | 22.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sherman |
| 38.8 | 2008-05-29 | 2 | 40°39'N / 99°12'W | 40°39'N / 99°10'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 75K | 0K | Phelps |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado started in northeast Phelps County and crossed into Buffalo County. The tornado did damage a couple of outbuildings and grain silos near the start of the damage 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. | |||||||||||
| 39.7 | 1965-05-25 | 2 | 40°02'N / 98°42'W | 40°33'N / 98°23'W | 39.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Webster |
| 40.0 | 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 |
| 40.5 | 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 |
| 41.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 41.6 | 1985-05-10 | 4 | 40°11'N / 98°43'W | 40°21'N / 98°27'W | 17.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Webster |
| 42.0 | 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 |
| 42.9 | 1964-05-05 | 4 | 41°24'N / 98°23'W | 41°33'N / 98°17'W | 11.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 11 | 25K | 0 | Greeley |
| 43.0 | 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 |
| 43.1 | 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 |
| 44.5 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 46.0 | 1974-04-26 | 3 | 41°12'N / 99°18'W | 41°15'N / 99°11'W | 6.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 0K | 0 | Custer |
| 46.0 | 1953-06-07 | 4 | 41°20'N / 99°08'W | 41°21'N / 99°06'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sherman | ||
| 46.0 | 1954-07-30 | 2 | 40°52'N / 97°37'W | 1.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | York | |
| 46.7 | 1974-04-20 | 3 | 40°57'N / 99°26'W | 41°14'N / 99°15'W | 21.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Dawson |
| 46.9 | 1955-07-08 | 2 | 41°17'N / 99°13'W | 41°17'N / 99°12'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Custer | ||
| 47.2 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 41°15'N / 99°15'W | 41°20'N / 99°10'W | 6.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sherman |
| 47.3 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 41°14'N / 99°16'W | 41°15'N / 99°15'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Custer | ||
| 47.8 | 1991-04-11 | 2 | 40°10'N / 98°20'W | 40°13'N / 98°15'W | 5.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Webster |
| 48.0 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 40°03'N / 98°32'W | 40°18'N / 98°16'W | 20.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Webster |
| 48.4 | 1974-04-20 | 3 | 41°14'N / 99°15'W | 41°26'N / 99°08'W | 14.70 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Dawson |
| 48.8 | 1963-08-27 | 2 | 41°28'N / 99°04'W | 41°28'N / 98°55'W | 7.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Valley |
| 48.8 | 1994-10-17 | 2 | 40°28'N / 99°16'W | 4.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Phelps | |
| Brief Description: A tornado moved across the western and northern parts of Holdrege. The roof of one business was removed. One residence was destroyed and three others were damaged. At the golf course, the clubhouse roof was damaged while the maintenance building and two golf cart sheds were destroyed. Sixty golf carts were damaged. Other brief tornado touchdowns were reported in Phelps County. | |||||||||||
| 48.9 | 1969-06-24 | 2 | 40°13'N / 99°09'W | 40°26'N / 99°03'W | 15.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Franklin |
| 49.0 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 41°28'N / 98°38'W | 41°41'N / 98°22'W | 20.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Greeley |
| 49.1 | 1990-03-13 | 2 | 40°22'N / 99°14'W | 40°29'N / 99°14'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kearney |
| 49.3 | 1972-07-20 | 2 | 41°30'N / 98°56'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Valley | |||
| 49.7 | 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 |
* 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.