Nelson, NE Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Nelson is about the same as Nebraska average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Nelson is much higher than Nebraska average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #399
| Nelson, NE | 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
| Nelson, NE | 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, #90
| Nelson, NE | 281.05 |
| 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 3,698 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Nelson, NE 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: | 9 | Cold: | 25 | Dense Fog: | 7 | Drought: | 8 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 102 | Hail: | 2,179 | Heat: | 10 | Heavy Snow: | 20 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 12 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 26 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,082 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 95 | Winter Weather: | 18 |
| Other: | 105 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Nelson, NE.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Nelson, NE.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Nelson, NE.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 93 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Nelson, NE.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 9.3 | 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 |
| 11.7 | 1974-05-10 | 2 | 40°02'N / 98°06'W | 1.00 Mile | 233 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Nuckolls | |
| 11.8 | 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 |
| 11.9 | 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 |
| 12.4 | 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 |
| 12.7 | 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 |
| 12.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 13.7 | 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 |
| 14.3 | 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 |
| 15.8 | 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 |
| 16.2 | 1978-04-07 | 2 | 40°05'N / 98°20'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Webster | |
| 16.4 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 17.6 | 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 |
| 17.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 17.9 | 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 |
| 18.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 18.8 | 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 |
| 20.2 | 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 |
| 20.3 | 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 |
| 20.4 | 1978-04-05 | 2 | 40°27'N / 98°16'W | 40°28'N / 98°15'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Clay | ||
| 21.5 | 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 |
| 23.4 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 23.7 | 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 |
| 23.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 24.3 | 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 |
| 24.3 | 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 |
| 24.3 | 1990-06-18 | 2 | 40°24'N / 98°27'W | 0.70 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Adams | |
| 24.7 | 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 |
| 24.8 | 1980-06-02 | 2 | 40°14'N / 97°36'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Thayer | |
| 25.7 | 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 |
| 26.0 | 1976-04-14 | 2 | 39°46'N / 98°13'W | 39°53'N / 97°55'W | 17.70 Miles | 330 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jewell |
| 26.6 | 1975-04-27 | 2 | 40°10'N / 97°34'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Thayer | |
| 27.2 | 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 |
| 27.5 | 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 |
| 27.9 | 1960-08-23 | 2 | 40°31'N / 98°24'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Adams | |
| 28.8 | 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 |
| 28.9 | 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 |
| 29.3 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 39°47'N / 98°10'W | 1.50 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jewell | |
| 29.6 | 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 |
| 30.0 | 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 |
| 30.0 | 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 |
| 30.0 | 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 |
| 30.4 | 1971-05-30 | 2 | 39°50'N / 98°23'W | 1.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jewell | |
| 30.4 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 30.5 | 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 |
| 30.6 | 1955-06-04 | 4 | 39°31'N / 98°32'W | 40°00'N / 97°33'W | 61.90 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Osborne |
| 30.9 | 1955-06-04 | 4 | 40°00'N / 97°33'W | 40°01'N / 97°32'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer | ||
| 31.4 | 1990-03-13 | 2 | 39°43'N / 97°51'W | 39°55'N / 97°39'W | 15.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Republic |
| 31.5 | 1986-09-18 | 2 | 40°06'N / 98°39'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Webster | |
| 31.8 | 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 |
| 34.9 | 1986-09-18 | 2 | 40°41'N / 98°16'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clay | |
| 35.3 | 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 |
| 35.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 35.7 | 1961-05-31 | 2 | 39°49'N / 97°37'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Republic | |||
| 36.2 | 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 |
| 36.4 | 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 |
| 36.9 | 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 |
| 36.9 | 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 |
| 37.3 | 1952-05-21 | 2 | 39°41'N / 97°52'W | 0.20 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Republic | |
| 38.3 | 1951-05-25 | 2 | 39°56'N / 97°26'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Republic | |||
| 39.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 39.6 | 2008-05-29 | 3 | 39°34'N / 98°14'W | 39°42'N / 98°07'W | 11.00 Miles | 2000 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | 1.0M | Jewell |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado moved out of Mitchell County and into Jewell County about 4 miles west of Highway 14. As the tornado moved northeast and was southwest of the town of Jewell, it hit three farmsteads and severely damaged the homes and outbuildings at these locations. One of the homes was completely destroyed and other had a machine shed also destroyed. Trees and power poles and lines were also damaged along its path. The tornado entered the southwest side of community of Jewell and moved across the west side of town. Several homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. The Jewell Caf?? and the Bourbon Trucking Company were destroyed. The town???s water tower was also blown down by the tornado. The tornado lifted about two miles northeast of town. Luckily no injuries were reported. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant severe weather outbreak occurred during the afternoon and evening of May 29th. Several tornadoes were reported from south of Palco in Rooks County to community of Jewell in Jewell County. On tornado inflected significant damage to the community of Jewell, including destroying the town???s caf?? and water tower. Several homes in rural areas of Mitchell and Jewell Counties were damaged or destroyed. The town of Woodston in eastern Rooks County also had a twister move through the community; luckily damage was not as severe. All together eight tornadoes occurred in this part of north-central Kansas and no critical injuries were reported. Other areas of north-central Kansas also saw hail and heavy rains from the storms. An area between Webster Lake and Stockton in Rooks County had hail up to the size of baseballs. The hail damaged windows and siding of homes along the storms path. In addition to the tornadoes, hail and wind, thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain across the Solomon River valleys. This resulted in some flooding of rural roads and area creeks and rivers. | |||||||||||
| 40.7 | 2004-05-29 | 2 | 39°37'N / 97°56'W | 39°38'N / 97°53'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.1M | 0 | Cloud |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down 4 miles westnorthwest of Jamestown and moved eastnorteast before dissipating 3 miles northnorthwest of Jamestown. Large trees and power poles were downed. A number of farms along the route had significant damage. | |||||||||||
| 41.4 | 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 |
| 42.0 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 42.4 | 1985-05-10 | 4 | 40°00'N / 99°00'W | 40°11'N / 98°43'W | 18.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Franklin |
| 42.6 | 1950-05-08 | 2 | 39°34'N / 98°18'W | 39°38'N / 98°12'W | 6.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Jewell |
| 43.0 | 1973-03-13 | 2 | 39°35'N / 98°35'W | 39°50'N / 98°33'W | 17.20 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Smith |
| 43.5 | 1973-09-25 | 2 | 39°44'N / 98°58'W | 39°59'N / 98°33'W | 27.90 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Smith |
| 43.7 | 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 |
| 43.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 44.0 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 44.1 | 1971-05-30 | 2 | 39°46'N / 98°46'W | 39°51'N / 98°41'W | 7.10 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Smith |
| 44.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 45.3 | 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 |
| 45.5 | 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 |
| 45.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 45.9 | 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 |
| 46.0 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 46.2 | 2008-04-24 | 2 | 39°31'N / 98°07'W | 39°33'N / 97°55'W | 11.00 Miles | 1050 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 500K | Mitchell |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado sat down north of Beloit near highway 14 and traveled eastward. Several homes, farmsteads, outbuildings and trees were damaged along the tornadoes path. For the first 4 miles of the damage path, the tornado was rated at EF2 with EF0 damage seen through the rest of the county. The tornado exited Mitchell County northeast of Scottsville and entered Cloud County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms developed during the evening hours across north-central Kansas and produced large hail, strong winds and heavy rains. Hail up to the size of softballs was reported west of Stockton where windows were broken, roofs and siding damaged and crops pummeled. A couple of brief tornados were reported to have touched down in Rooks County. One was south of Stockton and the other was near Woodston. No damage occurred with these. There were other reports of hail, mainly up to the size of golf balls, and wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph reported across the area. A tornado touched down north of Beloit in Mitchell County and traveled east. Several houses, outbuildings, grain bins, trees and power poles were damaged along the it???s path. This tornado crossed into Cloud County. | |||||||||||
| 46.3 | 1980-06-03 | 2 | 40°51'N / 98°18'W | 40°51'N / 98°17'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hall | ||
| 46.5 | 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 |
| 46.5 | 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 |
| 46.9 | 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 |
| 47.3 | 1968-05-13 | 2 | 39°30'N / 98°06'W | 39°32'N / 98°01'W | 4.70 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mitchell |
| 47.7 | 1987-08-17 | 2 | 40°09'N / 97°10'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 48.1 | 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 |
| 48.3 | 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 |
| 48.5 | 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 |
| 48.5 | 2008-05-29 | 2 | 39°28'N / 98°19'W | 39°34'N / 98°14'W | 8.00 Miles | 2000 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 500K | Mitchell |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado started near Glen Elder Dam in Mitchell County and moved northeast. It crossed into Jewell County about 4 miles west of Highway 14. Eye witness accounts stated that this tornado combined near the dam with a tornado that had formed to the southwest in Osborne County. Just to the east of the dam, the tornado damaged several outbuildings at a farmstead and uprooted many trees. Power lines and trees were snapped off when the twister crossed US Highway 24 to the east of the town of Glen Elder. Large power poles were broken and another farmstead sustained extensive damage just before the tornado moved into Jewell County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant severe weather outbreak occurred during the afternoon and evening of May 29th. Several tornadoes were reported from south of Palco in Rooks County to community of Jewell in Jewell County. On tornado inflected significant damage to the community of Jewell, including destroying the town???s caf?? and water tower. Several homes in rural areas of Mitchell and Jewell Counties were damaged or destroyed. The town of Woodston in eastern Rooks County also had a twister move through the community; luckily damage was not as severe. All together eight tornadoes occurred in this part of north-central Kansas and no critical injuries were reported. Other areas of north-central Kansas also saw hail and heavy rains from the storms. An area between Webster Lake and Stockton in Rooks County had hail up to the size of baseballs. The hail damaged windows and siding of homes along the storms path. In addition to the tornadoes, hail and wind, thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain across the Solomon River valleys. This resulted in some flooding of rural roads and area creeks and rivers. | |||||||||||
| 49.0 | 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 |
| 49.1 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 40°54'N / 97°54'W | 0.10 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hamilton | |
| 49.6 | 1980-06-03 | 2 | 40°54'N / 98°17'W | 40°54'N / 98°18'W | 0 | 18 | 2.5M | 0 | Hall | ||
* 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.