Thayer County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Nebraska Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Thayer County is about the same as Nebraska average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Thayer County is much higher than Nebraska average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #18
| Thayer County | 0.04 |
| 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
| Thayer 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, #9
| Thayer County | 293.64 |
| 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 14,898 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Thayer 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: | 31 | Cold: | 70 | Dense Fog: | 15 | Drought: | 12 |
| Dust Storm: | 2 | Flood: | 765 | Hail: | 8,292 | Heat: | 44 | Heavy Snow: | 63 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 47 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 126 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,709 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 226 | Winter Weather: | 57 |
| Other: | 438 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Thayer County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Thayer County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Thayer County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 109 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Thayer County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 1.6 | 1975-04-27 | 2 | 40°10'N / 97°34'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Thayer | |
| 4.1 | 1980-06-02 | 2 | 40°14'N / 97°36'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Thayer | |
| 6.4 | 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 |
| 6.9 | 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 |
| 7.8 | 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 |
| 7.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 8.4 | 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 |
| 8.6 | 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 |
| 10.3 | 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 |
| 11.3 | 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 |
| 11.8 | 1955-06-04 | 4 | 40°00'N / 97°33'W | 40°01'N / 97°32'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thayer | ||
| 12.0 | 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 |
| 12.7 | 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 |
| 15.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 16.5 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 18.6 | 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 |
| 18.7 | 1951-05-25 | 2 | 39°56'N / 97°26'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Republic | |||
| 18.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 19.7 | 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 |
| 19.7 | 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 |
| 20.2 | 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 |
| 20.2 | 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 |
| 21.1 | 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 |
| 21.9 | 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 |
| 22.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 22.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 22.7 | 1987-08-17 | 2 | 40°09'N / 97°10'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson | |
| 23.0 | 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 |
| 23.5 | 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 |
| 23.7 | 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 |
| 23.9 | 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 |
| 24.7 | 1961-05-31 | 2 | 39°49'N / 97°37'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Republic | |||
| 25.0 | 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 |
| 26.0 | 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 |
| 26.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 26.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 26.8 | 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 |
| 28.3 | 1974-05-10 | 2 | 40°02'N / 98°06'W | 1.00 Mile | 233 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Nuckolls | |
| 29.3 | 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 |
| 30.9 | 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 |
| 31.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 32.1 | 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 |
| 32.4 | 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 |
| 33.1 | 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 |
| 33.5 | 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 |
| 33.9 | 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 |
| 34.4 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 34.6 | 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 |
| 34.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 34.7 | 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 |
| 35.7 | 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 |
| 35.8 | 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 |
| 35.9 | 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 |
| 36.0 | 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 |
| 36.7 | 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 |
| 36.8 | 1952-05-21 | 2 | 39°41'N / 97°52'W | 0.20 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Republic | |
| 37.1 | 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 |
| 37.4 | 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 |
| 37.4 | 1982-06-14 | 2 | 40°24'N / 96°57'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Saline | |
| 37.7 | 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 |
| 37.9 | 1957-05-20 | 4 | 39°23'N / 97°44'W | 39°53'N / 97°12'W | 44.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cloud |
| 38.6 | 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 |
| 39.4 | 1978-04-07 | 2 | 40°05'N / 98°20'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Webster | |
| 39.8 | 1957-05-20 | 3 | 39°34'N / 97°34'W | 39°38'N / 97°29'W | 6.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cloud |
| 40.0 | 1978-04-05 | 2 | 40°27'N / 98°16'W | 40°28'N / 98°15'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Clay | ||
| 40.5 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 39°47'N / 98°10'W | 1.50 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jewell | |
| 40.5 | 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 |
| 41.0 | 1967-06-09 | 2 | 39°31'N / 97°39'W | 39°39'N / 97°22'W | 17.50 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cloud |
| 41.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 41.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 41.7 | 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 |
| 42.2 | 1966-05-11 | 3 | 39°39'N / 97°12'W | 39°41'N / 97°06'W | 5.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington |
| 42.4 | 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 |
| 42.7 | 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 |
| 42.8 | 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 |
| 43.2 | 1960-11-27 | 3 | 39°33'N / 97°39'W | 2.00 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Cloud | |
| 43.6 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 39°44'N / 96°58'W | 40°00'N / 96°47'W | 20.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Marshall |
| 44.8 | 1996-05-09 | 2 | 39°34'N / 97°19'W | 39°34'N / 97°17'W | 1.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 40K | Washington |
| Brief Description: A tornado hit along the Clay-Washington county line moving east through mainly the city of Vining, beginning about 1.5 West of town and ending about 1/2 mile eastnortheast. Some damage was also noted in Clifton. There were about 25 buildings damaged in Vining including a large grain elevator complex with many trees downed or uprooted. A few buildings had their roofs torn completely off. Wind damage also occurred just north of Vining on a couple of farm homes and buildings. There were no injuries. | |||||||||||
| 44.9 | 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 |
| 44.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 45.3 | 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 |
| 45.4 | 1957-05-20 | 2 | 39°31'N / 97°38'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cloud | |||
| 45.4 | 1957-05-20 | 2 | 39°31'N / 97°38'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cloud | |||
| 45.6 | 1968-07-30 | 2 | 40°50'N / 97°35'W | 40°50'N / 97°32'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | York | ||
| 45.8 | 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 |
| 46.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 46.3 | 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 |
| 46.4 | 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 |
| 46.6 | 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 |
| 46.9 | 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 |
| 47.1 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 39°18'N / 97°22'W | 39°54'N / 96°52'W | 49.20 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Cloud |
| 47.1 | 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 |
| 47.6 | 1990-06-18 | 2 | 40°24'N / 98°27'W | 0.70 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Adams | |
| 47.8 | 1971-05-30 | 2 | 39°50'N / 98°23'W | 1.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jewell | |
| 47.8 | 1954-07-30 | 2 | 40°52'N / 97°37'W | 1.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | York | |
| 48.0 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 39°34'N / 97°02'W | 39°44'N / 96°58'W | 11.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 6 | 25.0M | 0 | Washington |
| 48.2 | 1973-09-25 | 2 | 39°29'N / 97°20'W | 39°33'N / 97°15'W | 5.90 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clay |
| 48.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 48.5 | 1960-08-23 | 2 | 40°31'N / 98°24'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Adams | |
| 48.5 | 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 |
| 48.5 | 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 |
| 48.7 | 1967-06-09 | 2 | 39°27'N / 97°55'W | 39°31'N / 97°39'W | 14.80 Miles | 1320 Yards | 1 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Cloud |
| 48.9 | 1957-05-20 | 2 | 39°28'N / 97°38'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cloud | |||
| 49.0 | 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 |
| 49.2 | 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 |
| 49.5 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1959-05-29 | 2 | 39°49'N / 96°47'W | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Marshall | |||
| 49.8 | 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 |
| 49.8 | 1986-09-18 | 2 | 40°41'N / 98°16'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 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.