Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, April 20, 1974

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, April 20, 1974
Start: 1974-04-20T13:30
End: 1974-04-20T17:00
Location: Nebraska

April 20, 1974 · 24 events in 14 counties and zones

13 hail, 10 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 6
Property damage: $7.9 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 24

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

13 hail, 10 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Adams

When: April 20, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Adams County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.400, -98.450

Hail, Buffalo

When: April 20, 2:06 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 40.970, -99.330

Tornado, Dawson

When: April 20, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Dawson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 21.5 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 40.950, -99.430

Tornado, Buffalo

When: April 20, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 40.880, -98.980

Hail, Custer

When: April 20, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Custer County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.230, -99.300

Hail, Adams

When: April 20, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Adams County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.500, -98.520

Hail, Custer

When: April 20, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Custer County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.400, -99.650

Tornado, Dawson

When: April 20, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Dawson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 14.7 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.230, -99.250

Hail, Hall

When: April 20, 2:55 PM CST
Where: Hall County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.870, -98.470

Hail, Hall

When: April 20, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Hall County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 40.920, -98.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Hall

When: April 20, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Hall County
Coordinates: 40.920, -98.350

Hail, Nuckolls

When: April 20, 3:03 PM CST
Where: Nuckolls County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.030, -98.070

Tornado, Sherman

When: April 20, 3:05 PM CST
Where: Sherman County
Rating: F2
Path length: 22.8 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 41.200, -98.980

Tornado, Dawson

When: April 20, 3:22 PM CST
Where: Dawson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 27.3 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 41.430, -99.130

Hail, Thayer

When: April 20, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Thayer County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.300, -97.670

Tornado, Nuckolls

When: April 20, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Nuckolls County
Rating: F3
Path length: 18.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 40.100, -97.930

Hail, Valley

When: April 20, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Valley County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.500, -98.780

Tornado, Greeley

When: April 20, 3:55 PM CST
Where: Greeley County
Rating: F2
Path length: 24 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.480, -98.750

Tornado, Nuckolls

When: April 20, 3:55 PM CST
Where: Nuckolls County
Rating: F3
Path length: 23.4 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 40.320, -97.730

Hail, Fillmore

When: April 20, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Fillmore County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.650, -97.450

Hail, Seward

When: April 20, 4:25 PM CST
Where: Seward County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.880, -97.330

Tornado, Buffalo

When: April 20, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 41.030, -98.930

Hail, Jefferson

When: April 20, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 40.150, -97.170

Tornado, Holt

When: April 20, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Holt County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.200, -98.400

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nebraska in 1974 Every state in 1974 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Nebraska, 1974

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10067153, 10067154, 10067155, 10067156, 10067157, 10067158, 10067159, 10067160, 10067161, 10067162, 10067163, 10067164, 10067165, 10067166, 10067167, 10067168, 10067169, 10067170, 10067171, 10067172, 10067173, 10067174, 10067175, 10067176.