Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, April 3, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, April 3, 1981
Start: 1981-04-03T12:30
End: 1981-04-03T18:07
Location: Nebraska

April 3, 1981 · NWS ATA · 30 events in 14 counties and zones

18 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 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: 0
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 30

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

18 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Clay

When: April 3, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.530, -98.050

Hail, Seward

When: April 3, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Seward County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.870, -97.100

Hail, Clay

When: April 3, 1:04 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.500, -97.920

Tornado, Fillmore

When: April 3, 1:15 PM CST
Where: Fillmore County
Rating: F0
Path length: 6.4 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Coordinates: 40.580, -97.600

Hail, York

When: April 3, 1:28 PM CST
Where: York County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 40.750, -97.580

Hail, Fillmore

When: April 3, 1:40 PM CST
Where: Fillmore County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 40.820, -97.530

Hail, Butler

When: April 3, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Butler County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 41.070, -97.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When: April 3, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Butler County
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates: 41.070, -97.220

Tornado, Seward

When: April 3, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Seward County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 40.870, -97.180

Hail, Dodge

When: April 3, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Dodge County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.470, -96.500

Hail, Saunders

When: April 3, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Saunders County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.270, -96.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge

When: April 3, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Dodge County
Coordinates: 41.470, -96.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Saunders

When: April 3, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Saunders County
Coordinates: 41.270, -96.730

Tornado, Lancaster

When: April 3, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Lancaster County
Rating: F2
Path length: 8.3 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.870, -96.870

Hail, Saunders

When: April 3, 2:25 PM CST
Where: Saunders County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 41.100, -96.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Saunders

When: April 3, 2:25 PM CST
Where: Saunders County
Coordinates: 41.100, -96.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: April 3, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Cass County
Coordinates: 40.970, -96.430

Hail, Saline

When: April 3, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Saline County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.650, -97.120

Hail, Douglas

When: April 3, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Douglas County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.300, -96.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge

When: April 3, 2:58 PM CST
Where: Dodge County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 41.450, -96.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Lancaster

When: April 3, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Lancaster County
Coordinates: 40.880, -96.820

Hail, Douglas

When: April 3, 3:10 PM CST
Where: Douglas County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.370, -96.020

Hail, Lancaster

When: April 3, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Lancaster County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.820, -96.820

Hail, Douglas

When: April 3, 3:53 PM CST
Where: Douglas County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.220, -96.120

Hail, Seward

When: April 3, 4:05 PM CST
Where: Seward County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.770, -97.050

Hail, Lancaster

When: April 3, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Lancaster County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 40.650, -96.650

Hail, Seward

When: April 3, 5:21 PM CST
Where: Seward County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 40.770, -97.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Gage

When: April 3, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Gage County
Coordinates: 40.470, -96.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When: April 3, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Johnson County
Coordinates: 40.470, -96.500

Hail, Sarpy

When: April 3, 6:07 PM CST
Where: Sarpy County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 41.120, -95.920

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 1981 Every state in 1981 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Nebraska, 1981

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: 10067656, 10067657, 10067658, 10067659, 10067660, 10067661, 10067662, 10067663, 10067664, 10067665, 10067666, 10067667, 10067668, 10067669, 10067670, 10067671, 10067672, 10067673, 10067674, 10067675, 10067676, 10067677, 10067678, 10067679, 10067680, 10067681, 10067682, 10067683, 10067684, 10067685.