Nebraska, 1986

Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, April 3, 1986

April 3, 1986 · 8 events in 4 counties and zones

7 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$550,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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

7 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Lincoln

When
April 3, 4:10 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.030, -100.650

Tornado, Lincoln

When
April 3, 4:42 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
17 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
41.070, -100.530

Tornado, Dawson

When
April 3, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Dawson County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
40 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.950, -99.450

Tornado, Dawson

When
April 3, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Dawson County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
41.020, -99.750

Tornado, Custer

When
April 3, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Custer County
Rating
F2
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
40 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
41.150, -99.900

Tornado, Lincoln

When
April 3, 5:53 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
13 yd
Coordinates
41.130, -100.650

Tornado, York

When
April 3, 6:03 PM CST
Where
York County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Coordinates
40.800, -97.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Custer

When
April 3, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Custer County
Coordinates
41.200, -99.800

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 1986Every state in 1986This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 1986Warnings in Nebraska, April 1986

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: 10078496, 10078497, 10078498, 10078499, 10078500, 10078501, 10078502, 10078503.