Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, May 18, 1990

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, May 18, 1990
Start: 1990-05-18T15:45
End: 1990-05-18T20:45
Location: Nebraska

May 18, 1990 · 18 events in 10 counties and zones

12 tornado, 3 hail, 3 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: 1
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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

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

Tornado, Sioux

When: May 18, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Sioux County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 42.780, -104.000

Tornado, Lincoln

When: May 18, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 23 yd
Coordinates: 41.080, -100.870

Tornado, Morrill

When: May 18, 4:46 PM CST
Where: Morrill County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 41.680, -103.100

Tornado, Lincoln

When: May 18, 5:28 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.070, -101.130

Tornado, Sheridan

When: May 18, 5:42 PM CST
Where: Sheridan County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $250
Coordinates: 42.470, -102.450

Tornado, Lincoln

When: May 18, 5:47 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Rating: F2
Path length: 20 mi
Path width: 73 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.030, -100.930

Tornado, Sheridan

When: May 18, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Sheridan County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 42.900, -102.450

Hail, Lincoln

When: May 18, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.150, -100.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: May 18, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Knox County
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates: 42.730, -97.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Cedar

When: May 18, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Cedar County
Coordinates: 42.720, -97.370

Tornado, Red Willow

When: May 18, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Red Willow County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 23 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 40.180, -100.380

Tornado, Red Willow

When: May 18, 7:08 PM CST
Where: Red Willow County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 40.120, -100.520

Hail, Red Willow

When: May 18, 7:08 PM CST
Where: Red Willow County
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 40.120, -100.520

Tornado, Furnas

When: May 18, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Furnas County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 40.230, -100.000

Tornado, Keith

When: May 18, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Keith County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 41.170, -101.320

Tornado, Red Willow

When: May 18, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Red Willow County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 23 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 40.050, -100.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: May 18, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County
Coordinates: 41.170, -101.130

Hail, Thomas

When: May 18, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Thomas County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 41.980, -100.580

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 1990 Every state in 1990 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Nebraska, 1990 Warnings in Nebraska, May 1990

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: 10078849, 10078850, 10078851, 10078852, 10078853, 10078854, 10078855, 10078856, 10078857, 10078858, 10078859, 10078860, 10078861, 10078862, 10078863, 10078864, 10078865, 10078866.