Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, July 4, 1994

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, July 4, 1994
Start: 1994-07-04T00:20
End: 1994-07-04T23:41
Location: Nebraska

July 4, 1994 · 27 events in 14 counties and zones

20 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 25 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: 1
Injuries: 2
Property damage: $1.1 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 27

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

20 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, York

When: July 4, 12:20 AM CST
Where: York County, Benedict
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 41.020, -97.620

A small tornado touched down near Benedict, overturned a mobile home, damaged a grain bin and caused one injury.

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When: July 4, 12:22 AM CST to 1:00 AM CST
Where: Howard County, Boelus to to Dannebrog
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 41.220, -98.517 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous trees were blown down in Boelus and Dannebrog. The wind blew down a 75- by 95-foot hay shed and damaged another between those two communities.

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When: July 4, 12:25 AM CST
Where: Howard County, St Paul
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Coordinates: 41.220, -98.517 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds destroyed a mobile home. It was not tied down at the time.

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When: July 4, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Howard County, St Paul
Coordinates: 41.220, -98.517 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds destroyed a mobile home. It was not tied down at the time.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: July 4, 1:11 AM CST
Where: Cass County, Louisville State Park
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 40.910, -96.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds blew down a 100 foot tall cottonwood tree. The two to three feet diameter upper limbs hit a tent that two people were camping in. A 58 year old male was killed and a 31 year old female was injured. (M58O)

Hail, Cass

When: July 4, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Cass County, Union
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 40.910, -96.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds caused considerable damage at a farmstead. A dairy barn and other outbuildings were destroyed or heavily damaged. There was also some damage to crops.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: July 4, 1:28 AM CST
Where: Cass County, Louisville
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 40.910, -96.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds caused considerable damage at a farmstead. A dairy barn and other outbuildings were destroyed or heavily damaged. There was also some damage to crops.

Hail, Brown

When: July 4, 7:55 PM CST
Where: Brown County, Lemoyne
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 42.430, -99.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Brown

When: July 4, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Brown County, Ainsworth
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 42.430, -99.929 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Keith

When: July 4, 8:55 PM CST
Where: Keith County, Lemoyne
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 41.199, -101.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Holt

When: July 4, 9:25 PM CST
Where: Holt County, Amelia
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Holt

When: July 4, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Holt County, Chambers
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 42.200, -98.830

Two farmsteads were destroyed and a farmhouse was leveled west of Chambers.

Thunderstorm Wind, Boyd

When: July 4, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Boyd County, Butte
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 42.900, -98.766 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Holt

When: July 4, 9:40 PM CST
Where: Holt County, O Neill
Coordinates: 42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An unfinished lumber yard structure was destroyed by strong thunderstorm winds at O Neill and power lines were downed at Page.

Thunderstorm Wind, Holt

When: July 4, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Holt County, O Neill
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An unfinished lumber yard structure was destroyed by strong thunderstorm winds at O Neill and power lines were downed at Page.

Thunderstorm Wind, Holt

When: July 4, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Holt County, Page
Coordinates: 42.456, -98.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An unfinished lumber yard structure was destroyed by strong thunderstorm winds at O Neill and power lines were downed at Page.

Thunderstorm Wind, Antelope

When: July 4, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Antelope County, Elgin
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 42.177, -98.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Antelope

When: July 4, 10:20 PM CST
Where: Antelope County, Neligh
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 42.177, -98.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: July 4, 10:25 PM CST
Where: Knox County, Niobrara
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 42.637, -97.892 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Pierce

When: July 4, 10:25 PM CST
Where: Pierce County, Plainview
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 42.264, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: July 4, 10:35 PM CST
Where: Knox County, Creighton
Coordinates: 42.637, -97.892 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Pierce

When: July 4, 10:43 PM CST
Where: Pierce County, Osmond
Coordinates: 42.264, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The roof of a small building was blown off at Osmond.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: July 4, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Madison County, Norfolk
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 41.917, -97.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A few large trees were blown down at Norfolk.

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: July 4, 10:50 PM CST
Where: Knox County, Crofton
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 42.637, -97.892 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Cedar

When: July 4, 10:55 PM CST
Where: Cedar County, Hartington
Coordinates: 42.599, -97.252 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees were blown down in Hartington.

Thunderstorm Wind, Thurston

When: July 4, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Thurston County, Emerson
Coordinates: 42.158, -96.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Dixon

When: July 4, 11:41 PM CST
Where: Dixon County, Dixon
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 42.493, -96.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Cass	1994-07-04				Direct

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Nebraska in 1994 Every state in 1994 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Nebraska, 1994 Warnings in Nebraska, July 1994

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: 10335793, 10334036, 10334037, 10334038, 10333928, 10333929, 10334002, 10333823, 10333824, 10334186, 10333956, 10333957, 10333822, 10333958, 10333959, 10333960, 10333744, 10333745, 10333418, 10333549, 10333419, 10333550, 10333977, 10333420, 10334079, 10333649, 10333939.