Nebraska, 1997

Tornado and Flash Flood in Nebraska, June 25 to 27, 1997

June 25 to 27, 1997 · NWS LBF · 18 events in 8 counties and zones

14 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$6.4 million
Crop damage
$33 million
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.

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 148 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Garden

When
June 25, 2:10 PM MST
Where
Garden County, 7 mi ENE of Oshkosh
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.450, -102.220

Hail, Keith

When
June 25, 2:10 PM MST
Where
Keith County, 19 mi NNW of Brule
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.350, -102.030

Hail, Keith

When
June 25, 2:22 PM MST
Where
Keith County, 4 mi NW of Ogallala
Measured
1 in hail
Crop damage
$750,000
Coordinates
41.170, -101.770

Tornado, Keith

When
June 25, 2:25 PM MST
Where
Keith County, 2 mi W of Ogallala
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
41.130, -101.750

Brief tornado touchdown reported by highway patrol.

Hail, Keith

When
June 25, 2:37 PM MST
Where
Keith County, 3 mi N of Ogallala
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
41.180, -101.720

Hail, Deuel

When
June 25, 3:10 PM MST
Where
Deuel County, 8 mi E of Chappell
Measured
2 in hail
Crop damage
$4.0 million
Coordinates
41.100, -102.320

Hail, Perkins

When
June 25, 3:10 PM MST
Where
Perkins County, 6 mi N of Grant
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.930, -101.720

Hail, Keith

When
June 25, 3:15 PM MST
Where
Keith County, 4 mi SE of Paxton
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
41.100, -101.320

Hail, Lincoln

When
June 25, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County, 7 mi NE of Wallace
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$1.5 million
Crop damage
$1.5 million
Coordinates
40.900, -101.070

Thunderstorms with large hail and 60 mph winds damaged crops and property in a path across Southwest Nebraska.

Hail, Perkins

When
June 25, 4:00 PM MST
Where
Perkins County, 4 mi W of Grant
Measured
1 in hail
Crop damage
$14 million
Coordinates
40.850, -101.800

Hail, Perkins

When
June 25, 4:15 PM MST
Where
Perkins County, 4 mi SE of Elsie
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
40.820, -101.330

Hail, Hayes

When
June 25, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Hayes County, 18 mi NW of Hayes Center
Measured
0.75 in hail
Crop damage
$250,000
Coordinates
40.700, -101.270

Hail, Lincoln

When
June 25, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County, Wellfleet
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$1.5 million
Crop damage
$1.4 million
Coordinates
40.750, -100.730

Scattered thunderstorms with large hail and winds in excess of 60 mph destroyed crops and property in a path across Southwest Nebraska.

Hail, Frontier

When
June 25, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Frontier County, Maywood
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$3.0 million
Coordinates
40.670, -100.620

Extensive tree damage incurred.

Thunderstorm Wind, Frontier

When
June 25, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Frontier County, Curtis
Property damage
$300,000
Coordinates
40.630, -100.520

Wind and hail broke windows throughout Curtis. A center pivot irrigation system was blown over 2 miles northeast of Curtis.

Flash Flood, Frontier

When
June 25, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Frontier County, Maywood
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
40.530, -100.394 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy thunderstorm rains produced flash flooding on Medicine Creek and Mitchell Creek which caused damage to roads and agriculural land.

Thunderstorm Wind, Frontier

When
June 25, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Frontier County, 6 mi SE of Curtis
Property damage
$2,000
Crop damage
$11 million
Coordinates
40.570, -100.430

Thunderstorm winds blew a tool shed 100 feet from foundation.

Hail, Rock

When
June 27, 8:40 PM CST
Where
Rock County, 10 mi NNW of Rose
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
42.330, -99.530

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.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 1997Warnings in Nebraska, June 1997

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: 5604422, 5604423, 5604424, 5604425, 5604426, 5604427, 5604429, 5604428, 5604431, 5604430, 5604432, 5604433, 5604434, 5604435, 5604436, 5604536, 5604537, 5604538.