Nebraska, 1999

Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, June 3, 1999

June 3, 1999 · NWS GID · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

Late in the evening of June 3rd, a severe thunderstorm produced a large tornado across northwest Valley county. The thunderstorm entered the western part of the county around 11 pm.

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
0
Property damage
$1.5 million
Crop damage
$1.0 million
Events
4

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.

Late in the evening of June 3rd, a severe thunderstorm produced a large tornado across northwest Valley county. The thunderstorm entered the western part of the county around 11 pm. Shortly thereafter, the tornado touched down 12 miles west of Ord and snaked its way northeast before lifting after midnight about 7 miles north of Ord. This F3 tornado had a damage path almost one-half mile wide at one point. It completely destroyed two farmsteads and damaged two others along its path. At the two destroyed farmsteads, residents took shelter in the basement upon warning. The tornado tossed cars and farm equipment up to 300 feet, strewn irrigation pipe across the countryside and killed livestock. The two destroyed homes were completely wiped from the foundation. However, given sufficient warning, no one in the storms path was injured or killed.

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:18 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Harlan

When
June 3, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Harlan County, 9 mi SE of Stamford
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
40.030, -99.470

Hail, Harlan

When
June 3, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Harlan County, Alma
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.100, -99.350

Tornado, Valley

When
June 3, 10:20 PM CST to 11:15 PM CST
Where
Valley County, Ord to 12 mi N of Ord
Rating
F3
Path length
14 mi
Path width
1,000 yd
Property damage
$1.5 million
Crop damage
$1.0 million
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.600, -99.170

Hail, Valley

When
June 3, 11:45 PM CST
Where
Valley County, Elyria
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.680, -99.020

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Nebraska, 1999Warnings in Nebraska, June 1999

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: 5705586, 5705587, 5705588, 5705589.