Lightning in Nebraska

Events

204

Deaths

5

Injuries

29

Damage

$31 million

• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Nebraska, June 22 to 24, 20031 death · 7 injured · $35 million · F2 · 47 eventsThunderstorms erupted during the evening in south-central Nebraska. One storm near Aurora produced very large hail. One stone measured by an NWS Storm Survey team was determined to be the largest sized stone to fall in the United States.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, June 9, 2003$7.1 million · F3 · 16 eventsThe tornado touched down briefly in an open field.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, May 16 to 17, 2019$133,000 · EF3 · 38 eventsA strong upper level trough of low pressure lifted across the central Rockies during the late afternoon of May 17th.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Nebraska, August 13, 19971 death · $103,000 · 1.75 in hail · 17 eventsA 55 year-old man was struck and killed by lightning while riding a horse moving cattle in a meadow 22 miles southwest of Atkinson.
• Lightning Strike in Nebraska, April 11, 20061 death · 3 injured · 1 eventLightning struck and killed a 14 year-old female during a pick-up soccer game. Three others were injured, one seriously.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Nebraska, May 23, 20192 injured · $19 million · 1.75 in hail · 9 eventsSeveral reports of severe hail occurred from near Harlan County Lake to Aurora on this Thursday. A fairly large shield of rain, with a few embedded thunderstorms, moved northeast across south central Nebraska from late morning through mid-afternoon.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Nebraska, June 27, 1999$6.3 million · 69 kt wind · 32 eventsWidespread wind damage occurred during the predawn hours of June 27 as a line of severe thunderstorms packing winds up to 80 mph roared across south-central Nebraska. The hardest hit areas were Furnas, Harlan and Kearney counties.
• Lightning Strike in Nebraska, July 21, 19981 death · 1 eventA Hastings, NE man who died while working on a road construction project was killed by a lightning strike. He was operating an asphalt roller at the time of the strike. He was taken to a Hastings hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
• Lightning Strike in Nebraska, July 17, 20011 death · 1 eventA 46 year old man was killed when lightning struck him while he was riding alone on a bike trail in central Omaha. The lightning came from a high based thunderstorm that was producing occasional cloud to ground lighting but little rainfall as it tracked east across the city.
• Lightning Strike in Nebraska, June 21, 20231 death · 1 eventLightning from thunderstorms produced one fatality in Garden County on June 21st.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, July 16, 2024$6.2 million · 1.75 in hail · 17 eventsAn upper trough centered over Canada extended southward over the Midwest and northern and central Plains. Temperatures were in the 80s across south central Nebraska. The atmosphere became uncapped. MLCAPE values were up to 3000 J/kg and effective wind shear was 40 knots.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Nebraska, June 24, 2003$480,000 · F0 · 51 eventsWind gusts to 55 mph also occurred with the storm.
• Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, July 21, 2003$1.4 million · F0 · 27 eventsBoats, campers, and vehicles sustained body and windshield damage from the hail.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Nebraska, May 11, 2005$161,000 · F1 · 44 eventsThe tornado touched down in the Brushy Creek area southeast of Maywood uprooting and breaking numerous trees. The tornado then moved northwest approximately a mile into a farmstead where it broke power lines, destroyed grain bins, and tossed irrigation pipe.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, July 3 to 4, 2000$2.5 million · 1.75 in hail · 9 eventsSevere thunderstorms dumped heavy rains and hail across parts of south-central Nebraska. The most significant hail damage was in southern York county where 1.75" diameter hail damaged houses, cars, and stripped crops. Wind gusts over 60 mph were reported in the Kearney area.
• Lightning Strike in Nebraska, August 29 to 31, 20123 injured · $1.0 million · 1 eventLightning produced by high based thunderstorms moving northeast across Sheridan County ignited a wildfire August 29th that burned a total of 77,159 acres of land. The wildfire spread across the South Dakota border into the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
• Lightning Strike in Nebraska, August 10, 2005$2.0 million · 1 eventLightning struck a midtown Omaha holiday decorating business starting a fire which quickly destroyed it.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Nebraska, May 14, 2007$560,000 · 1.5 in hail · 11 eventsScattered thunderstorms moved across south-central Nebraska in the late afternoon and evening hours. These storms produced some dime to quarter sized hail and some good rains.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, June 17, 2001$520,000 · 1.75 in hail · 8 eventsThunderstorms rolled across south-central Nebraska stirring up reports of large hail and strong winds. Aside from the wind and hail, the most significant report was lightning striking a farmhouse northwest of Edgar. The resulting fire caused 100 thousand dollars in damage.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Nebraska, September 19, 1998$650,000 · 1 in hail · 3 eventsA bolt of lightning struck a downtown Hebron business around midnight. The resulting fire totally destroyed the farm implement dealership. All contents of the building were destroyed and damage was estimated at a half million dollars.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, June 8, 2019$305,000 · 75 kt wind · 18 eventsNumerous thunderstorms rumbled across much of South Central Nebraska on the evening of Saturday the 8th into the early morning of Sunday the 9th.
• Flood and Hail in Nebraska, August 26, 2019$502,000 · 52 kt wind · 7 eventsA complex of strong to severe thunderstorms raced southeastward through mainly the northeast half of South Central Nebraska on this Monday morning, causing a few marginally-severe wind gusts, but mainly just dumping more unwelcomed rain, promoting new flooding issues and/or…
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Nebraska, June 20, 1997$530,000 · 77 kt wind · 4 eventsA thunderstorm developed north of Kearney and moved east through Grand Island. Strong winds, over 75 mph, caused crop and tree damage in the area. Another thunderstorm in Nuckolls County produced a lightning bolt that struck a home.
• Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, June 23, 2003$188,000 · F0 · 25 eventsA large tree was uprooted with the storm.
• Lightning Strikes in Nebraska, August 2 to 3, 2012$400,000 · 6 eventsThursday evening high based thunderstorms produced lightning that ignited four wildfires in Keith County and one in Arthur County.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Nebraska

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.