Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska
1956 tornadoes in Nebraska
33 tornadoes touched down in Nebraska in 1956, 22 percent below the average of the record for the state. None of them killed anybody. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2113 to 157 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3158 to 206 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5261 to 318 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
Every tornado in Nebraska in 1956
April 2 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2 | 10:45 PM GMT-6 | F2 | Nemaha | 2.3 | 100 | $500 to $5,000 |
April 28 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 28 | 1:15 AM GMT-6 | F3 | Jefferson | 39.3 | 10 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 |
May 10 2 tornadoes
May 12 2 tornadoes
May 29 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29 | 10:30 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Gage | 2.3 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
May 30 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30 | 5:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Clay | 4.3 | 300 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
June 5 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 5 | 10:40 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Keya Paha | 0.1 | 10 | $50 to $500 |
June 6 5 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 6 | 4:30 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Buffalo | 2.0 | 500 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 6 | 7:45 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Fillmore | 16.2 | 10 | 3 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| June 6 | 8:20 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Lancaster | 1.3 | 10 | 1 | $500 to $5,000 | |
| June 6 | 8:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Lancaster | 0.2 | 10 | 1 | $500 to $5,000 | |
| June 6 | 8:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Lancaster | 1.5 | 100 |
June 16 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 16 | 11:05 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Custer | 3.0 | 220 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
June 21 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21 | 5:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Loup | 2.0 | 10 |
June 24 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 24 | 3:40 PM GMT-7 | F0 | Cheyenne | 0.3 | 10 |
June 25 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 25 | 12:00 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Furnas | 16.2 | 20 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
July 1 2 tornadoes
July 4 2 tornadoes
July 18 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 18 | 8:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Saunders | 0.1 | 10 |
July 28 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 28 | 5:30 AM GMT-5 | F1 | Cass | 1.0 | 100 | $500 to $5,000 |
July 30 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 30 | 4:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Saunders | 0.5 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 |
August 6 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 6 | 9:15 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Knox | 0.3 | 67 | $500 to $5,000 |
August 15 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 15 | 8:15 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Brown | 5.4 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 |
September 3 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 3 | 6:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Pawnee | 2.0 | 10 |
October 29 4 tornadoes
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 29 | 4:30 PM GMT-6 | F1 | Valley | 99.8 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| October 29 | 4:45 PM GMT-6 | F4 | Lincoln | 147.7 | 440 | 2 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| October 29 | 7:30 PM GMT-6 | F3 | Furnas | 65.5 | 10 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| October 29 | 10:45 PM GMT-6 | F1 | Wayne | 10.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
November 2 1 tornado
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2 | 3:00 PM GMT-6 | F0 | Keya Paha | 0.1 | 10 |
Crossed into Nebraska
Tornadoes that touched down in a neighboring state and ran into Nebraska. They are counted under the state they began in.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 4 | 4:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Banner, WY to NE | 7.4 | 10 |
Nearby
Every tornado in Nebraska since 1950Warnings in force in NebraskaThe live radar over Nebraska
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.