Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

2004 tornadoes in Nebraska

111 tornadoes touched down in Nebraska in 2004, 163 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 1 people and injured 42. 1 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

2003 2005 The whole country in 2004

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 2004

April 18 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 18	5:25 PM CDT	F0	Pierce	0.5	40
April 18	5:40 PM CDT	F0	Pierce	6.0	50

April 20 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 20	5:45 PM CDT	F0	Holt	0.2	20
April 20	6:07 PM CDT	F0	Holt	0.2	20

May 8 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 8	7:00 PM CDT	F0	Colfax	0.2	50
May 8	7:40 PM CDT	F0	Colfax	0.3	30

May 16 9 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 16	4:48 PM CDT	F0	Loup	0.1	20
May 16	5:51 PM CDT	F0	Holt	0.2	30
May 16	5:55 PM CDT	F1	Holt	6.0	100	$40,000
May 16	6:48 PM CDT	F0	Sherman	1.0	50
May 16	6:49 PM CDT	F0	Holt	2.0	30
May 16	6:57 PM CDT	F0	Howard	1.0	25
May 16	7:20 PM CDT	F0	Howard	3.0	50
May 16	7:21 PM CDT	F0	Holt	1.0	20
May 16	7:43 PM CDT	F0	Howard	2.5	75	$250,000

May 21 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
May 21	8:20 PM CDT	F1	Pierce	1.5	150
May 21	8:44 PM CDT	F0	Brown	0.2	20
May 21	9:20 PM CDT	F1	Wayne	0.5	150
May 21	10:13 PM CDT	F0	Garfield	0.2	20

May 22 34 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 22	5:22 PM CDT	F0	McPherson	0.2	20
May 22	5:28 PM CDT	F0	Furnas	0.1	50			$10,000
May 22	5:35 PM CDT	F1	Furnas	3.0	400			$300,000
May 22	5:40 PM CDT	F0	Logan	0.1	10
May 22	5:40 PM CDT	F0	Logan	2.0	20
May 22	5:49 PM CDT	F0	Harlan	0.2	50			$150,000
May 22	6:04 PM CDT	F0	Harlan	0.2	100
May 22	6:10 PM CDT	F0	Colfax	0.5	50
May 22	6:11 PM CDT	F0	Harlan	0.2	75
May 22	6:34 PM CDT	F1	Custer	0.2	20			$40,000
May 22	6:36 PM CDT	F0	Franklin	0.1	50			$10,000
May 22	6:46 PM CDT	F0	Webster	3.5	125			$250,000
May 22	6:50 PM CDT	F1	Custer	0.5	30			$50,000
May 22	6:53 PM CDT	F0	Thayer	0.2	75
May 22	7:00 PM CDT	F2	Thayer	8.0	800			$2.5 million
May 22	7:10 PM CDT	F1	Adams	7.0	150			$1.0 million
May 22	7:12 PM CDT	F0	Custer	0.2	10
May 22	7:13 PM CDT	F0	Lincoln	0.1	10
May 22	7:15 PM CDT	F1	Dodge	2.0	200
May 22	7:17 PM CDT	F0	Custer	0.1	10
May 22	7:19 PM CDT	F2	Adams	23.0	700			$5.0 million
May 22	7:24 PM CDT	F0	Thayer	1.0	50
May 22	7:26 PM CDT	F1	Fillmore	2.5	100			$100,000
May 22	7:29 PM CDT	F1	Clay	0.2	25
May 22	7:30 PM CDT	F4	Hallam tornado	54.0	4,400	1	38	$160 million
May 22	7:32 PM CDT	F1	Fillmore	2.0	150			$100,000
May 22	7:34 PM CDT	F0	York	0.2	75			$40,000
May 22	7:35 PM CDT	F0	Jefferson	2.0	80
May 22	8:53 PM CDT	F1	Thayer	10.0	400			$1.0 million
May 22	9:25 PM CDT	F0	Thayer	6.0	200			$250,000
May 22	9:30 PM CDT	F1	Jefferson	3.0	100
May 22	9:40 PM CDT	F1	Cass	1.5	150
May 22	9:57 PM CDT	F1	Cass	4.0	250
May 22	10:12 PM CDT	F1	Cass	1.0	150

May 24 11 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 24	3:05 PM CDT	F0	Nuckolls	2.0	50	$40,000
May 24	3:20 PM CDT	F0	Nuckolls	0.1	25
May 24	3:28 PM CDT	F0	Nuckolls	0.1	25
May 24	3:35 PM CDT	F0	Nuckolls	0.1	15
May 24	3:41 PM CDT	F0	Nuckolls	0.1	15	$1,000
May 24	3:52 PM CDT	F0	Nuckolls	0.1	15
May 24	3:58 PM CDT	F1	Nuckolls	2.0	100	$100,000
May 24	4:02 PM CDT	F0	Thayer	2.0	75	$30,000
May 24	4:06 PM CDT	F1	Thayer	2.0	450	$500,000
May 24	4:16 PM CDT	F0	Nuckolls	0.1	25
May 24	4:29 PM CDT	F0	Thayer	0.1	25

May 29 17 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 29	4:21 PM CDT	F0	Lincoln	1.0	20
May 29	4:30 PM CDT	F1	Lincoln	1.0	40	$120,000
May 29	4:55 PM CDT	F0	Custer	0.2	10
May 29	4:55 PM CDT	F0	Custer	0.1	10
May 29	4:55 PM CDT	F0	Lincoln	0.2	10
May 29	5:04 PM CDT	F0	Lincoln	0.1	10
May 29	5:06 PM CDT	F0	Custer	0.2	20
May 29	5:10 PM CDT	F0	Dawson	0.1	50
May 29	5:25 PM CDT	F0	Custer	0.1	10
May 29	5:30 PM CDT	F0	Holt	0.1	10
May 29	5:30 PM CDT	F0	Thayer	0.1	50
May 29	5:33 PM CDT	F0	Holt	0.1	10
May 29	5:33 PM CDT	F0	Holt	0.2	10	$10,000
May 29	5:53 PM CDT	F0	Loup	0.1	10
May 29	7:30 PM CDT	F0	Gage	0.1	50
May 29	8:13 PM CDT	F0	Pawnee	0.2	100
May 29	8:15 PM CDT	F0	Lincoln	0.1	20

June 3 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 3	5:25 PM MDT	F0	Cheyenne	0.0	30

June 4 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 4	1:38 PM MDT	F0	Kimball	0.1	30

June 10 9 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
June 10	2:26 PM MDT	F0	Box Butte	0.1	30
June 10	2:41 PM MDT	F1	Deuel	10.0	220	2	$70,000
June 10	3:40 PM MDT	F0	Keith	0.1	20		$10,000
June 10	4:05 PM MDT	F0	Keith	0.5	20
June 10	4:15 PM MDT	F0	Arthur	0.6	20		$30,000
June 10	5:00 PM MDT	F0	Arthur	0.2	20
June 10	6:55 PM CDT	F0	Lincoln	0.1	20
June 10	9:49 PM CDT	F1	Webster	12.0	300		$500,000
June 10	11:05 PM CDT	F0	Howard	1.0	100		$40,000

June 12 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 12	12:28 PM CDT	F0	Saunders	0.5	100

June 13 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)
June 13	5:08 PM CDT	F0	Lancaster	0.2	100
June 13	5:08 PM CDT	F0	Lancaster	2.0	240
June 13	5:28 PM CDT	F0	Cass	0.2	150
June 13	5:30 PM CDT	F0	Cass	1.0	150
June 13	5:40 PM CDT	F0	Cass	1.0	200

June 20 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 20	6:35 PM MDT	F0	Cheyenne	0.1	25

July 2 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 2	1:05 PM CDT	F0	Valley	0.5	20

July 8 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 8	3:45 PM MDT	F0	Dawes	0.0	30

July 12 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
July 12	7:10 PM CDT	F2	Wheeler	1.5	40		$130,000
July 12	7:30 PM CDT	F1	Wheeler	1.5	20	2	$170,000
July 12	7:35 PM CDT	F2	Wheeler	1.0	40		$90,000
July 12	7:39 PM CDT	F0	Garfield	1.0	20		$1,000
July 12	8:59 PM CDT	F0	Howard	0.1	25		$70,000

July 15 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
July 15	6:50 PM CDT	F1	Holt	1.0	20	$40,000
July 15	6:54 PM CDT	F0	Knox	0.1	80
July 15	7:00 PM CDT	F0	Holt	1.0	20

August 2 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 2	9:03 PM MDT	F0	Cherry	0.1	20

August 15 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 15	5:11 PM MDT	F0	Sheridan	0.1	20

Nearby

Every tornado in Nebraska since 1950 Warnings in force in Nebraska The 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.