Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Clay County, Nebraska

53 tornadoes have crossed Clay County since 1950, 20th of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 58. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

  7. 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.

Now

Tornadoes
53
Deaths
4
Injuries
58
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, May 5, 1964

The deadliest in Clay County

  1. F5 Bradshaw tornado, NebraskaMay 5, 19644 killed, 50 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Bradshaw tornado, NebraskaMay 5, 1964F5, 79.7 mi (128 km)
  2. F4, Webster, Nuckolls, Clay and Fillmore counties, NebraskaMarch 13, 1990F4, 131.0 mi (211 km)
  3. F3, Webster, Adams, Clay and Hamilton counties, NebraskaMay 7, 1993F3, 75.0 mi (121 km)
  4. F3, Clay and Fillmore counties, NebraskaApril 25, 1957F3, 34.7 mi (56 km)
  5. EF3, Clay and Fillmore counties, NebraskaMay 11, 2014EF3, 20.2 mi (33 km)
  6. F3, Clay and Fillmore counties, NebraskaSeptember 22, 2001F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  7. F3, Adams and Clay counties, NebraskaSeptember 11, 1977F3, 6.6 mi (11 km)
  8. F2, Adams and Clay counties, NebraskaJune 2, 1975F2, 35.5 mi (57 km)
  9. F2, Adams and Clay counties, NebraskaMay 22, 2004F2, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  10. F2, Webster, Nuckolls and Clay counties, NebraskaApril 11, 1991F2, 21.0 mi (34 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 34 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Clay County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF1
20231EF1
20212EF0
20202EF0
20171EF1
20161EF0
20142EF3
20134EF2
20092EF0
20042F2
20021F0
20012F3
20001F0
19943F1
19931F3
19915F2
199018F4
19891F0
19872F0
19863F2
19841F1
19821F0
19791F0
19781F2
19771F3
19761F2
19751F2
19741F0
19721F0
19711F1
19642450F5
19591F1
19571F3
19561F1

Every tornado that crossed Clay County

53 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 6, 20245:32 PM CDTEF1Clay1.9400$125,000
July 29, 20236:53 AM CDTEF1Clay1.6260$750,000
December 15, 20212:03 PM CSTEF0Adams7.260$302,000
May 5, 20214:30 PM CDTUnratedClay0.040
August 14, 20205:53 PM CDTEF0Clay0.125
August 14, 20205:36 PM CDTEF0Clay1.235$30,000
May 17, 20171:24 AM CDTEF1Clay2.250
May 9, 20165:06 PM CDTEF0Clay2.735$75,000
May 11, 20143:50 PM CDTEF3Clay20.21,300$14 million
May 11, 20143:26 PM CDTEF0Clay0.1150
May 29, 20134:21 PM CDTEF1Clay4.375$200,000
May 29, 20133:45 PM CDTEF0Clay0.015
May 29, 20132:56 PM CDTEF0Clay0.525
May 27, 20137:32 PM CDTEF2Clay4.5250$4.0 million
April 4, 20094:45 PM CDTEF0Clay0.125
April 4, 20093:40 PM CDTEF0Clay3.050$60,000
May 22, 20047:29 PM CDTF1Clay0.225
May 22, 20047:19 PM CDTF2Adams23.0700$5.0 million
June 10, 20028:23 PM CDTF0Clay1.020
September 22, 20017:42 PM CDTF3Clay10.01,250$1.3 million
September 22, 20017:07 PM CDTF0Clay3.0150$50,000
October 29, 20001:25 PM CSTF0Clay1.010
July 1, 19947:03 PM CDTF1Clay7.073
May 5, 19949:35 PM CDTF0Clay0.123
May 5, 19949:10 PM CDTF0Clay0.123
May 7, 19937:50 PM CDTF3Webster75.02,633$5 million to $50 million
June 21, 19911:00 PM CDTF1Clay1.040$50,000 to $500,000
June 1, 19912:20 PM CDTF0Clay1.030$5,000 to $50,000
June 1, 19911:10 PM CDTF0Clay0.530$5,000 to $50,000
April 12, 19915:22 PM CDTF0Clay0.523
April 11, 19917:25 PM CDTF2Webster21.073$50,000 to $500,000
March 13, 19905:05 PM CSTF4Webster131.04408$5 million to $50 million
June 24, 19898:30 PM CDTF0Clay0.130$500 to $5,000
June 28, 19879:45 PM CDTF0Clay0.120$50 to $500
May 19, 19877:30 PM CDTF0Clay0.240$500 to $5,000
September 18, 198611:28 PM CDTF2Clay1.040$5,000 to $50,000
July 5, 19865:43 PM CDTF0Clay0.130under $50
June 10, 19868:30 PM CDTF1Adams2.050$500 to $5,000
June 4, 19847:03 PM CDTF1Clay0.110
June 30, 19825:54 PM CDTF0Clay0.120under $50
August 20, 19795:30 PM CDTF0Clay10.310
April 5, 19786:10 PM CSTF2Adams11.080$500,000 to $5 million
September 11, 19777:35 PM CDTF3Adams6.610$5,000 to $50,000
April 15, 19767:00 PM CSTF2Clay11.1100$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19754:11 PM CDTF2Adams35.5300$50,000 to $500,000
August 17, 197412:15 PM CDTF0Clay0.110
June 18, 19728:25 PM CDTF0Clay0.110
June 4, 19718:30 PM CDTF1Adams13.710$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19648:00 PM GMT-5F1Clay0.110
May 5, 19647:30 PM GMT-5F5Bradshaw tornado79.7880450$500,000 to $5 million
August 28, 19596:00 PM GMT-5F1Clay0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 25, 19577:00 PM GMT-6F3Clay34.7220$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19565:30 PM GMT-5F1Clay4.3300$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Clay CountyThe forecast for Clay CountyThe live radar over Clay CountyEvery county in 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.