Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Dawson County, Nebraska

59 tornadoes have crossed Dawson County since 1950, 15th of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 18. None was rated F4 or above.

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
59
Deaths
0
Injuries
18
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, June 6, 1993

The strongest

  1. F3, Buffalo, Dawson, Sherman and Custer counties, NebraskaApril 20, 1974F3, 63.5 mi (102 km)
  2. F3, Phelps, Dawson, Buffalo and Sherman counties, NebraskaJune 6, 1993F3, 60.0 mi (97 km)
  3. F3, Dawson and Frontier counties, NebraskaSeptember 11, 1978F3, 22.5 mi (36 km)
  4. F3, Dawson and Lancaster counties, NebraskaJune 6, 1993F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  5. F3, Dawson and Custer counties, NebraskaJune 18, 1975F3, 9.4 mi (15 km)
  6. F2, Dawson and Custer counties, NebraskaOctober 31, 2000F2, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  7. EF2, Dawson and Custer counties, NebraskaApril 20, 2007EF2, 18.9 mi (30 km)
  8. F2, Dawson County, NebraskaMay 9, 1953F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Dawson County, NebraskaApril 22, 1975F2, 1.1 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Dawson County, NebraskaJuly 7, 1959F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 35 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Dawson County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20233EF1
20193EF1
20131EF0
20112EF0
20081EF0
200719EF2
20051F0
20041F0
20031F0
20002F2
19991F1
19983F0
199332F3
19901F0
19891F0
19881F0
19871F1
198641F1
19851F1
19842F1
19781F3
19771F1
19761F1
19753F3
197416F3
19712F0
19701F0
19681F1
19641F0
19601F1
19593F2
19583F1
19553F1
19542F1
19531F2

Every tornado that crossed Dawson County

59 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 12, 20232:20 PM CDTUnratedDawson0.020
October 3, 20233:59 PM CDTEF0Dawson1.150$225,000
May 5, 202310:54 PM CDTEF1Dawson4.780$2.0 million
May 17, 20198:15 PM CDTEF0Dawson1.6150
May 17, 20197:54 PM CDTEF1Dawson9.8600$900,000
May 17, 20197:15 PM CDTEF1Frontier4.7400$250,000
July 9, 20135:14 PM CDTEF0Dawson1.750
June 1, 20116:22 PM CDTEF0Dawson0.115
May 30, 20117:34 PM CDTEF0Dawson0.425
June 23, 200812:52 AM CDTEF0Dawson5.175$40,000
April 20, 200710:02 PM CDTEF2Dawson18.91,3209$2.6 million
May 17, 20056:15 PM CDTF0Dawson1.030
May 29, 20045:10 PM CDTF0Dawson0.150
April 18, 20034:20 PM CDTF0Dawson0.125
October 31, 20006:12 PM CSTF2Dawson23.0220$120,000
June 29, 20005:40 PM CDTF0Dawson0.820$30,000
May 30, 19997:13 PM CDTF1Dawson5.0100$50,000
October 16, 19985:55 PM CDTF0Dawson3.550$100,000
July 6, 19984:45 PM CDTF0Dawson0.530
July 6, 19984:25 PM CDTF0Dawson0.530
July 3, 19937:15 PM CDTF1Dawson0.523$5,000 to $50,000
June 6, 199310:23 PM CDTF3Dawson10.0880
June 6, 19938:25 PM CDTF3Phelps60.01,7602$500,000 to $5 million
June 12, 19909:38 PM CDTF0Dawson0.530
June 25, 19898:30 PM CDTF0Dawson0.130$50 to $500
July 18, 198810:15 PM CDTF0Dawson0.240$500 to $5,000
July 17, 19875:15 PM CDTF1Dawson0.540$50,000 to $500,000
July 31, 198610:30 AM CDTF0Dawson0.230under $50
June 26, 19863:57 PM CDTF1Dawson0.350$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19865:10 PM CSTF1Dawson1.0401$50,000 to $500,000
April 3, 19865:10 PM CSTF1Dawson0.540$5,000 to $50,000
June 15, 198510:45 PM CDTF1Dawson0.240$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19848:30 PM CDTF1Dawson0.320$50,000 to $500,000
June 11, 19846:10 PM CDTF0Dawson0.110
September 11, 19784:10 PM CDTF3Dawson22.520$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19778:30 PM CDTF1Dawson0.220$5,000 to $50,000
March 11, 19767:00 PM CSTF1Dawson0.850$500,000 to $5 million
July 21, 19755:30 AM CDTF0Dawson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 18, 19758:30 PM CDTF3Dawson9.410$500 to $5,000
April 22, 19757:00 PM CDTF2Dawson1.120$50,000 to $500,000
April 20, 19743:10 PM CDTF3Buffalo63.58806$500,000 to $5 million
May 30, 19714:30 PM CDTF0Dawson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 30, 19714:30 PM CDTF0Dawson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 2, 197011:30 PM CDTF0Dawson0.110
June 17, 19686:50 PM GMT-5F1Dawson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19644:30 PM GMT-6F0Dawson0.410
June 14, 196010:00 PM GMT-5F1Dawson11.010$5,000 to $50,000
July 7, 19597:45 PM GMT-5F2Dawson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 27, 195911:10 PM GMT-5F1Dawson14.010$50,000 to $500,000
May 12, 19592:30 AM GMT-5F1Dawson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 13, 19585:15 PM GMT-5F1Dawson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 2, 195812:30 AM GMT-5F0Dawson0.110under $50
July 2, 195812:30 AM GMT-5F0Dawson0.110under $50
August 9, 19556:30 PM GMT-5F1Dawson0.117$500 to $5,000
July 12, 19551:20 AM GMT-5F1Dawson0.1250$500 to $5,000
May 2, 19559:00 PM GMT-5F1Dawson0.150
August 13, 19548:00 PM GMT-5F1Dawson0.110$500 to $5,000
June 16, 19547:30 PM GMT-5F1Dawson3.010$50 to $500
May 9, 195312:00 AM GMT-5F2Dawson1.510$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Dawson CountyThe forecast for Dawson CountyThe live radar over Dawson 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.