Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Gage County, Nebraska

60 tornadoes have crossed Gage County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 13th of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 102. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and 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
60
Deaths
4
Injuries
102
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 22, 2004

The deadliest in Gage County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 38 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Gage County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261Unrated
20242EF0
20222EF1
20201Unrated
20181EF0
20172EF0
20151EF1
20131EF0
20092EF0
20081EF2
20063F2
20042138F4
20031F1
200132F2
19981F0
19971F0
1996115F2
19952F0
19941F0
19933F1
19912F3
19891F0
19841F1
19785F2
19762F1
19751F2
19731342F3
19721F0
19711F0
19701F2
19691F0
196722F2
19641F2
19593F1
195812F2
19571F2
195621F3
19531F2

Every tornado that crossed Gage County

60 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Nebraska. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 18, 20262:57 PM CDTUnratedGage0.620
May 6, 20247:16 PM CDTEF0Gage0.220
May 6, 20247:07 PM CDTEF0Gage1.030
June 11, 20225:40 PM CDTEF1Gage to KS4.2150
June 11, 20225:18 PM CDTUnratedGage0.120
May 22, 20205:07 PM CDTUnratedGage0.050
May 1, 20187:23 PM CDTEF0Gage0.375
June 16, 20179:39 PM CDTEF0Gage0.940
April 9, 20178:51 PM CDTEF0Gage0.110
May 6, 201510:49 PM CDTEF1Gage7.7500
May 27, 20139:16 PM CDTEF0Gage1.4100
June 17, 20092:18 PM CDTEF0Gage0.525
April 4, 20095:15 PM CDTEF0Gage2.575
May 29, 200811:25 PM CDTEF2Gage10.8440$750,000
April 15, 20064:33 PM CDTF2Gage34.0880$5.0 million
April 6, 20066:30 PM CDTF0Gage5.5200$60,000
April 6, 20065:20 PM CDTF2Washington to NE17.3440$750,000
May 29, 20047:30 PM CDTF0Gage0.150
May 22, 20047:30 PM CDTF4Hallam tornado54.04,400138$160 million
May 8, 20035:20 PM CDTF1Gage7.0150
September 7, 20017:03 PM CDTF1Gage3.040$60,000
April 11, 20012:40 AM CDTF2Gage2.0502$400,000
April 11, 20012:30 AM CDTF1Gage1.040$150,000
June 27, 199810:20 PM CDTF0Gage0.250
May 7, 19974:14 PM CDTF0Gage2.020
May 8, 19968:44 PM CDTF2Gage9.588015$12 million
May 16, 19955:30 PM CDTF0Gage0.110
May 16, 19955:25 PM CDTF0Gage0.110$500 to $5,000
July 1, 19947:45 PM CDTF0Gage0.550$500,000 to $5 million
October 8, 19934:45 PM CDTF1Gage2.0100
May 14, 19937:40 PM CDTF0Gage0.150
May 14, 19937:38 PM CDTF0Gage0.150
April 26, 19915:00 PM CDTF2Gage4.0150$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 19913:50 PM CDTF3Washington to NE24.0200$50,000 to $500,000
August 27, 19892:55 PM CDTF0Gage0.120$50 to $500
July 5, 19848:30 PM CDTF1Gage0.840$50,000 to $500,000
July 18, 197811:30 PM CDTF1Gage0.220$50,000 to $500,000
July 6, 19786:00 PM CDTF1Gage1.030$5,000 to $50,000
July 6, 19785:45 PM CDTF2Jefferson4.4100$500,000 to $5 million
June 19, 19788:15 PM CDTF1Gage0.510$5,000 to $50,000
May 30, 19787:20 PM CDTF0Gage0.110
May 13, 19764:21 PM CDTF0Gage0.110
April 23, 19766:55 PM CSTF1Gage9.560$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19756:10 PM CDTF2Gage0.227$50,000 to $500,000
September 25, 19734:05 PM CDTF3Rice to NE169.7100342$5 million to $50 million
May 23, 19726:50 PM CDTF0Gage0.110
June 6, 19719:30 PM CDTF0Gage0.110$500 to $5,000
July 14, 19707:30 PM CDTF2Gage4.710$5,000 to $50,000
May 31, 19695:05 PM GMT-5F0Gage0.110
June 9, 19677:55 PM GMT-5F2Thayer48.5102$50,000 to $500,000
June 7, 19676:15 PM GMT-5F2Jefferson67.310$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19648:00 PM GMT-5F2Saline12.310$5,000 to $50,000
July 3, 195911:00 PM GMT-5F1Gage4.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19598:00 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson40.610$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19598:30 PM GMT-5F1Gage9.510$5,000 to $50,000
July 3, 19583:00 PM GMT-5F2Gage32.1102$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 19576:20 PM GMT-5F2Saline23.910$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 195610:30 PM GMT-5F2Gage2.310$5,000 to $50,000
April 28, 19561:15 AM GMT-6F3Jefferson39.3101$50,000 to $500,000
August 2, 19534:30 PM GMT-5F2Gage1.910$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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