Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Hamilton County, Nebraska

67 tornadoes have crossed Hamilton County since 1950, 11th of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.1 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 53. 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
67
Deaths
4
Injuries
53
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, May 5, 1964

The deadliest in Hamilton County

  1. F5, Adams, Clay, Hamilton and York counties, NebraskaMay 5, 19644 killed, 50 injured

The strongest

  1. F5, Adams, Clay, Hamilton and York counties, NebraskaMay 5, 1964F5, 79.7 mi (128 km)
  2. F4, Hamilton and Polk counties, NebraskaApril 7, 1978F4, 31.2 mi (50 km)
  3. F3, Webster, Adams, Clay and Hamilton counties, NebraskaMay 7, 1993F3, 75.0 mi (121 km)
  4. F3, Adams, Hall and Hamilton counties, NebraskaMay 16, 1977F3, 47.3 mi (76 km)
  5. F3, Hamilton and Polk counties, NebraskaOctober 9, 2001F3, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  6. F3, Hamilton County, NebraskaJuly 19, 1957F3, 13.8 mi (22 km)
  7. F2, Hamilton County, NebraskaJune 13, 1967F2, 18.8 mi (30 km)
  8. F2, Hall and Hamilton counties, NebraskaMay 20, 1957F2, 18.2 mi (29 km)
  9. F2, Hamilton County, NebraskaJune 14, 1982F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  10. EF2, Hamilton County, NebraskaJune 20, 2011EF2, 9.4 mi (15 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 33 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hamilton County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20232Unrated
20215EF1
20202EF0
20181EF0
20143EF1
20113EF2
20092EF2
20082EF2
20051F0
20032F0
20021F0
20014F3
20001F0
19991F1
19946F1
19931F3
19921F2
19871F0
19851F1
19841F1
19822F2
198022F1
197811F4
19771F3
19751F0
19723F1
19713F0
19671F2
19654F1
19641450F5
19581F1
19574F3
19532F2

Every tornado that crossed Hamilton County

67 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 2, 20234:29 PM CDTUnratedHamilton1.440
June 2, 20234:09 PM CDTUnratedHamilton4.940
December 15, 20212:26 PM CSTEF1Hamilton12.0400$500,000
December 15, 20212:11 PM CSTEF1Hamilton12.9400$500,000
December 15, 20212:03 PM CSTEF0Adams7.260$302,000
May 2, 20217:51 PM CDTUnratedHamilton0.040
May 2, 20217:51 PM CDTEF0Hamilton0.9150$45,000
August 14, 20205:34 PM CDTEF0Hamilton0.835$30,000
August 14, 20205:12 PM CDTEF0Hamilton2.130$1,000
May 1, 20184:35 PM CDTEF0Hamilton0.050$50,000
June 14, 201410:24 PM CDTEF0Hamilton0.025
June 14, 201410:05 PM CDTEF0Hamilton0.025
June 3, 201410:33 PM CDTEF1Hamilton4.1700$500,000
June 20, 20115:25 PM CDTEF2Hamilton9.4440$2.5 million
May 12, 20114:46 PM CDTEF0Hamilton0.875
May 11, 20112:50 PM CDTEF1Hamilton2.3200$150,000
June 17, 20098:59 PM CDTEF2Hamilton5.1450$250,000
June 17, 20098:50 PM CDTEF0Hamilton1.025
May 29, 20087:02 PM CDTEF2Hamilton7.61,000$20,000
May 29, 20086:52 PM CDTEF0Hamilton3.6100$20,000
May 10, 20059:20 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.130
June 22, 20037:42 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.520
June 22, 20037:08 PM CDTF0Hamilton2.025$30,000
June 10, 20028:35 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.220
October 9, 20015:50 PM CDTF3Hamilton18.01,500$1.8 million
October 9, 20015:35 PM CDTF1Hamilton12.0400$400,000
October 9, 20015:30 PM CDTF0Hamilton3.5100$10,000
October 9, 20015:12 PM CDTF1Hamilton4.0200$50,000
October 29, 20001:45 PM CSTF0Hamilton0.510
April 8, 199911:00 AM CDTF1Hamilton4.050$300,000
July 1, 19946:45 PM CDTF1Hamilton0.323
May 5, 19948:35 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.123
May 5, 19948:30 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.123
May 5, 19948:15 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.323
May 5, 19948:05 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.123
May 5, 19947:25 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.123
May 7, 19937:50 PM CDTF3Webster75.02,633$5 million to $50 million
June 15, 19927:55 PM CDTF2Hamilton0.130$500,000 to $5 million
May 19, 19877:35 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.240$500 to $5,000
March 3, 19855:30 PM CSTF1Hamilton0.150$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19844:45 PM CDTF1Hamilton0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 14, 19829:30 PM CDTF2Hamilton10.030$500,000 to $5 million
May 26, 19824:30 PM CDTF2Hamilton0.830$50,000 to $500,000
October 16, 19802:30 AM CDTF1Hall6.020$500,000 to $5 million
June 3, 198011:00 PM CDTF1Hall4.12,0002$500,000 to $5 million
April 7, 19788:45 PM CSTF4Hamilton31.2771$5 million to $50 million
May 16, 19777:50 PM CDTF3Adams47.350$5,000 to $50,000
June 21, 19755:00 PM CDTF0Howard8.850
June 18, 19726:03 PM CDTF1Hamilton0.320$500 to $5,000
May 23, 19725:45 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.110
May 23, 19724:53 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.110
June 13, 19715:30 PM CDTF0Hamilton0.110
June 4, 19714:15 PM CDTF0Hamilton5.910$5,000 to $50,000
May 5, 19713:15 PM CDTF0Hamilton8.650$500 to $5,000
June 13, 196711:45 PM GMT-5F2Hamilton18.810
May 25, 19659:15 PM GMT-5F0Hamilton0.110
May 14, 196510:40 PM GMT-5F1Hamilton0.110
May 8, 19656:35 PM GMT-5F1Hamilton7.210
May 8, 19656:30 PM GMT-5F1Hamilton0.110
May 5, 19647:30 PM GMT-5F5Adams79.7880450$500,000 to $5 million
August 5, 19587:30 PM GMT-5F1Hamilton0.3147$500 to $5,000
July 19, 19576:30 PM GMT-5F1Hamilton13.810
July 19, 19576:30 PM GMT-5F1Hamilton13.810
July 19, 19576:30 PM GMT-5F3Hamilton13.810$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19576:00 PM GMT-5F2Hall18.210
June 7, 19534:00 PM GMT-5F2Hamilton6.610$5,000 to $50,000
June 7, 19534:00 PM GMT-5F0Hamilton4.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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