Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Knox County, Nebraska

47 tornadoes have crossed Knox County since 1950, 26th of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 107. 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
47
Deaths
1
Injuries
107
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, October 4, 2013

The deadliest in Knox County

  1. F2, Knox and Cedar counties, NebraskaMay 30, 19591 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Pierce, Cedar and Knox counties, NebraskaMay 6, 1975F3, 44.8 mi (72 km)
  2. EF3, Knox County, NebraskaOctober 4, 2013EF3, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  3. F2, Knox County, NebraskaApril 20, 1985F2, 35.0 mi (56 km)
  4. F2, Knox and Cedar counties, NebraskaMay 30, 1959F2, 26.8 mi (43 km)
  5. EF2, Knox County, NebraskaMay 5, 2007EF2, 5.5 mi (9 km)
  6. F2, Knox County, NebraskaJune 13, 1950F2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  7. F2, Knox County, NebraskaJune 21, 1975F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Knox County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20131EF3
20122EF0
20091EF1
200773EF2
20041F0
20031F0
19993F0
19981F0
19962F0
199421F1
19924F1
19862F0
19852F2
19841F0
19811F1
19802F1
19771F1
19761F1
19753F3
19721F0
19711F0
19681F0
19602F0
1959212F2
19561F0
19501101F2

Every tornado that crossed Knox County

47 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 4, 20135:20 PM CDTEF3Knox6.4590
April 15, 20122:35 PM CDTEF0Knox0.525
April 15, 20122:27 PM CDTEF0Knox0.440
March 23, 20094:15 PM CDTEF1Knox1.875
May 5, 20075:45 PM CDTEF0Knox3.5100
May 5, 20075:43 PM CDTEF2Knox5.55003$1.0 million
May 5, 20075:28 PM CDTEF1Knox8.9440
May 5, 20075:24 PM CDTEF0Knox5.3150
May 5, 20075:17 PM CDTEF0Knox3.0100
May 5, 20075:15 PM CDTEF0Knox1.5200
May 5, 20073:48 PM CDTEF0Knox11.4100$10,000
July 15, 20046:54 PM CDTF0Knox0.180
June 9, 20036:30 PM CDTF0Knox0.140
May 3, 19999:32 PM CDTF0Knox0.020
May 3, 19999:24 PM CDTF0Knox0.020
May 3, 19998:51 PM CDTF0Knox6.070$10,000
July 6, 19984:50 PM CDTF0Knox2.050
October 26, 199610:00 AM CDTF0Knox0.210
June 19, 19963:30 PM CDTF0Knox0.520
April 25, 19945:45 PM CDTF1Knox7.02001$50,000 to $500,000
April 25, 19945:45 PM CDTF0Knox1.523
May 15, 19929:00 PM CDTF1Knox0.550$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19928:55 PM CDTF1Knox1.080$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19928:42 PM CDTF1Knox1.080$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19928:35 PM CDTF1Knox0.550$5,000 to $50,000
June 28, 19869:27 PM CDTF0Knox0.120under $50
May 10, 19865:15 PM CDTF0Knox0.130under $50
April 20, 19855:10 PM CSTF2Knox35.0440$500,000 to $5 million
April 20, 19855:05 PM CSTF1Knox1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 19849:00 PM CDTF0Knox1.020
June 21, 19815:00 AM CDTF1Knox0.540$50,000 to $500,000
October 16, 19802:00 PM CDTF1Knox0.3100$50,000 to $500,000
October 16, 19801:40 PM CDTF1Antelope3.440$50,000 to $500,000
June 22, 19779:00 PM CDTF1Knox2.030$500 to $5,000
June 11, 197612:30 AM CDTF1Knox0.240$5,000 to $50,000
June 21, 19757:30 PM CDTF2Knox0.550$500 to $5,000
May 6, 19752:30 PM CDTF0Knox5.430$5,000 to $50,000
May 6, 19752:15 PM CDTF3Pierce44.890
August 1, 19724:20 PM CDTF0Knox0.110
June 9, 19719:00 PM CDTF0Knox0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 22, 196812:40 AM GMT-5F0Knox0.110
May 18, 196010:45 PM GMT-5F0Knox0.310$500 to $5,000
May 18, 196010:45 PM GMT-5F0Knox0.310$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19597:00 PM GMT-5F2Knox26.81012$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19597:00 PM GMT-5F1Knox2.010$5,000 to $50,000
August 6, 19569:15 PM GMT-5F0Knox0.367$500 to $5,000
June 13, 19506:30 PM GMT-5F2Knox4.110101$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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