Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Phelps County, Nebraska

39 tornadoes have crossed Phelps County since 1950, 33rd of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 7. 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
39
Deaths
1
Injuries
7
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, June 6, 1993

The deadliest in Phelps County

  1. F1, Phelps County, NebraskaJune 15, 19601 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Furnas, Gosper, Phelps and Buffalo counties, NebraskaOctober 29, 1956F3, 65.5 mi (105 km)
  2. F3, Phelps, Dawson, Buffalo and Sherman counties, NebraskaJune 6, 1993F3, 60.0 mi (97 km)
  3. F2, Phelps and Buffalo counties, NebraskaOctober 16, 1998F2, 24.0 mi (39 km)
  4. EF2, Phelps and Buffalo counties, NebraskaMay 29, 2008EF2, 14.1 mi (23 km)
  5. F2, Phelps County, NebraskaJuly 18, 1958F2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  6. F2, Phelps County, NebraskaOctober 17, 1994F2, 4.0 mi (6 km)
  7. F2, Phelps County, NebraskaJune 10, 1969F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Phelps County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20245EF1
20231EF0
20182EF0
20161EF1
20111EF0
20083EF2
20051F0
20001F0
19991F1
19981F2
19944F2
199312F3
19911F0
19893F1
19881F1
19852F0
19771F1
19741F0
19691F2
19651F1
19621F1
1960213F1
195812F2
19562F3

Every tornado that crossed Phelps County

39 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 23, 202411:30 PM CDTEF1Phelps1.7100$200,000
May 3, 20249:11 PM CDTEF1Phelps1.3250$150,000
May 3, 20249:09 PM CDTEF0Harlan7.1500$750,000
May 3, 20249:08 PM CDTEF1Phelps5.3850$500,000
May 3, 20248:53 PM CDTEF1Phelps0.750$40,000
October 12, 20232:05 PM CDTEF0Phelps1.830$90,000
June 30, 20184:02 PM CDTEF0Phelps0.550
June 30, 20183:40 PM CDTEF0Phelps0.050
December 25, 201611:50 AM CSTEF1Phelps2.8200$375,000
June 20, 20113:35 PM CDTEF0Phelps4.8300$750,000
June 4, 200811:23 PM CDTEF0Phelps0.125
May 29, 20085:16 PM CDTEF2Phelps14.1100$100,000
May 29, 20084:32 PM CDTEF0Gosper20.9400
May 7, 20054:56 PM CDTF0Phelps9.060$250,000
June 19, 20007:17 PM CDTF0Phelps0.520
May 2, 19994:42 PM CDTF1Phelps4.050$100,000
October 16, 19986:12 PM CDTF2Phelps24.0500$480,000
October 17, 19944:01 PM CDTF0Phelps0.223
October 17, 19943:55 PM CDTF0Phelps0.123
October 17, 19943:55 PM CDTF0Phelps0.123
October 17, 19943:55 PM CDTF2Phelps4.073$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19938:25 PM CDTF3Phelps60.01,7602$500,000 to $5 million
June 1, 199112:05 PM CDTF0Phelps0.530
June 24, 19896:22 PM CDTF1Phelps1.050$500 to $5,000
June 24, 19895:58 PM CDTF0Phelps0.240$50 to $500
April 23, 19896:30 PM CDTF0Phelps0.123$50 to $500
June 29, 19888:50 PM CDTF1Phelps1.040$500,000 to $5 million
April 22, 19852:15 PM CSTF0Phelps0.150
April 22, 19852:03 PM CSTF0Phelps0.150
May 2, 19772:05 PM CDTF1Phelps0.530$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 19748:50 PM CDTF0Phelps0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 19699:35 PM GMT-5F2Phelps2.0400
May 25, 19653:15 PM GMT-5F1Harlan35.210$5,000 to $50,000
May 17, 19627:30 PM GMT-5F1Phelps0.110
June 21, 19605:00 AM GMT-5F1Phelps2.510$5,000 to $50,000
June 15, 19607:30 PM GMT-5F1Phelps1.51013$500 to $5,000
July 18, 195811:20 PM GMT-5F2Phelps6.05332$50,000 to $500,000
October 29, 19567:30 PM GMT-6F3Furnas65.510$50,000 to $500,000
July 1, 19565:00 AM GMT-5F1Phelps0.510$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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