Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Platte County, Nebraska

40 tornadoes have crossed Platte County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 30th of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 6 people and injured 49. 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
40
Deaths
6
Injuries
49
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 30, 1954

The deadliest in Platte County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Platte County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20245EF1
20231Unrated
202122EF2
20121EF2
20032F1
20011F0
20002F0
1998217F2
19961F0
19903F0
19871F0
19861F1
19841F0
19801F0
19741F0
19731F0
19711F0
19693F1
19671F1
19651F2
196417F2
19572F1
19541623F4
19531F1

Every tornado that crossed Platte County

40 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 13, 20262:38 AM CDTEF1Platte6.330
August 13, 20262:50 AM CDTEF0Platte3.420
August 13, 20262:56 AM CDTEF1Platte4.430
May 24, 20241:13 AM CDTEF1Platte1.350
May 24, 20241:08 AM CDTEF1Platte11.8700
April 26, 20244:07 PM CDTEF1Platte4.8100
April 16, 202412:37 PM CDTEF0Platte2.930
April 16, 202411:35 AM CDTEF0Platte8.450
May 12, 20233:55 PM CDTUnratedPlatte0.150
December 15, 20213:04 PM CSTEF2Platte2.7502
December 15, 20213:03 PM CSTEF1Platte0.830
May 24, 20125:36 PM CDTEF2Platte0.8100$100,000
July 20, 20036:37 PM CDTF0Platte0.020
July 20, 20036:30 PM CDTF1Platte1.5400
October 9, 20016:54 PM CDTF0Platte0.330
May 29, 200011:00 PM CDTF0Platte0.150
May 17, 20005:30 PM CDTF0Platte0.230
June 23, 19989:08 PM CDTF1Platte2.0500
June 23, 19987:25 PM CDTF2Platte6.01,76017$4.0 million
July 16, 19966:30 PM CDTF0Platte2.030$4,000
June 16, 19906:45 PM CDTF0Platte0.130$50,000 to $500,000
June 12, 199011:40 PM CDTF0Platte0.120$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 199011:20 PM CDTF0Platte0.123$5,000 to $50,000
May 19, 19878:50 PM CDTF0Platte0.130under $50
July 24, 19865:20 PM CDTF1Platte0.120$50,000 to $500,000
June 17, 19845:10 PM CDTF0Platte0.130
June 14, 19809:10 PM CDTF0Platte0.110
October 30, 19741:30 PM CSTF0Platte0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 26, 19735:30 PM CDTF0Platte0.110$500 to $5,000
June 6, 19716:00 PM CDTF0Platte0.110$500 to $5,000
August 6, 19698:40 PM GMT-5F0Platte0.110
July 16, 19695:50 PM GMT-5F1Platte0.110
June 22, 19696:30 AM GMT-5F1Platte0.110
June 13, 19677:40 PM GMT-5F1Platte1.710
May 8, 19657:00 PM GMT-5F2Platte24.010
May 5, 19645:00 PM GMT-5F2Howard71.5107$5,000 to $50,000
July 19, 19572:30 PM GMT-5F1Platte0.110
June 13, 19577:20 PM GMT-5F1Platte2.310$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19549:00 PM GMT-5F4Madison29.9400623$500,000 to $5 million
July 26, 19539:00 PM GMT-5F1Platte9.910

Nearby

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