Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Polk County, Nebraska

38 tornadoes have crossed Polk County since 1950, 37th of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 4. 2 were 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
38
Deaths
0
Injuries
4
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, April 7, 1978

The strongest

  1. F4, Hamilton and Polk counties, NebraskaApril 7, 1978F4, 31.2 mi (50 km)
  2. F4, Polk and Butler counties, NebraskaApril 7, 1978F4, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  3. F3, Polk County, NebraskaJuly 21, 1962F3, 25.2 mi (41 km)
  4. F3, Hamilton and Polk counties, NebraskaOctober 9, 2001F3, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  5. EF3, Polk County, NebraskaJune 20, 2011EF3, 9.5 mi (15 km)
  6. F2, Polk County, NebraskaJuly 30, 1968F2, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  7. F2, Polk County, NebraskaJune 15, 1992F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Polk County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242EF0
20213EF1
20141EF0
20114EF3
20051F0
20013F3
19921F2
19911F0
19862F1
19852F1
197821F4
19752F1
19732F0
19713F1
19692F0
196812F2
19651F0
196221F3
19591F1
19561F1
19551F1

Every tornado that crossed Polk County

38 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 14, 20241:06 AM CDTUnratedPolk0.015
May 21, 20244:54 AM CDTEF0Polk4.175$1.0 million
December 15, 20212:35 PM CSTEF1Polk7.5350$400,000
December 15, 20212:26 PM CSTEF1Hamilton12.0400$500,000
May 2, 20218:06 PM CDTEF0Polk1.3100$45,000
April 27, 20145:17 PM CDTEF0Polk0.445
June 20, 20116:02 PM CDTEF3Polk9.5880$4.0 million
May 12, 20115:36 PM CDTEF0Polk1.030
May 12, 20115:33 PM CDTEF0Polk0.730
May 11, 20113:00 PM CDTEF1Polk2.375$100,000
May 10, 20059:41 PM CDTF0Polk0.150
October 9, 20016:25 PM CDTF1Polk5.0400$100,000
October 9, 20015:50 PM CDTF3Hamilton18.01,500$1.8 million
October 9, 20015:35 PM CDTF1Hamilton12.0400$400,000
June 15, 19927:45 PM CDTF2Polk2.0150$50,000 to $500,000
May 29, 199110:35 PM CDTF0Polk1.040$500 to $5,000
June 29, 19869:12 PM CDTF1Polk0.350$50,000 to $500,000
June 29, 19869:02 PM CDTF1Polk0.350$5,000 to $50,000
June 23, 19856:40 PM CDTF1Polk2.040$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19855:15 PM CSTF1Polk0.150$5,000 to $50,000
April 7, 197811:10 PM CSTF4Polk8.050$500,000 to $5 million
April 7, 19788:45 PM CSTF4Hamilton31.2771$5 million to $50 million
May 10, 19756:45 PM CDTF0Polk0.210$500 to $5,000
March 27, 19755:00 PM CDTF1Polk0.760$500 to $5,000
May 26, 19733:00 PM CDTF0Polk0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 30, 19738:40 AM CDTF0Polk0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 19719:30 PM CDTF1York47.410$50,000 to $500,000
June 4, 19715:11 PM CDTF0Polk0.110
May 5, 19713:15 PM CDTF0Hamilton8.650$500 to $5,000
July 16, 19695:45 PM GMT-5F0Polk0.110
July 16, 19695:15 PM GMT-5F0Polk7.110$500 to $5,000
July 30, 19686:25 PM GMT-5F2Polk6.42002$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 196512:00 PM GMT-5F0Polk0.110
July 21, 19629:30 PM GMT-5F3Polk25.28801$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19627:45 PM GMT-5F0Polk0.110$50 to $500
May 4, 19598:00 PM GMT-5F1Polk0.110$500 to $5,000
May 12, 19569:00 PM GMT-5F1Polk4.010$5,000 to $50,000
July 9, 195511:00 PM GMT-5F1Polk0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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