Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Saline County, Nebraska

31 tornadoes have crossed Saline County since 1950, 55th of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 7 people and injured 132. 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
31
Deaths
7
Injuries
132
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, May 22, 2004

The deadliest in Saline County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Saline County. Each year links to every tornado in Nebraska that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF0
20211EF2
20183EF1
201411EF1
20071EF1
20041138F4
20021F1
19981F0
19922F3
19891F0
19871F1
19821F2
19781F1
19771F1
19753F1
196712F2
19651F3
19642F2
19581F1
1957318F4
195611F3
19531582F3
19521F2

Every tornado that crossed Saline County

31 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 1, 202410:46 PM CDTEF0Saline0.380
December 15, 20213:11 PM CSTEF2Saline23.770
June 30, 201812:19 AM CDTEF0Saline0.220
June 30, 20186:12 PM CDTEF1Saline1.4200
June 30, 20186:10 PM CDTEF0Saline0.850
May 11, 20146:55 PM CDTEF1Jefferson15.55001
May 5, 20074:58 PM CDTEF1Saline18.3400
May 22, 20047:30 PM CDTF4Hallam tornado54.04,400138$160 million
April 27, 20023:06 PM CDTF1Saline4.540
June 13, 199810:50 PM CDTF0Saline0.550
June 16, 199211:05 PM CDTF0Saline0.173
June 15, 19928:55 PM CDTF3Saline21.0500$500,000 to $5 million
June 2, 19899:25 PM CDTF0Saline0.240$500,000 to $5 million
June 24, 19877:20 PM CDTF1Saline0.130$5,000 to $50,000
June 14, 198210:15 PM CDTF2Saline0.250$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19786:30 PM CDTF1Saline1.020$5,000 to $50,000
June 17, 197712:00 PM CDTF1York2.670$50,000 to $500,000
June 18, 19754:30 AM CDTF1Saline1.350$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19758:00 PM CDTF0Saline0.217
April 27, 197512:00 PM CDTF1Saline32.340$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 19677:55 PM GMT-5F2Thayer48.5102$50,000 to $500,000
May 8, 19655:40 PM GMT-5F3Thayer40.110
June 11, 19648:00 PM GMT-5F1Saline0.110
June 8, 19648:00 PM GMT-5F2Saline12.310$5,000 to $50,000
July 11, 19582:00 AM GMT-5F1Saline0.110$50,000 to $500,000
May 20, 19576:20 PM GMT-5F2Saline23.910$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19575:00 PM GMT-5F2Thayer75.310$50,000 to $500,000
April 25, 19576:00 PM GMT-6F4Fillmore89.833318$500,000 to $5 million
April 28, 19561:15 AM GMT-6F3Jefferson39.3101$50,000 to $500,000
May 9, 195310:45 PM GMT-5F3Thayer46.9880582$500,000 to $5 million
June 26, 19529:00 PM GMT-5F2Saline2.710

Nearby

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