Tornadoes · United States · Nebraska

Tornadoes in Valley County, Nebraska

36 tornadoes have crossed Valley County since 1950, 43rd of the 93 counties in Nebraska with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 12 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
36
Deaths
12
Injuries
4
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, June 7, 1953

The deadliest in Valley County

  1. F4, Sherman and Valley counties, NebraskaJune 7, 195311 killed
  2. F3, Valley County, NebraskaAugust 5, 19601 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Custer and Valley counties, NebraskaMay 30, 1961F4, 48.1 mi (77 km)
  2. F4, Sherman and Valley counties, NebraskaJune 7, 1953F4, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  3. F3, Custer and Valley counties, NebraskaMay 30, 1961F3, 48.1 mi (77 km)
  4. F3, Custer and Valley counties, NebraskaMay 30, 1961F3, 48.1 mi (77 km)
  5. F3, Custer and Valley counties, NebraskaJuly 20, 1972F3, 32.8 mi (53 km)
  6. F3, Valley County, NebraskaJune 3, 1999F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  7. F3, Valley County, NebraskaAugust 5, 1960F3, 10.3 mi (17 km)
  8. F2, Sherman, Valley, Greeley and Wheeler counties, NebraskaApril 20, 1974F2, 46.8 mi (75 km)
  9. F2, Valley County, NebraskaAugust 27, 1963F2, 7.3 mi (12 km)
  10. F2, Sherman, Custer and Valley counties, NebraskaJune 7, 1953F2, 6.6 mi (11 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20181EF0
20141EF0
20121EF0
20111EF1
20052F0
20041F0
20033F1
20021F0
20002F0
19991F3
19931F0
19871F2
19811F1
19781F1
19751F0
19741F2
19732F1
19722F3
19632F2
19621F2
19613F4
1960112F3
195912F2
19561F1
1953311F4

Every tornado that crossed Valley County

36 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 1, 20189:14 PM CDTEF0Valley0.040
June 3, 20144:18 PM CDTEF0Valley1.150$50,000
April 15, 201212:37 PM CDTEF0Valley0.025
June 20, 20115:35 PM CDTEF1Valley1.0100$50,000
September 12, 20057:06 PM CDTF0Valley0.450
September 12, 20056:57 PM CDTF0Valley0.215
July 2, 20041:05 PM CDTF0Valley0.520
June 9, 20038:22 PM CDTF0Valley0.225
June 9, 20037:40 PM CDTF1Valley3.0300$250,000
April 18, 20035:55 PM CDTF0Valley0.125
July 24, 20027:25 PM CDTF0Valley0.125
July 21, 20007:50 PM CDTF0Valley2.030$40,000
June 19, 20007:25 PM CDTF0Valley0.210
June 3, 199911:20 PM CDTF3Valley14.01,000$1.5 million
June 26, 19932:50 PM CDTF0Valley0.550
July 6, 198712:40 AM CDTF2Valley4.050$50,000 to $500,000
August 4, 19818:15 PM CDTF1Valley0.220$50,000 to $500,000
June 21, 197810:15 PM CDTF1Valley0.220$500 to $5,000
July 19, 19758:30 PM CDTF0Valley0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19744:05 PM CDTF2Sherman46.810$5,000 to $50,000
April 14, 19738:00 PM CSTF1Custer38.510$50,000 to $500,000
April 14, 19737:30 PM CSTF1Custer0.110$500,000 to $5 million
July 20, 19724:55 PM CDTF2Valley0.110$500 to $5,000
July 20, 19723:40 PM CDTF3Custer32.8150$5,000 to $50,000
August 27, 19636:30 PM GMT-5F2Valley7.310$5,000 to $50,000
June 9, 19633:05 PM GMT-5F2Valley4.110$500 to $5,000
April 26, 19627:30 PM GMT-6F2Valley2.010$5,000 to $50,000
May 30, 19616:00 PM GMT-5F4Custer48.110$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19616:00 PM GMT-5F3Custer48.110
May 30, 19616:00 PM GMT-5F3Custer48.110
August 5, 19605:30 PM GMT-5F3Valley10.315012$5,000 to $50,000
May 28, 19596:30 PM GMT-5F2Valley6.42502$50,000 to $500,000
October 29, 19564:30 PM GMT-6F1Valley99.850$5,000 to $50,000
June 7, 19534:15 PM GMT-5F4Sherman15.044011$50,000 to $500,000
June 7, 19533:30 PM GMT-5F2Sherman6.6100$50,000 to $500,000
April 28, 19535:30 PM GMT-5F0Valley0.930$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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