Chase County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 573 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 59.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #657 nationally and #21 in Nebraska.
573
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$30.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Chase County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chase County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 7.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 160 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 81 events fall before 1990 and 492 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $25.5M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chase County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 342 | 0 | $3.2M | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 181 | 0 | $1.1M | 81 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 0 | $25.5M | F2 | 1951–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $605K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2002–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2020 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2010 |
Decade by decade
Chase County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chase County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Aug 8, 2002 | Lightning | WAUNETA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A supercell storm that produced several tornadoes also produced up to tennis ball size hail from Champion to approximately 3 miles south of Champion. The hail broke out hundreds of windows in homes and vehicles, tore holes in metal siding on homes, severely damaged roofs on buildings and vehicle bodies, and destroyed wheat and corn crops.
Nearly stationary thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall of 4 to 10 inches causing water to flow over roadways. The flood waters over-topped the dam at Champion Lake. Water flowed across Highway 6 west of Imperial near Sand Creek and across numerous secondary roads. Highways were closed and travel was discouraged for much of the county. Many secondary roads were washed out.
The tornado touched down 7 miles northwest of Imperial and moved northeast 10 miles before dissipating northeast of Imperial. The tornado was intermittently on the ground, where it overturned or destroyed several center pivot irrigation systems in its path. The tornado was rated an EF1.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,671
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 12, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 15, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 31, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jun 20, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Imperial 140
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chase County, Nebraska?
573 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $30.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chase County?
Hail, with 342 recorded events — 59.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chase County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chase County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chase County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chase County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chase County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chase County, Nebraska severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Cedar County 389
- Cherry County 1,463
- Cass County 571
- Cheyenne County 840
- Butler County 372
- Clay County 623
Cite this page
“Chase County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/chase-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.