Custer County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 1,323 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 62.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #57 nationally and #3 in Nebraska.
1,323
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$20.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Custer County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Custer County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 17.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 431 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 213 events fall before 1990 and 1,110 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $12.1M 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 Custer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 832 | 0 | $1.5M | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 308 | 0 | $2.0M | 91 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 108 | 0 | $12.1M | F4 | 1951–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $3.7M | 0 | 2010–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2014 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Custer County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
113 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 106 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-18 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-30 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 48.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-29 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 147.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-06-18 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 28.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-01 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 63.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 32.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Custer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jun 13, 1987 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Aug 10, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | COMSTOCK | 0 | 1 | $350K |
| Mar 27, 1998 | Flash Flood | CALLAWAY | 0 | 1 | $4K |
| May 12, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado moved out of Dawson county into south central Custer county 7 miles south southwest of Oconto. The tornado traveled across open rangeland until destroying a modular home 1 mile south of Oconto. The tornado then moved directly through the small community of Oconto producing extensive damage. Every building along main street was either damaged or destroyed. A community center was destroyed while 19 children and 4 adults were in the basement. Over half the homes in the small town suffered minor to major damage. The community was declared a disaster areas by the governor. The tornado knocked down a power line 2 miles north of Oconto before lifting.
One middle aged male was injured when hit in the head by flying debris and was taken to the hospital for stitches. Outflow winds from a dissipating thunderstorm ripped though an outdoor music concert event. The winds blew over the lights and ceiling over the stage which then fell back onto sound equipment and two power poles behind the stage snapped off. Tents, lawn chairs, and porta-potties were also blown over.
Thunderstorms with prolonged heavy rain falling on already saturated ground caused widespread flooding through northern and central Custer County. Three to five inches of rain caused water to flow across the Victoria Springs Road, the Callaway Road, and Highway 92 near Merna. The rain produced a sink hole, 4 feet in depth, to form in the road between Merna and Victoria Springs. The south side of the Sargent Diversion Dam collapsed sending a tremendous amount of water to the Comstock Diversion Dam which held the water. Numerous rural roads were also severely damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,518
Population (ACS)
$158K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 21, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 29, 2018 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 26, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Callaway 167
- Broken Bow 139
- Oconto 138
- Anselmo 134
- Arnold 134
- Sargent 111
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Custer County, Nebraska?
1,323 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $20.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Custer County?
Hail, with 832 recorded events — 62.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Custer County?
113 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 106 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Custer County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Custer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Custer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Custer County as very low risk, placing it in the 28 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Custer 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
- Cuming County 316
- Dakota County 225
- Colfax County 263
- Dawes County 554
- Clay County 623
- Dawson County 720
Cite this page
“Custer County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/custer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.