Dixon County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 366 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,400 nationally and #53 in Nebraska.
366
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$37.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Dixon County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dixon County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 124 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 316 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $30.9M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Dixon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 173 | 0 | $395K | 4.25 | 1961–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 130 | 0 | $1.4M | 78 | 1967–2025 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $30.9M | F4 | 1953–2014 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $3.5M | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2003 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Dixon County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-16 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 15.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-10-04 | EF4 | 0 | 15 | 18.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-07-28 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 52.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 59.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 34.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dixon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | PONCA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado, crossing into Dixon County from Wayne County, severely damaged the roofs of two houses, one of which was a manufactured house, and caused damage to the siding and windows of the houses. Windows of at least one other house were blown out. The tornado also overturned a camper, destroyed or severely damaged a grain bin, numerous farm outbuildings, farm storage buildings, several pieces of farm equipment, and flattened corn crops in several areas. The tornado caused tree damage along its path, including trees uprooted and snapped off at the trunks, and blew down power poles and power lines.
Large hail caused widespread crop damage, destroying some corn crops completely. The hail also damaged roofs and siding on buildings, and severely dented vehicles and broke windows. A stock trailer was destroyed by the large hail in combination with damaging winds. The hail, also in combination with damaging winds, caused severe tree damage.
Runoff from heavy rainfall (4.59 inches at Hurley, 4.24 inches at Menno, and 8.14 inches at Clayton) brought the Missouri River at Ponca (gage site MRPN1) to a crest 3.06 feet above flood stage on September 15. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,545
Population (ACS)
$156K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Aug 27, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 24, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ponca 121
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dixon County, Nebraska?
366 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $37.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dixon County?
Hail, with 173 recorded events — 47.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dixon County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dixon County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dixon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dixon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dixon County as very low risk, placing it in the 9 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dixon 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
- Deuel County 340
- Dodge County 609
- Dawson County 720
- Douglas County 1,022
- Dawes County 554
- Dundy County 550
Cite this page
“Dixon County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/dixon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.