Holt County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 886 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 63.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #220 nationally and #6 in Nebraska.
886
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$42.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Holt County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Holt County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 12.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 303 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 105 events fall before 1990 and 781 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Holt County, Nebraska record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $36.2M 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 Holt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 560 | 0 | $2.5M | 4.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 211 | 0 | $2.4M | 103 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 80 | 0 | $36.2M | F4 | 1952–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $772K | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $900K | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2014 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 1997–2003 |
Decade by decade
Holt County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
82 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 77 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-05-08 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 78.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-29 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 24.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 44.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-03-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-10-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Holt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 1997 | Lightning | ATKINSON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 26, 1996 | Tornado | O NEILL | 0 | 3 | $150K |
| Aug 9, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | CHAMBERS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 12, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | PAGE | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Oct 26, 1996 | Tornado | BASSETT | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Jun 21, 1968 | 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
Fire Chief reported extensive storm damage due to thunderstorm winds at the Scribner Grain facility. The grain facility was damaged with power lines down, irrigation systems damaged and a grain bin and the rigging at the site damaged.
Water was running about 15 feet deep and 40 feet wide near Highway 108 about 18 miles east of O'Neill. Part of the highway was washed away 16 miles east of O'Neill. In the Page area, 5 inches of rain caused flooding that washed out culverts and created gullies in many county roads.
An intermittent line of wind damage was observed along and north of Highway 20 in Holt County. The wind damage which began in Rock County continued from the Rock County line about 7 miles northwest of Stuart and ended about 3 miles east northeast of Stuart in Holt County. Peak wind gusts of 118 mph were estimated, where wooden power poles were snapped. Wind damage included large trees downed in Stuart, several buildings and tall poles downed at the Stuart Race Track, downed power lines, and several center pivot irrigation systems overturned.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,102
Population (ACS)
$165K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Atkinson 158
- O Neill 114
- Stuart 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Holt County, Nebraska?
886 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $42.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Holt County?
Hail, with 560 recorded events — 63.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Holt County?
82 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 77 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Holt County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Holt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Holt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Holt County as very low risk, placing it in the 17 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Holt 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
- Hitchcock County 553
- Hooker County 307
- Hayes County 353
- Howard County 414
- Harlan County 329
- Jefferson County 526
Cite this page
“Holt County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/holt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.