Howard County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 414 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 56.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,199 nationally and #46 in Nebraska.
414
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$61.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Howard County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Howard County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 5.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 130 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 342 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $40.6M 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 Howard County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 234 | 0 | $7.0M | 4.25 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 96 | 0 | $2.7M | 89 | 1960–2024 |
| Tornado | 45 | 0 | $40.6M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $4.2M | 0 | 2004–2024 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $6.6M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $265K | 0 | 2005–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2009 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $173K | 0 | 1999–2019 |
Decade by decade
Howard County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
52 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 touched down inside it and 10 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 | 4 | 53 | 125.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-08 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 78.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-06 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 60.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-06-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 50.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 27.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-04-25 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-07-08 | EF2 | 1 | 13 | 31.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Howard County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 18 | $25.0M | |
| May 5, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $25K | |
| Aug 17, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hail ranging from the size of quarters to at least the size of baseballs was reported in and around St. Paul. There were numerous reports of vehicle damage, along with window, siding, and gutter damage to homes. A local greenhouse had 21 roof panels destroyed.
Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in Farwell by an NWS Employee. Emergency management later reported that a swath approximately three miles wide running from the Farwell area to west of Dannebrog suffered widespread crop damage and broken windows and siding.
Based on radar estimation and various totals from NWS/NeRAIN/CoCoRaHS observers, widespread rainfall of 3-6 inches (localized 7+ inches) fell across most of the county mainly between 7 p.m. CDT on the 21st and 12:30 a.m. CDT on the 22nd. A river gage along the Turkey Creek north of Dannebrog registered a record crest of 21.63 feet (flood stage 17.0') on the morning of the 22nd. Emergency management reported numerous rural roads under water and an evacuation was needed at one farmstead northwest of Dannebrog. Other area creeks and streams flooded, including the Dry and Oak Creeks. The flooding of Oak Creek had a significant impact in Dannebrog, closing Highway 58, flooding the park and several streets, and causing a few homes to need sandbagged. In all, a reported seven homes received water damage and 14 city blocks flooded, causing $50,000 in city infrastructure damage. Per county officials, 60 miles of county roads were damaged at an estimated cost of $393,000. In addition, 11 bridges were damaged with an estimated repair at $275,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,534
Population (ACS)
$209K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 3, 2024 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Howard County, Nebraska?
414 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $61.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Howard County?
Hail, with 234 recorded events — 56.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Howard County?
52 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Howard County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Howard County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Howard County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Howard County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Howard 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
- Hooker County 307
- Jefferson County 526
- Holt County 886
- Johnson County 233
- Hitchcock County 553
- Kearney County 377
Cite this page
“Howard County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/howard-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.