McPherson County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 263 recorded events between 1974 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 78.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,019 nationally and #78 in Nebraska.
263
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$487K
Property damage
The record
What the McPherson County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McPherson County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 103 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 249 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $238K 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 McPherson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 207 | 0 | $98K | 3.5 | 1974–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 36 | 0 | $76K | 70 | 1977–2023 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $238K | F0 | 1977–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
McPherson County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-25 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 40.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-06-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-08-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-03-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down approximately five miles south southeast of Ringgold in McPherson County and tracked north and northwest before dissipating near the Ringgold church. Tornado damage included several large tree limbs broken off, cedar trees uprooted, a center pivot irrigation system twisted and overturned, damage to a church building and small storage building. The tornado was on the ground intermittently for four minutes.
A rental house and a tree line were damaged by the tornado. The tornado continued to the northeast where it hit another homestead where windows were shattered and a door was blown in on a residence. A full irrigation pivot was also flipped at this location.
As the tornado touched down on the northwest side of town, it ripped off the porch on a house. As it moved east southeast to the center of town, it ripped off the roof of the McPherson County Courthouse which was thrown into the northwest corner of the roof of the elementary school damaging it. An attached garage was ripped off a house. A horse trailer was picked up and moved from one side of a building to the other side of a building. Finally on the east end of Tryon, the tornado destroyed a porch on a home. Numerous power poles were down and at least 14 large trees were snapped off or uprooted. A few large hailstones also accompanied the storm.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
475
Population (ACS)
$122K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 15, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 20, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 29, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Tryon 193
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McPherson County, Nebraska?
263 events are on record between 1974 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $487K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McPherson County?
Hail, with 207 recorded events — 78.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McPherson County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McPherson County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McPherson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McPherson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McPherson County as very low risk, placing it in the 0 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McPherson 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
- Loup County 234
- Madison County 521
- Logan County 292
- Merrick County 374
- Lincoln County 1,855
- Morrill County 466
Cite this page
“McPherson County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/mcpherson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.