Madison County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 521 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 41.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #803 nationally and #34 in Nebraska.
521
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
40
Direct injuries
$14.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Madison County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Madison County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 7.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 112 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 166 events fall before 1990 and 355 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Madison County, Nebraska record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $10.9M 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 Madison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 215 | 0 | $52K | 3.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 214 | 0 | $484K | 100 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 46 | 6 | $10.9M | F4 | 1953–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $654K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 9 | 2 | $1.7M | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
Decade by decade
Madison County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-05-30 | EF4 | 6 | 23 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-08 | EF4 | 4 | 53 | 125.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-21 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 71.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 59.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 88.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 71.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Madison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1954 | Tornado | 6 | 23 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 13, 2019 | Flood | TILDEN | 1 | 0 | $194K |
| Jun 14, 2010 | Flood | TILDEN | 1 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Jun 21, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $25K | |
| May 22, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 4, 1996 | Lightning | NORFOLK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 1996 | Lightning | NORFOLK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is for flooding along the Elkhorn River. The river gage at Norfolk, operated by the USGS, peaked at 15.5 feet at 7 am on March 14th. Minor flood stage is 12 feet. Major flood stage is 17 feet. Preliminary this was the 3rd highest crest on record. A 30 year old man was killed by flood waters when he was on top of a car at 4 am CDT on the 14th in a field east of north First Street in Norfolk. Water swept away the man and the body was never found. Water closed US Hyway 275 on the 14th and numerous streets were under water due to the flooding in Norfolk.
Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches fell across much of Madison county. The heavy rain caused Battle Creek to flood low areas around the Battle Creek area, including Highway 121 near town causing its closure. The creek also flooded the water treatment plant and prompted sandbagging around town, with up to 10,000 bags used. At least 400 homes received some sort of flood damage. The flooding also left debris in several county bridges.
Around 5 inches of rain fell in the Madison area causing flash flooding along Union Creek which forced some residents along the creek to be evacuated to the auditorium. The heavy rain also ripped up around a block of asphalt covering a brick street and washed out a half-mile section of railroad track near town.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
35,532
Population (ACS)
$209K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2021 | 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 |
| Jul 15, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Madison County, Nebraska?
521 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 8 direct deaths and $14.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Madison County?
Hail, with 215 recorded events — 41.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Madison County?
49 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 Madison County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Madison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Madison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Madison County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Madison 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
- McPherson County 263
- Merrick County 374
- Loup County 234
- Morrill County 466
- Logan County 292
- Nance County 241
Cite this page
“Madison County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/madison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.