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Saline County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 536 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 53.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #762 nationally and #30 in Nebraska.
536
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$154.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Saline County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Saline County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 227 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 477 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $105.9M 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 Saline County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 284 | 0 | $5.0M | 3 | 1956–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 151 | 0 | $17.2M | 90 | 1956–2025 |
| Flood | 41 | 0 | $105.9M | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Tornado | 25 | 0 | $26.1M | F3 | 1952–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $290K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $77K | 0 | 1997–2006 |
Decade by decade
Saline County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05-22 | EF4 | 1 | 38 | 54.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-25 | EF4 | 1 | 8 | 89.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-09 | EF3 | 5 | 82 | 46.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-07-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 40.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-28 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 39.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Saline County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2004 | Tornado | WESTERN | 0 | 8 | $20.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Extremely heavy rainfall of 5 to 10 inches fell along the Turkey Creek basin. This allowed for the creek to swell into moderate flood levels. Flooding along the Creek resulted in numerous rural road closures and significant low-land flooding. The combination of the Turkey Creek and Big Blue river led to nearly the entire town of De Witt to be flooded on the 7th of May resulting in a voluntary evacuation of the city. The creek at Wilber crested at 17.89 feet, or 5.39 feet above flood stage.
Baseball-size hail was reported on the east side of Friend. The hail covered the ground and produced moderate damage to trees and vehicles. Crop damage in some fields was up to 70 percent. Power was out in Friend for several hours. Many homes received roof damage. Some windows were also broken.
Heavy rainfall of 3 to 7 inches across the Big Blue River basin led to minor flooding along the river near Crete. The flooding was even more significant to the south of the river gauge near DeWitt where the entire town was inundated with flooding leading to evacuations. The Big Blue River created near Crete at 24.21 feet, or 3.21 feet above flood stage during the afternoon of the 7th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,650
Population (ACS)
$197K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Feb 23, 2022 | Severe Storm | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Crete 120
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Saline County, Nebraska?
536 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $154.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Saline County?
Hail, with 284 recorded events — 53.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Saline County?
33 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 Saline County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Saline County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Saline County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Saline County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Saline 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
- Rock County 361
- Sarpy County 531
- Richardson County 348
- Saunders County 624
- Red Willow County 596
- Scotts Bluff County 864
Cite this page
“Saline County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/saline-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.