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Saunders County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 624 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #525 nationally and #15 in Nebraska.
624
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$67.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Saunders County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Saunders County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 176 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 108 events fall before 1990 and 516 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $56.3M 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 Saunders County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 283 | 0 | $250K | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 218 | 0 | $2.0M | 100 | 1964–2025 |
| Tornado | 45 | 0 | $8.2M | F4 | 1952–2024 |
| Flood | 43 | 0 | $56.3M | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $517K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $103K | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2023 |
Decade by decade
Saunders County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
50 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 43 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-04-25 | EF4 | 1 | 8 | 89.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-08-13 | EF4 | 0 | 20 | 26.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-08-13 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 44.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-05-07 | EF2 | 2 | 1 | 16.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1966-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Saunders County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $250K | |
| Jul 14, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | LESHARA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | MORSE BLUFF | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | CERESCO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | ASHLAND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | WAHOO | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Sep 4, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 23, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 |
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 Platte River. The river gage at Ashland, operated by the USGS, peaked at 24.35 feet at 7 am on March 16th. Minor flood stage is 20 feet, moderate flood stage is 22 feet while major flood stage is 26 feet. Preliminary this peak is the highest on record. Ice jamming also played a role in the flooding at this location. The net effect of this flooding was overwhelmed by the high water that immediately proceeded any river ice movement. This gage was also impacted by levee breaches all along this portion of the Platte River. Damages are based on an estimate from the Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District. This dollar amount also takes into account the substantial damage that occurred at Camp Ashland. In addition, many lake communities were substantially damaged or destroyed by the flood.
Training thunderstorms brought a swath of heavy rain to portions of southern Nebraska, beginning in Dawson County, and expanding into portions of northeast and east-central Nebraska. Areas upstream the Platte River, primarily in Merrick, Howard and Nance counties saw over 5 inches of rain with these storms. As such, this heavy upstream rain in addition to one to two inches of additional rain that fell across Saunders county resulted in the Platte River reaching flood stage. The Platte near the intersection of Dodge, Douglas and Saunders counties crested at 1:15 CDT at 11.89 feet. Flood stage at this portion of the river is 11.0 feet. Flooding was also observed at the Lashara and Venice river gauges, both cresting at 8.6 feet and 15.64 feet respectively. Their respective flood stages are 8.0 feet and 15.5 feet.
This is for flooding along the Platte River. The river gage at Leshara, operated by the USGS, peaked at 12.38 feet at 8 am on March 15th. Minor flood stage is 8 feet, moderate flood stage is 10 feet while major flood stage is 12 feet. Preliminary this peak is the highest on record. Ice jamming also played a role in the flooding at this location. The net effect of this flooding was overwhelmed by the high water that immediately proceeded any river ice movement.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,048
Population (ACS)
$272K
Median home value
30
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 |
| Oct 21, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Feb 23, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Wahoo 112
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Saunders County, Nebraska?
624 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $67.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Saunders County?
Hail, with 283 recorded events — 45.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Saunders County?
50 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 43 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Saunders County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Saunders County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Saunders County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Saunders County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Saunders 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
- Sarpy County 531
- Scotts Bluff County 864
- Saline County 536
- Seward County 405
- Rock County 361
- Sheridan County 820
Cite this page
“Saunders County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/saunders-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.