Sioux County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 336 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 72.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,577 nationally and #63 in Nebraska.
336
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$718K
Property damage
The record
What the Sioux County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sioux County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 130 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 293 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $589K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Sioux County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 243 | 0 | $123K | 4 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 48 | 0 | $6K | 74 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 29 | 0 | $589K | F2 | 1951–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2017 |
Decade by decade
Sioux County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-07-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 53.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 25.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-07-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sioux County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2017 | Tornado | AGATE | 0 | 1 | $6K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Large hail damaged a car just before a tornado lifted the car off of the ground four times. The tornado moved east, downing around 40 utility poles and 20 windmills. Outbuildings on four ranches were damaged and an old schoolhouse was destroyed.
Large hail damaged a car just before a tornado lifted the car off of the ground four times. The tornado moved east, downing around 40 utility poles and 20 windmills. Outbuildings on four ranches were damaged and an old schoolhouse was destroyed.
A tornado crossed the WY/NE state line into Sioux County, NE at 1630 MST, and continued northeast before lifting west of Highway 29, 8 miles south-southwest of Harrison, NE at 1701 MST. Damage consistent with EF-2 intensity was noted by the survey team to the residence, as well as to surrounding trees and outbuildings (DI 2, DOD 6) 13 miles southwest of Harrison, NE. One resident at this location was treated and released at a local hospital with injuries incurred from flying debris in the home.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,171
Population (ACS)
$99K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2026 | Fire | SOUTH FORK FIRE | FM |
| May 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM 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 |
| Aug 1, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Harrison 125
- Agate 101
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sioux County, Nebraska?
336 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $718K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sioux County?
Hail, with 243 recorded events — 72.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sioux County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sioux County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sioux County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sioux County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sioux County as very low risk, placing it in the 1 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sioux 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
- Sherman County 329
- Stanton County 299
- Sheridan County 820
- Thayer County 601
- Seward County 405
- Thomas County 264
Cite this page
“Sioux County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/sioux-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.