259
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$9.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Dawson County, Nebraska: 259 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 92. That places the county #638 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Dawson County, Nebraska: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Dawson County is the 2010s, when 85 of the county's 259 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Dawson County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 36.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #638 for this hazard and #8 within Nebraska, putting it in the 79.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Dawson County with 73 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2025 | SUMNER | 59 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2024 | OVERTON | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2024 | SUMNER | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2024 | SUMNER | 51 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2024 | EDDYVILLE | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 2024 | GOTHENBURG | 52 | $10K |
| Jun 29, 2024 | GOTHENBURG | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | COZAD | 65 | $500K |
| Jun 22, 2024 | WILLOW IS | 78 | $500K |
| Jun 8, 2024 | OVERTON | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Dawson County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An 81 MPH wind gust was measured by a mesonet station located 1 mile north-northeast of Cozad. Emergency management reported tree damage and downed power lines in the area, along with overturned pivots. One of the more notable damage scenes involved Cozad High School, where a large portion of the roof was ripped off of the library, allowing rain water to pour in. This damaged thousands of books, along with shelving and some electronics. Nearby, a metal storage building was destroyed, parts of it lofted into a nearby home and piercing a hole in its roof.
Numerous measured gusts of 64 MPH to 78 MPH were reported along and near this path. The peak gust was 78 MPH, recorded at 10:11 PM CDT by a mesonet station located two miles east-southeast of Overton. Gusts of 75, 65, and 64 MPH were recorded between 9:34-9:44 PM by a mesonet station located one mile north-northeast of Cozad. Other gusts included 71 MPH (at 9:26 PM CDT by a mesonet station located three miles north-northwest of Gothenburg), 67 MPH (at 9:55 PM CDT by the Lexington Airport AWOS), and 66 MPH (at 9:50 PM CDT by a mesonet station located four miles west-northwest of Lexington). The Dawson Public Power District reported downed power lines and power outages in and around cities along this path. Tree damage was also reported.
Measured wind gusts through the county included 82 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located one mile southwest of Eddyville, and 66 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located five miles north-northeast of Lexington. Damage in the Lexington area included tree limbs down, trees uprooted, some fencing damage, and damage to power poles.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Dawson County, Nebraska?
259 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Dawson County between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Dawson County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Dawson County measured 92.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Dawson County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Dawson County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/dawson-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.