80
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$36.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Holt County, Nebraska: 80 recorded events between 1952 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #113 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Holt County, Nebraska: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Holt County is the 2000s, when 28 of the county's 80 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 Holt County archive, tornado makes up 9.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #113 for this hazard and #5 within Nebraska, putting it in the 96.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Holt County with 29 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-05-08 | EF4 | 78.9 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-29 | EF4 | 24.2 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-09 | EF3 | 23.0 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-08 | EF3 | 44.8 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-05-12 | EF2 | 7.3 mi | 75 yd | Crossed in |
| 2009-03-23 | EF2 | 0.2 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-05 | EF2 | 29.9 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 1998-10-28 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1996-06-19 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 1992-05-15 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 1996 | O NEILL | F1 | 0 | 3 | $150K |
| Oct 26, 1996 | BASSETT | F1 | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Jun 21, 1968 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2023 | CHAMBERS | EF2 | $0 |
| May 10, 2016 | ATKINSON | EF0 | $40K |
| Aug 18, 2011 | EWING | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2011 | EWING | EF0 | $0 |
| May 30, 2011 | O NEILL | EF0 | $0 |
| May 30, 2011 | ATKINSON | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 23, 2009 | (ONL)O NEILL ARPT | EF2 | $20K |
| Jun 5, 2008 | STUART | EF2 | $150K |
| Sep 18, 2005 | EWING | F0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2004 | EWING | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Holt County
- Hail 560
- Thunderstorm Wind 211
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A supercell tornado touched down just north-northeast of Rose in Rock County and entered Holt County approximately 13 miles south-southwest of Stuart and continued for another 10 miles before dissipating 3 miles south-southeast of Stuart. In Holt County, the multiple vortex tornado broke off power poles, destroyed outbuildings, overturned several center pivot irrigation systems, snapped and uprooted numerous large trees, damaged roofs, and moved vehicles. The tornado maintained the EF2 rating in both Rock and Holt Counties. The average path width in Holt County was 30 yards with the maximum width of 50 yards.
Tornado touched down on the northeast edge of Atkinson and remained on the ground for nearly 1 mile. The tornado destroyed a pole barn. It also carried a metal shed 100 yards and damaged trees and feed bunks. The tornado touched down two more times, once 1 mile north of Atkinson, just east of Highway 11, and again 2 miles north of Atkinson, just west of Highway 11, doing minor tree damage.
The tornado took down power poles and uprooted numerous trees south of state highway 95 and then hit a farmstead as it crossed the highway about 3 miles south of Amelia ripping off the roof of a metal outbuilding and depositing it on the road. As it moved east-northeast, it overturned a center pivot irrigation system and uprooted more trees.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Holt County, Nebraska?
80 tornado events are recorded in Holt County between 1952 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Holt County?
The strongest tornado on record in Holt County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Holt 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
“Tornado in Holt County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/holt-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.