52
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$105.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Lancaster County, Nebraska: 52 recorded events between 1950 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #352 nationally and #17 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Lancaster County, Nebraska: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Lancaster County is the 2010s, when 11 of the county's 52 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 Lancaster County archive, tornado makes up 5.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #352 for this hazard and #17 within Nebraska, putting it in the 88.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Lancaster County with 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05-22 | EF4 | 54.0 mi | 4,400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-25 | EF4 | 89.8 mi | 333 yd | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-26 | EF3 | 5.3 mi | 700 yd | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 23.7 mi | 70 yd | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-05 | EF2 | 0.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2014-05-11 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2013-10-03 | EF2 | 11.2 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2009-03-23 | EF2 | 1.6 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-12 | EF2 | 20.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1981-04-03 | EF2 | 8.3 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2004 | HALLAM | F4 | 1 | 30 | $100.0M |
| Apr 26, 2024 | HAVELOCK | EF3 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 1956 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $3K | |
| Jun 7, 1956 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 2024 | ROKEBY | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | WAVERLY | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | WAVERLY | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | WAVERLY | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | HAVELOCK | EF3 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | MARTELL | EF1 | $0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | PLEASANT DALE | EF2 | $0 |
| May 5, 2019 | LAKEVIEW | EF2 | $0 |
| May 5, 2019 | EMERALD | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2017 | UNIVERSITY PLACE | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Lancaster County
- Hail 497
- Thunderstorm Wind 334
- Flash Flood 49
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado produced mainly tree and shingle damage. One home did sustain some garage damage. The tornado touched down and traveled to the west remaining just south of Highway 2. The tornado was filmed by many residents and storm chasers.
This tornado started just south of Satillo Road between 96th and 110th streets. The tornado destroyed a barn at this location. The tornado generally traveled to the southwest slowly producing minor tree damage before dissipating.
This tornado was spawned by the same supercell that produced the f4 tornado near Seward. The tornado touched down briefly in an open field west of Agnew near the intersection of NW 140th and Ashland Road and was reported by law enforcement.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Lancaster County, Nebraska?
52 tornado events are recorded in Lancaster County between 1950 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Lancaster County?
The strongest tornado on record in Lancaster County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Lancaster 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 Lancaster County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/lancaster-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.