Adams County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 793 recorded events between 1956 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #299 nationally and #11 in Nebraska.
793
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$147.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Adams County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adams County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 11.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 283 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 141 events fall before 1990 and 652 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Adams County, Nebraska record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $91.6M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Adams County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 401 | 0 | $91.6M | 4.5 | 1956–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 266 | 0 | $11.2M | 85 | 1960–2024 |
| Tornado | 56 | 2 | $13.4M | F5 | 1956–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 38 | 0 | $400K | 0 | 2008–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $11.0M | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $815K | 0 | 2009–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2005 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $19.0M | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Adams County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
59 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 52 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-05-05 | EF5 | 4 | 50 | 79.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 75.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-09-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 47.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 40.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adams County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1964 | Tornado | 2 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| May 24, 2019 | Lightning | HASTINGS | 0 | 2 | $19.0M |
| Jun 27, 1984 | Hail | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 27, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 25, 1989 | 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
A super cell thunderstorm pummeled the Hastings area with baseball size hail, torrential rain and strong winds. The hail was as large as baseballs, and was reported anywhere from about 10 miles south of Hastings to 5 miles north of Hastings. Damage was widespread throughout the central part of the county.
Investigators with the Nebraska State Fire Marshal���s Office determined that lightning was the cause of a very large fire that completely destroyed the Cooperative Producers Inc. Dry Fertilizer Facility. This facility opened in July 2018, and was located just east of the intersection of Highway 6 and Showboat Road. Hastings Rural Fire District, along with firefighters from 4 other fire districts, helped contain the fire. The fire was contained by 3 AM CDT, but firefighters were on scene to address hotspots well into Friday. Two injuries were reported as a result of the fire, both injured parties were treated and released at a local hospital within hours of the fire. The injured parties were semi drivers on site at the time of the fire. Damage is estimated to be at least $5 million worth of product at the plant with a facility cost of $14 million.
There were several reports of hail ranging in size from golf balls to 2.5 inches in diameter all across the city of Hastings. This hail was accompanied by wind gusts exceeding 60 MPH, including a peak measured gust of 66 MPH at the Hastings Airport ASOS. Reports of damage across town included broken windows, siding damage, downed tree limbs, and power outages.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
31,052
Population (ACS)
$193K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
| Jun 25, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Nov 26, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hastings 244
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adams County, Nebraska?
793 events are on record between 1956 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths and $147.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adams County?
Hail, with 401 recorded events — 50.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adams County?
59 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 52 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Adams County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adams County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adams County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adams County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adams 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
- Antelope County 440
- Arthur County 248
- Banner County 215
- Blaine County 292
- Boone County 356
- Box Butte County 538
Cite this page
“Adams County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/adams-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.