Brown County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 458 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 62.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,026 nationally and #42 in Nebraska.
458
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$10.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Brown County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Brown County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 152 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 386 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Brown County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 284 | 0 | $2.2M | 5 | 1966–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 117 | 0 | $3.4M | 95 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 38 | 0 | $3.7M | F2 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $670K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2020 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $90K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2014 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Brown County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 38 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-10-29 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 147.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 11.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-07-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Brown County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe thunderstorms producing several wet microbursts, led to violent winds in Ainsworth. Wind gusts, estimated at around 100 MPH, uprooted several mature trees in and around Ainsworth. Other mature trees were snapped above ground level. Numerous reports of power lines down, one of which, led to fire at a residence on the north side of Ainsworth. One house sustained significant damage as a mature tree impacted the roof of this residence.
A storm hit Ainsworth with damage significant that included the destruction of two buildings and many trees. Power lines were also downed by the winds and resulted in a power outage that lasted about two hours. The damage was most severe in a relatively concentrated zone, on the north side of the town, which is consistent with a microburst damage path. It was in that area where one of the buildings was destroyed. Debris from the steel building was scattered to the north up to 200 yards, and steel was twisted violently around trees north of the building site.
Strong wind gusts estimated to 80 MPH destroyed a machine shed, cattle feeding shed, and hog shed 3 miles west of Ainsworth. A dry fertilizer plant also sustained heavy damage 2 miles west of Ainsworth. Three miles southwest of Ainsworth, a barn sustained heavy damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,869
Population (ACS)
$114K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jul 15, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 25, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 20, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ainsworth 180
- Johnstown 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Brown County, Nebraska?
458 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $10.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Brown County?
Hail, with 284 recorded events — 62.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Brown County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 38 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Brown County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Brown County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Brown County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Brown County as very low risk, placing it in the 2 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Brown 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
- Boyd County 248
- Buffalo County 795
- Box Butte County 538
- Burt County 290
- Boone County 356
- Butler County 372
Cite this page
“Brown County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/brown-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.