Clay County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 623 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #527 nationally and #16 in Nebraska.
623
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$96.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Clay County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clay County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 9.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 199 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 92 events fall before 1990 and 531 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $52.3M 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 Clay County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 295 | 0 | $13.7M | 4.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 227 | 0 | $29.3M | 87 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 52 | 0 | $52.3M | F5 | 1956–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 31 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2002–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $333K | 0 | 2004–2020 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $405K | 0 | 2000–2007 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $345K | 0 | 2009–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Clay County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
51 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 38 touched down inside it and 13 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 | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF4 | 0 | 8 | 131.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-05-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-09-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 75.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-09-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 34.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clay County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 2, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sutton | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Wind gusts estimated to be near 95 MPH occurred along this path. The main reports of damage came from the Harvard and Sutton areas. Widespread tree damage was reported, along with large areas of flattened crops. Minor roof damage occurred in Sutton. Numerous power outages were reported. Emergency management reported multiple irrigation pivots overturned in the area, along with 3 large grain bins destroyed and an outbuilding damaged along N Road near Harvard.
A large tornado moved out of Adams county and into central Clay county. Approximately 15 residences were hit by the tornado. Thirty-eight cars of a forty-nine car Union Pacific train were derailed southeast of Glenvil. Over 100 center irrigation pivots were damaged or destroyed across Clay County.
This EF2 tornado touched down during the early evening hours just west of Edgar and was on the ground between 5 and 10 minutes before lifting just southeast of Edgar. The maximum speed was estimated at 115 MPH with a maximum width of 250 yards. Damage along the path included snapped power poles, overturned irrigation pivots, grain bin and outbuilding damage. In Edgar itself, a large metal building was destroyed, other buildings suffered minor damage and the grain elevator was damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,095
Population (ACS)
$156K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Sep 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 6, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Clay Center 135
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clay County, Nebraska?
623 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $96.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clay County?
Hail, with 295 recorded events — 47.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clay County?
51 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 Clay County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clay County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clay County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clay County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clay 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
- Cheyenne County 840
- Colfax County 263
- Cherry County 1,463
- Cuming County 316
- Chase County 573
- Custer County 1,323
Cite this page
“Clay County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/clay-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.