52
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$52.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Clay County, Nebraska: 52 recorded events between 1956 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #352 nationally and #17 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Clay County, Nebraska: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Clay County is the 1990s, 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 Clay County archive, tornado makes up 8.3% 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 Clay County with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-05-05 | EF5 | 79.7 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF4 | 131.0 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 2014-05-11 | EF3 | 20.2 mi | 1,300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2001-09-22 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 1,250 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF3 | 75.0 mi | 2,633 yd | Crossed in |
| 1977-09-11 | EF3 | 6.6 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-25 | EF3 | 34.7 mi | 220 yd | Touched down here |
| 2013-05-27 | EF2 | 4.5 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-22 | EF2 | 23.0 mi | 700 yd | Crossed in |
| 1991-04-11 | EF2 | 21.0 mi | 73 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 1990 | F4 | 0 | 3 | $25.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2024 | SUTTON | EF1 | $50K |
| Jul 29, 2023 | SUTTON | EF1 | $750K |
| Dec 15, 2021 | TRUMBULL | EF0 | $150K |
| May 5, 2021 | CLAY CENTER | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2020 | SARONVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2020 | ELDORADO | EF0 | $30K |
| May 17, 2017 | ONG | EF1 | $0 |
| May 9, 2016 | FAIRFIELD | EF0 | $75K |
| May 11, 2014 | FAIRFIELD | EF3 | $12.5M |
| May 11, 2014 | DEWEESE | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Clay County
- Hail 295
- Thunderstorm Wind 227
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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.
This was the second tornado to touch down approximately 2 miles north-northeast of Clay Center this day, with this one traveling along a 4 mile path before lifting 6 miles north-northeast of Clay Center. This tornado had a maximum width of 75 yards and maximum wind speed estimated to be 100 MPH. One home suffered minor damage, as did an outbuilding, with metal panels being pulled from the roof and walls.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Clay County, Nebraska?
52 tornado events are recorded in Clay County between 1956 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Clay County?
The strongest tornado on record in Clay County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Clay 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 Clay County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/clay-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.