108
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$12.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Custer County, Nebraska: 108 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #39 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Custer County, Nebraska: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Custer County is the 2000s, when 27 of the county's 108 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 Custer County archive, tornado makes up 8.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #39 for this hazard and #1 within Nebraska, putting it in the 98.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Custer County with 36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-18 | EF4 | 15.2 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-30 | EF4 | 48.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-29 | EF4 | 147.7 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 1975-06-18 | EF3 | 28.4 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-01 | EF3 | 25.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-18 | EF3 | 9.4 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 63.5 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-26 | EF3 | 5.6 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-26 | EF3 | 6.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-20 | EF3 | 32.8 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 1974 | F1 | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 1974 | F3 | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 1974 | F3 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jun 13, 1987 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 12, 1970 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2025 | WESTERVILLE | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2025 | SARGENT | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2024 | BROKEN BOW | EF1 | $10K |
| Jul 3, 2024 | ARNOLD | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2024 | ARNOLD | EF2 | $80K |
| May 6, 2024 | ARNOLD | EFU | $0 |
| May 12, 2023 | ARNOLD | EFU | $0 |
| May 12, 2023 | ARNOLD | EFU | $0 |
| May 12, 2023 | ARNOLD | EFU | $0 |
| May 12, 2023 | ANSELMO | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Custer County
- Hail 832
- Thunderstorm Wind 308
- Flash Flood 44
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado moved out of Dawson county into south central Custer county 7 miles south southwest of Oconto. The tornado traveled across open rangeland until destroying a modular home 1 mile south of Oconto. The tornado then moved directly through the small community of Oconto producing extensive damage. Every building along main street was either damaged or destroyed. A community center was destroyed while 19 children and 4 adults were in the basement. Over half the homes in the small town suffered minor to major damage. The community was declared a disaster areas by the governor. The tornado knocked down a power line 2 miles north of Oconto before lifting.
The tornado touched down 2 miles west of Sargent with damage to a farm building and center pivot irrigation system. The tornado moved north northeast with several power poles broken off and minor damage produced at a farm 2 miles northwest of Sargent. The tornado then moved across open country until destroying a communication tower and several power poles 5 miles north of Sargent. A farm building was then damaged 6 miles north of Sargent before the tornado moved into southeast Loup county.
The tornado touched down 17 miles southwest of Callaway and tracked northward for approximately 21 miles near Highways 47 and 40 in western Custer County before lifting approximately 5 miles east of Arnold. The tornado destroyed several grain bins, uprooted trees, destroyed a garage and small outbuildings, overturned center pivot irrigation systems, snapped many power poles, broke windows, destroyed a barn, and mangled farm machinery, vehicles, and a horse trailer.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Custer County, Nebraska?
108 tornado events are recorded in Custer County between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Custer County?
The strongest tornado on record in Custer County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Custer 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 Custer County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/custer-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.