Dawson County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 720 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 51.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #374 nationally and #13 in Nebraska.
720
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$98.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Dawson County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dawson County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 10.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 250 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 120 events fall before 1990 and 600 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dawson County, Nebraska record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $64.6M 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 Dawson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 367 | 0 | $64.6M | 4.5 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 259 | 0 | $9.5M | 92 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 58 | 0 | $17.8M | F3 | 1953–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 1 | $5.6M | 0 | 2004–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $308K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2010 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $280K | 0 | 2000–2004 |
Decade by decade
Dawson County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
58 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 55 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-06-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-09-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 22.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-06-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 63.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 18.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-10-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-10-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-07-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dawson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2019 | Flash Flood | FARNAM | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| Apr 21, 2007 | Tornado | GOTHENBURG | 0 | 9 | $2.5M |
| Apr 10, 2001 | Hail | LEXINGTON | 0 | 3 | $15K |
| Apr 20, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 20, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 46 year old female from Eustis died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident when she encountered flood waters over Highway 21 approximately 4 miles south of Cozad. The vehicle left the highway into a water-filled ditch and rolled onto its roof. The other occupant of the vehicle, the driver's 26 year old daughter, survived with minor injuries.
There widespread reports of quarter to baseball size hail along and near this approximately 27 mile long path, causing widespread damage to vehicles, homes, and crops. The largest hail and most widespread vehicle and building damage occurred in Cozad. This hail was accompanied by wind gusts likely at least 50 MPH.
Emergency management reported widespread significant damage across Cozad from large hail up to four inches in diameter. The local hospital was damaged enough from broken windows, roof damage, and leaking water that patients had to be transferred to nearby hospitals for a period of time. One injury was reported, a person was caught outside in the storm, suffering cuts and bruises and losing consciousness.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
24,202
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2026 | Fire | MORRILL-COTTONWOOD FIRE | FM |
| Sep 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | 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 |
| Jul 15, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Gothenburg 134
- Lexington 127
- Overton 107
- Cozad 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dawson County, Nebraska?
720 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $98.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dawson County?
Hail, with 367 recorded events — 51.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dawson County?
58 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 55 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dawson County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dawson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dawson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dawson County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dawson 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
- Dawes County 554
- Deuel County 340
- Dakota County 225
- Dixon County 366
- Custer County 1,323
- Dodge County 609
Cite this page
“Dawson County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/dawson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.