Garfield County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 294 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 66.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,810 nationally and #71 in Nebraska.
294
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Garfield County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Garfield County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 97 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 44 events fall before 1990 and 250 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Garfield County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 194 | 0 | $245K | 4.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 71 | 0 | $1.3M | 70 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $775K | F2 | 1960–2014 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $230K | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $115K | 0 | 2001–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Garfield County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 63.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-09-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 28.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 38.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Garfield County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2001 | Lightning | BURWELL | 0 | 1 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms with prolonged heavy rain falling on already saturated ground caused widespread flooding. Three to five inches of rain contributed to numerous secondary roads being under water or washed away. Low land flooding also occurred in the Burwell City Park near the North Loup River.
At 1820CST, the tornado touched down 8 miles northeast of Burwell and moved northeast. The tornado damaged trees, street signs, and buildings along the damage path. Tree trunks were snapped in this area with maximum winds estimated at 125 mph. the tornado was rated an EF-2 with a maximum path width of 700 yards.
At 1801CST, a tornado touched down 1 mile north of Burwell and traveled 5.2 miles before dissipating 5 miles northeast of Burwell. The tornado traveled northeast where the storm damage observed included several large tree trunks and wooden power poles snapped. The tornado crossed Highway 11 and overturned a center irrigation pivot system and downed additional large limbs before dissipating at 1815CST. Peak winds were estimated at 120 mph with the tornado rated an EF-2. Maximum path width was 500 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,718
Population (ACS)
$177K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2022 | 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 |
| Jun 29, 2018 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 26, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Burwell 269
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Garfield County, Nebraska?
294 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Garfield County?
Hail, with 194 recorded events — 66.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Garfield County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Garfield County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Garfield County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Garfield County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Garfield County as very low risk, placing it in the 1 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Garfield 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
- Garden County 486
- Gosper County 276
- Gage County 621
- Grant County 256
- Furnas County 560
- Greeley County 246
Cite this page
“Garfield County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/garfield-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.