Hamilton County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 498 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #883 nationally and #36 in Nebraska.
498
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$72.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Hamilton County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hamilton County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 6.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 165 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 90 events fall before 1990 and 408 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $40.7M 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 Hamilton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 236 | 0 | $7.6M | 7 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 0 | $21.2M | 83 | 1961–2024 |
| Tornado | 63 | 0 | $40.7M | F2 | 1953–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 29 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2002–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $2.3M | 0 | 2005–2021 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $310K | 0 | 2009–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $36K | 0 | 1996–1997 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2007 |
Decade by decade
Hamilton County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
68 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 62 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-05-05 | EF5 | 4 | 50 | 79.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-04-07 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 31.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 75.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-07-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hamilton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | GILTNER | 0 | 5 | $250K |
| May 17, 1996 | Lightning | AURORA | 0 | 1 | $500 |
| Apr 8, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A wind gust of 78 MPH was recorded by a mesonet station located just west of Aurora at 10:54 PM CDT and a gust of 64 MPH was recorded by a mesonet station located in Aurora at 10:57 PM CDT. Along with numerous reports of tree damage and power outages, there was minor roof and window damage to a few business in Aurora, as well as reports of tree limbs falling onto cars.
Wind gusts through this area were estimated to be near 90 MPH. The peak measured wind gust was 80 MPH, recorded at 11:00 PM CDT by a mesonet station located four miles northwest of Stockham. Article from the Aurora News-Register reported that a farmer from the Giltner area had crop damage, at least nine irrigation pivots damaged, and nine grain bins either damaged or destroyed. An irrigation pivot just west of Giltner was also flipped. An NWS Hastings employee noted pivot and grain bin damage straight south of Giltner. Time and speed estimated from surrounding reports and observations.
Wind gusts were estimated to be near 95 MPH through this area. Widespread significant tree damage, crop damage, downed power lines, snapped power poles, and power outages were reported along and near this path. A high-voltage transmission line was downed approximately four miles southwest of Aurora, crossing Interstate 80 and causing traffic issues. Several outbuildings and grain bins were damaged or destroyed, mainly south of Aurora. A 66 ft by 120 ft outbuilding just southwest of Aurora was damaged, with sheets of metal blown upwards of 200 yards away. Semi-trucks were blown over on Interstate 80 near both the Aurora and Giltner exits.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,464
Population (ACS)
$254K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 23, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hamilton County, Nebraska?
498 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $72.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hamilton County?
Hail, with 236 recorded events — 47.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hamilton County?
68 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 62 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hamilton County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hamilton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hamilton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hamilton County as very low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hamilton 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
- Hall County 709
- Harlan County 329
- Greeley County 246
- Hayes County 353
- Grant County 256
- Hitchcock County 553
Cite this page
“Hamilton County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/hamilton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.