Harlan County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 329 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 58.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,611 nationally and #65 in Nebraska.
329
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$10.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Harlan County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harlan County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 108 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 283 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 $5.4M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Harlan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 191 | 0 | $3.2M | 4.5 | 1955–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 88 | 0 | $5.4M | 90 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $1.7M | F2 | 1965–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $230K | 0 | 2008–2021 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
Decade by decade
Harlan County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-06-22 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-08-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 35.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harlan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The line of thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts up near 80 MPH continued into Harlan County. Damage was reported in the Alma, Republican City and Harlan County Dam areas. Large tree limbs near 8 to 12 inches in diameter were downed. On the south side of Harlan County Lake near Patterson Harbor, a shelter and dock for multiple boats were damaged and at least 4 boats were rammed onto the shore. A camping trailer was blown over onto a vehicle. In Republican City, another trailer with a pontoon boat was blown onto its side.
A cluster of thunderstorms sliding east just north of the Nebraska-Kansas state line produced widespread severe weather across central and southern portions of Harlan County. Hail generally up to the size of golf balls was reported across this area, though isolated larger hail also likely fell. Wind gusts were estimated to be anywhere from 60 to 70 MPH, resulting in numerous reports of tree damage, including whole trees snapped and larger limbs downed. A farm machine shed was destroyed between Stamford and Orleans. The wind-driven large hail resulted in widespread damage to crops, siding, windows, and vehicles.
A cluster of thunderstorms sliding east just north of the Nebraska-Kansas state line produced widespread severe weather across central and southern portions of Harlan County. Hail generally up to the size of golf balls was reported across this area, though isolated larger hail also likely fell. Wind gusts were estimated to be anywhere from 60 to 80 MPH, resulting in numerous reports of tree damage, including whole trees snapped and larger limbs downed. Outbuilding damage was reported near Alma. The wind-driven large hail resulted in widespread damage to crops, siding, windows, and vehicles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,847
Population (ACS)
$146K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
| Aug 27, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 24, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harlan County, Nebraska?
329 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $10.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harlan County?
Hail, with 191 recorded events — 58.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harlan County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harlan County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harlan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harlan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harlan County as very low risk, placing it in the 32 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harlan 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
- Hamilton County 498
- Hayes County 353
- Hall County 709
- Hitchcock County 553
- Greeley County 246
- Holt County 886
Cite this page
“Harlan County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/harlan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.