Jefferson County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 526 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #792 nationally and #32 in Nebraska.
526
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$14.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Jefferson County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jefferson County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 190 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 69 events fall before 1990 and 457 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jefferson County, Nebraska record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.8M 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 Jefferson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 284 | 0 | $8K | 3.5 | 1957–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 172 | 0 | $1.7M | 87 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $6.8M | F3 | 1956–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $913K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Flood | 10 | 1 | $5.0M | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2020 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 1997–2006 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 52 | 1996–1998 |
Decade by decade
Jefferson County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05-22 | EF4 | 1 | 38 | 54.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 55.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-07-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-28 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 39.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-08-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 67.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 48.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jefferson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 2015 | Flood | POWELL | 1 | 0 | $5.0M |
| May 11, 2014 | Tornado | DAYKIN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Apr 28, 1956 | 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
Extremely heavy rainfall of 6 to 10 inches fell across the northern basin of the Little Blue River. This cause the river to swell to record levels around the Fairbury area. The flooding resulted in the mandatory evacuations of areas of the western and southern parts of town, to the west of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. The flooding of some residents along the river did result in one fatality of an elderly residence in her basement. The river crested at 25.42 feet or 6.92 feet above flood stage.
An Assessment team from the NWS determined that a tornado tracked around 3 miles west through northwest of the Diller area. The damage path was around 300 yards at its widest. Trees and farm outbuildings were damaged along its path and 35 large power poles were snapped. A house in the area also sustained major damage to the roof and windows and the upper floor was partially shifted from the lower floor and a wall was bowed outward and garage destroyed. A center irrigation pivot was damaged at the tornadoes lifting point.
A supercell thunderstorm produced a 20 mile long path of damage due to downburst winds across Jefferson county. The winds were estimated at between 80 and 90 mph. The winds toppled trees and damaged roofs and windows most significantly in a 3 block wide swath in southern Fairbury. Power poles were snapped and several sheds and garages were also destroyed in this area. In rural areas there were center pivot irrigation systems and grain bins overturned as well as scattered tree damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,161
Population (ACS)
$130K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| 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 1, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Fairbury 172
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jefferson County, Nebraska?
526 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $14.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jefferson County?
Hail, with 284 recorded events — 54.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County?
29 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 Jefferson County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jefferson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jefferson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jefferson County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jefferson 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
- Howard County 414
- Johnson County 233
- Hooker County 307
- Kearney County 377
- Holt County 886
- Keith County 775
Cite this page
“Jefferson County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/jefferson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.