172
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Nebraska: 172 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #1,290 nationally and #29 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Nebraska: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Jefferson County is the 2000s, when 44 of the county's 172 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Jefferson County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 32.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,290 for this hazard and #29 within Nebraska, putting it in the 59.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Jefferson County with 41 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1984 | 76 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2025 | THOMPSON | 83 | $30K |
| Mar 14, 2025 | PLYMOUTH | 57 | $0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | FAIRBURY | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | FAIRBURY | 72 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2024 | FAIRBURY | 65 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2024 | FAIRBURY | 56 | $0 |
| Oct 4, 2023 | FAIRBURY | 71 | $0 |
| Oct 4, 2023 | FAIRBURY | 65 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2023 | FAIRBURY | 59 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2023 | PLYMOUTH | 51 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Jefferson County
- Hail 284
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
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.
An area of apparently straight line wind damage was reported from southwest of Fairbury to north of town. Grain bins were destroyed, roofs were damaged, cars thrown, trees were uprooted and power poles were snapped. This was the second slow moving supercell to track across Jefferson county this evening.
This slow moving supercell earlier produced a tornado in the adjacent county in northern Kansas. In Nebraska, near Reynolds, most of the damage was apparently caused by straight line winds, possibly from the rear flank downdraft, estimated at close to 100 mph. The strong winds stripped corn nearly to the ground in this area, overturned center pivot irrigation systems and grain bins and did some outbuilding damage. The winds also uprooted trees which blocked Highway 8 in town.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Jefferson County, Nebraska?
172 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Jefferson County between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Jefferson County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Jefferson County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Jefferson County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/jefferson-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.