Kearney County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 377 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,348 nationally and #50 in Nebraska.
377
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$45.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Kearney County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kearney County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 90 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 305 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $27.2M 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 Kearney County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 178 | 0 | $27.2M | 4.5 | 1956–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 149 | 0 | $9.0M | 97 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $5.8M | F3 | 1955–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $3.4M | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Kearney County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 32.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 65.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 40.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-10-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Crossed in |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Wind gusts peaked around 100 MPH along this path, with the most significant damage occurring approximately one mile east of Minden to two miles north-northeast of Minden. Numerous irrigation pivots were flipped and large tree limbs were downed. Along with multiple power poles being snapped, three large metal transmission towers were also downed. A metal outbuilding lost a portion of its roof. Significant crop damage was reported in this whole area.
A small tornado touched down near a farmstead northwest of Norman and caused large tree limbs to fall onto a house. The tornado continued southeast where it snapped four power poles along K Road, overturned pivots, and carried a small brain bin over 500 yards from its original location. The tornado continued southeast and produced a few locations of minor damage before lifting prior to crossing 42 Road southeast of Norman. The peak wind gust was estimated to be 100 MPH.
This tornado started in Kearney County north of Minden and crossed into Buffalo County, lifting near Gibbon. This tornado was typical for the day, likely intermittent with regard to ground circulation and impacting rural areas. Much of the path damage can be traced to center irrigation pivots either partially or fully overturned. The tornado damaged a couple power poles and peeled back some roofing material at the Rowe Sanctuary. A measured wind gust 83 MPH was recorded at the sanctuary as the storm passed. Damage was a bit sparse north of the river. The tornadic circulation likely crossed Interstate 80 about three miles west of the Gibbon interchange before knocking over a couple more pivots and lifting just southwest of Gibbon. The maximum estimated speed of 85 MPH was based upon the measured wind gust at the sanctuary and damage to nearby power poles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,713
Population (ACS)
$223K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Jul 24, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 20, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kearney County, Nebraska?
377 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $45.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kearney County?
Hail, with 178 recorded events — 47.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kearney County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kearney County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kearney County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kearney County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kearney County as very low risk, placing it in the 31 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kearney 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
- Johnson County 233
- Keith County 775
- Jefferson County 526
- Keya Paha County 246
- Howard County 414
- Kimball County 426
Cite this page
“Kearney County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/kearney-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.