Keith County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 775 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 58.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #315 nationally and #12 in Nebraska.
775
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$13.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Keith County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Keith County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 11.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 260 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 92 events fall before 1990 and 683 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Keith County, Nebraska record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.7M 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 Keith County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 451 | 0 | $3.7M | 4.25 | 1976–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 243 | 0 | $1.4M | 91 | 1977–2025 |
| Tornado | 53 | 0 | $6.7M | F2 | 1957–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 1 | $953K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2001–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $335K | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Keith County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
56 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 55 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-06-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Keith County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2002 | Flash Flood | SOUTH PORTION | 1 | 0 | $800K |
| Jul 3, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKE MC CONAGHY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2024 | Hail | LEMOYNE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKE MC CONAGHY | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| Apr 25, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | ROSCOE | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Apr 25, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | ROSCOE | 0 | 1 | $80K |
| Jul 30, 2001 | Lightning | OGALLALA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tropical-like system moved into Southwest Nebraska Friday night and Saturday. Thunderstorms formed along a stationary front and persisted over the same area . Total rainfall was from 8 to 11 inches. Flood waters began to inundate hotels and businesses along Interstate 80 in Ogallala at 7 AM MST. One bridge and numerous roads were damaged or washed out. One person was killed 4 miles west of Ogallala at 759 AM MST as a bridge approach collapsed on Interstate 80. There were 64 homes with water damage. Forty of the homes sustained minor damage while the remaining 24 were total losses or sustained major damage.
A brief, but significant, tornado developed in the Lakeview Subdivision and traveled to the northeast. Multiple dwellings suffered damage, including a large pole barn destroyed and single family homes with roof or exterior wall loss. Multiple trees were also downed.
Hail initially struck the west side of Ogallala and then moved southeast across the town with numerous cars and boats sustaining severe body damage and broken windshields. Vinyl siding on homes were also damaged and windows broken.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,219
Population (ACS)
$168K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2026 | Fire | MORRILL-COTTONWOOD FIRE | FM |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 29, 2018 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Aug 29, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ogallala 179
- Brule 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Keith County, Nebraska?
775 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $13.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Keith County?
Hail, with 451 recorded events — 58.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Keith County?
56 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 55 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Keith County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Keith County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Keith County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Keith County as very low risk, placing it in the 14 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Keith 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
- Kearney County 377
- Keya Paha County 246
- Johnson County 233
- Kimball County 426
- Jefferson County 526
- Knox County 549
Cite this page
“Keith County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/keith-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.