47
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$33.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Nuckolls County, Nebraska: 47 recorded events between 1950 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #432 nationally and #21 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Nuckolls County, Nebraska: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Nuckolls County is the 2000s, when 10 of the county's 47 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 Nuckolls County archive, tornado makes up 11.9% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #432 for this hazard and #21 within Nebraska, putting it in the 85.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Nuckolls County with 19 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF4 | 131.0 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 1986-09-18 | EF3 | 7.0 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 41.6 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-06 | EF2 | 20.1 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-20 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 1,300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-11 | EF2 | 21.0 mi | 73 yd | Crossed in |
| 1974-05-10 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 233 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-25 | EF2 | 44.2 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-04-24 | EF1 | 2.4 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-06 | EF1 | 9.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 1986 | F3 | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F4 | 0 | 3 | $25.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2024 | LAWRENCE | EF0 | $25K |
| Jun 8, 2022 | RUSKIN | EF0 | $500K |
| Apr 30, 2022 | RUSKIN | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2020 | OAK | EF0 | $15K |
| May 28, 2019 | SUPERIOR | EF0 | $75K |
| Nov 27, 2016 | NELSON | EF0 | $3K |
| Apr 24, 2016 | BOSTWICK | EF1 | $4K |
| May 6, 2015 | HARDY | EF2 | $1.5M |
| May 6, 2015 | BOSTWICK | EF1 | $250K |
| Apr 14, 2012 | HARDY | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Nuckolls County
- Hail 163
- Thunderstorm Wind 132
- Heavy Rain 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is a continuation of the tornado that touched down west-northwest of Webber in Jewell County, KS, traveling northeast through the very northwest corner of Republic County, KS, before entering Nebraska near the town of Hardy in Nuckolls County. It continued traveling northeast into Thayer County, lifting northwest of Deshler. This tornado was rated an EF2, with an estimated peak wind speed of 122 MPH. EF2 damage was noted in both Jewell County, KS and Nuckolls County, NE.||Damage along this tornado path included numerous pivots overturned and snapped power poles. There was a large amount of tree damage noted. In addition, in Nuckolls County, grain bins and outbuildings were destroyed. One home sustained chimney and siding damage, while another home lost a large section of its roof.
This tornado touched down in Nuckolls County, just northwest of Ruskin, and moved southeast across town. In town, most of the damage was confined to trees. After passing through town, the tornado destroyed a shed and two empty grain bins south of town. As the tornado rapidly traveled southeast, it upset roughly a half-dozen irrigation pivots, damaged at least two more grain bins, peeled tin and shingles from the rooftops of at least two buildings, and damaged trees. After nearly 10 miles, the tornado lifted three miles north of Byron in Thayer County.
This tornado touched down between Bostwick and Superior, and was rated an EF1 with an estimated peak wind speed of 100 MPH. Trees were damaged, pivots were overturned and power poles were snapped. A home northwest of Superior sustained porch damage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Nuckolls County, Nebraska?
47 tornado events are recorded in Nuckolls County between 1950 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Nuckolls County?
The strongest tornado on record in Nuckolls County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Nuckolls 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
“Tornado in Nuckolls County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/nuckolls-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.