Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Pottawattamie; Mills; Montgomery; Fremont; Page; Saunders; Douglas; Sarpy; Lancaster; Cass; Otoe; Gage; Johnson; Nemaha; Pawnee; Richardson
Otoe County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 473 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #971 nationally and #39 in Nebraska.
473
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$25.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Otoe County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Otoe County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 173 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 401 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $23.5M 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 Otoe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 216 | 0 | $0 | 3.5 | 1961–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 161 | 0 | $357K | 78 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 0 | $23.5M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Flood | 29 | 0 | $564K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $650K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $168K | 0 | 2000–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2018 |
Decade by decade
Otoe County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05-22 | EF4 | 1 | 38 | 54.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-07-01 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-10-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-10-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 75.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Otoe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| May 12, 2005 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 1965 | 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
Heavy rain over much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during most of June caused a prolonged period of flooding along the Missouri River, especially downstream of Omaha through Rulo. The river near Nebraska City climbed above flood stage early in the afternoon on June 11th and remained above flood stage into July. The river at Nebraska City crested around or a little over 25 feet during the afternoon of June 16th and June 21st. Flood stage is 18 feet. Industrial roads near the river were flooded along with some cabins, boat ramps and recreation areas.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 60 mph damaged numerous locations in town including several trees that were were split with large sections falling onto houses causing roof damage, damage to garages and to windows. According to the Nebraska City News Press, the damage was primarily along a line from Pendleton Woolen Mills and W&H Manufacturers along Industrial Road to North Table Creek across the parking lot of Norman's.
Flooding along the Missouri River gradually worsened during June as record releases from Gavins Point Dam brought widespread flooding along the river. The river at Nebraska City, which climbed above its 18 foot flood stage in mid April, started June around 23 feet and then began rising by the 10th eventually reaching a record crest of around 28 feet by the end of the month. The river stayed well above flood stage through July. In Otoe county farmland, roads and recreation areas near the river flooded as did some cabins and a grain elevator near Nebraska City. Flood waters crossed Highway 2 in Fremont county Iowa prompting its closure on both sides of the river.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,241
Population (ACS)
$202K
Median home value
23
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 |
| Jun 25, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Nebraska City 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Otoe County, Nebraska?
473 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $25.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Otoe County?
Hail, with 216 recorded events — 45.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Otoe County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Otoe County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Otoe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Otoe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Otoe County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Otoe 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
- Nuckolls County 395
- Pawnee County 208
- Nemaha County 356
- Perkins County 492
- Nance County 241
- Phelps County 470
Cite this page
“Otoe County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/otoe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.