Perkins County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 492 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 66.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #902 nationally and #37 in Nebraska.
492
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$8.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Perkins County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Perkins County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 6.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 140 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 49 events fall before 1990 and 443 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $5.1M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Perkins County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 329 | 0 | $1.1M | 4.5 | 1960–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $952K | 88 | 1962–2026 |
| Tornado | 39 | 0 | $5.1M | F3 | 1951–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Perkins 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: 39 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-05-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-07-02 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Perkins County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 1999 | Tornado | GRANT | 0 | 1 | $700K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A large supercell thunderstorm originally spawned two tornadoes with the eastern tornado eventually taking over. The tornado touched down approximately 6 miles south-southwest of Grant and moved northeast for a few miles and then turned northwest to pass 3 miles west of Grant and continue northwest to near the Perkins and Keith County line approximately 12 miles north-northwest of Grant. The tornado encountered the first farm where it destroyed outbuildings and grain bins and damaged the roof of a metal storage building. Damage to the second farm included ripping off half the roof on the home. At the third farmstead, the tornado destroyed grain bins and a barn and ripped a hole in the roof of the home. The tornado also uprooted and snapped off numerous trees, broke off power poles, and overturned center pivot irrigation systems.
A tornado touched down 9 miles south southwest of Grant and lifted 1 mile south of Madrid. One man sustained minor injuries when his pickup was struck. The pickup was tossed and whirled around. The pickup was a total loss. Other damage included the destruction or damage to 30 center pivot irrigation systems and several barns, grain bins, and quonset buildings were damaged or destroyed. Damage to utilities included the loss of 82 power poles, 25 transformers, 10 high voltage transmission towers.
Nearly stationary thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall of 4 to 10 inches causing water to flow over roadways mainly west and south of Grant. Water flowed across Highway 23 west of Grant and across numerous secondary roads. Highways were closed and travel was discouraged for much of the county. One home around the Grant Golf Course was inundated with water while many others were saved by sandbags.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,821
Population (ACS)
$157K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 15, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 31, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Aug 29, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 7, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Grant 169
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Perkins County, Nebraska?
492 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Perkins County?
Hail, with 329 recorded events — 66.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Perkins County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Perkins County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Perkins County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Perkins County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Perkins County as very low risk, placing it in the 4 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Perkins 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
- Pawnee County 208
- Phelps County 470
- Otoe County 473
- Pierce County 279
- Nuckolls County 395
- Platte County 523
Cite this page
“Perkins County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/perkins-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.