95
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$3.2M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Nebraska: 95 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 80. That places the county #2,270 nationally and #61 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Nebraska: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Polk County is the 2020s, when 26 of the county's 95 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 Polk County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 29.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,270 for this hazard and #61 within Nebraska, putting it in the 28.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Polk County with 26 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2003 | SHELBY | 70 | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2025 | SHELBY | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | POLK | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2024 | OSCEOLA | 52 | $5K |
| May 21, 2024 | SHELBY | 64 | $0 |
| Apr 6, 2024 | STROMSBURG | 65 | $100K |
| Apr 6, 2024 | OSCEOLA | 52 | $0 |
| Oct 3, 2023 | SHELBY | 52 | $0 |
| Oct 3, 2023 | SWEDEHOME | 56 | $0 |
| Oct 3, 2023 | OSCEOLA | 75 | $50K |
| Oct 3, 2023 | OSCEOLA | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Polk County
- Hail 140
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Straight-line winds in this area were estimated to be around 85 MPH. In addition to a few irrigation pivots being overturned, a large metal-framed structure with attached canopy at an area cattle lot suffered significant damage.
The roof was blown off of a building used for 190 head of cattle…unfortunately one died and a few others were injured. Other outbuildings at the farmstead suffered minor damage. Wind gusts were estimated to have been near 75 MPH.
An unofficial wind gust of 92 MPH was measured by a mesonet site 7 miles east of Clarks. Other reports from spotters and chasers estimated wind gusts between 60 and 80 MPH in the area. Large gustnadoes were reported crossing Highway 39.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Polk County, Nebraska?
95 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Polk County between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Polk County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Polk County measured 80.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Polk 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/polk-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.