Red Willow County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 596 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #594 nationally and #20 in Nebraska.
596
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$6.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Red Willow County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Red Willow County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 7.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 518 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M 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 Red Willow County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 294 | 0 | $257K | 4.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 237 | 0 | $1.7M | 103 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 40 | 0 | $4.0M | F4 | 1950–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $26K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $204K | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2003–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2000 |
Decade by decade
Red Willow County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-06-15 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-08-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-06-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 34.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Red Willow County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2011 | Hail | MC COOK | 0 | 3 | $1K |
| Jul 22, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | MC COOK | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Jul 25, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 23, 2008 | Lightning | MC COOK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | McCook | 0 | 1 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Variety of damage to a property due to damaging winds ranging from 78 to 118 mph. Five sets of double poles snapped near the ground for a half mile going north from this location in addition to some power lines down facing the east. Parts of boards from an outbuilding were impaled into a metal shed. A yard shed was also overturned.
This tornado moved into Red Willow county from Decatur county, Kansas. A garage lost a roof and 2 walls approximately 3.5 miles north of Lebanon. A stock trailer was pushed 6 feet and 4 oil tanks were blown over, one being tossed 1/4 mile. About 25 utility poles were either broken or damaged in this area.
In Marion, a grain bin was blown over in the SW corner of town, a garage was damaged and several power poles were down. In Danbury, a tree was blown onto a porch, a pivot irrigation system was toppled and tree and mobile home damage was reported west of town.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,557
Population (ACS)
$160K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 23, 2022 | Fire | ROAD 702 FIRE | FM |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 26, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Aug 12, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mc Cook 244
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Red Willow County, Nebraska?
596 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Red Willow County?
Hail, with 294 recorded events — 49.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Red Willow County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Red Willow County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Red Willow County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Red Willow County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Red Willow County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Red Willow 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
- Polk County 325
- Richardson County 348
- Platte County 523
- Rock County 361
- Pierce County 279
- Saline County 536
Cite this page
“Red Willow County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/red-willow-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.