Valley County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 356 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 56.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,451 nationally and #55 in Nebraska.
356
Recorded events
12
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$19.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Valley County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Valley County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 4.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 138 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 302 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Valley County, Nebraska record is tornado, responsible for 12 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $6.1M 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 Valley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 201 | 0 | $6.1M | 3 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 106 | 0 | $4.9M | 87 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 25 | 12 | $3.0M | F4 | 1953–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2002–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $3.2M | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 2007–2015 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 2007–2019 |
Decade by decade
Valley County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-06-07 | EF4 | 11 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-05-30 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 48.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-08-05 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-06-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-20 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 63.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-07-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 32.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-05-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 48.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-05-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 48.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-07-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 46.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Valley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1953 | Tornado | 11 | 0 | $250K | |
| Aug 5, 1960 | Tornado | 1 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 28, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Damage from wind gusts near and in excess of 80 MPH caused considerable damage to area grain bins and outbuildings, and also overturned pivots. At the Ord Airport, the roof was peeled off of one of the hangars, and one side of the building was ripped away.
A machine shed located 11 miles west and 1 mile north of Ord was destroyed. A number of power poles were knocked down from this area and extended to approximately 4 miles west of Ord. Irrigation pivots were overturned approximately 4 miles west of Ord. The start time was an estimate from radar data.
Wind gusts estimated to be near 80 MPH caused widespread damage in eastern Valley and western Greeley counties. Along with tree damage, a handful of power poles were snapped, and several irrigation pivots were flipped. A number of grain bins and outbuildings were damaged, and a home north of North Loup suffered siding damage and also had a couple of trailers shifted from their parked spots.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,066
Population (ACS)
$155K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | 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 29, 2018 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jun 26, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ord 116
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Valley County, Nebraska?
356 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 12 direct deaths and $19.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Valley County?
Hail, with 201 recorded events — 56.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Valley County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Valley County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Valley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Valley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Valley County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Valley 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
- Thurston County 239
- Washington County 356
- Thomas County 264
- Wayne County 208
- Thayer County 601
- Webster County 354
Cite this page
“Valley County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/valley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.