Wayne County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 208 recorded events between 1953 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,395 nationally and #92 in Nebraska.
208
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$8.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 2.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 59 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 162 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $4.7M 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 94 | 0 | $0 | 3.5 | 1956–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 76 | 0 | $47K | 78 | 1961–2024 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $4.7M | F2 | 1953–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $3.4M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2024 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $14K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Nebraska severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-16 | EF4 | 1 | 20 | 23.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-16 | EF4 | 1 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-16 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 15.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-10-04 | EF4 | 0 | 15 | 18.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-17 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 23.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-05-06 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 15.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 59.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2013 | Tornado | ALTONA | 0 | 15 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado developed as the Pilger tornado was beginning to enter the rope stage. The Pilger tornado rotated around the south side of this developing tornado before completely dissipating. As this tornado moved north, along and to the east of State Highway 16 it grew in size and intensity. The tornado impacted numerous farmsteads along its path in eastern Wayne County producing varying degrees of damage, but the tornado was particularly violent in a two mile stretch between 853rd and 855th Roads where 4 houses were completely destroyed down to the foundation. The tornado also destroyed outbuildings, power poles, and debarked trees in these locations as well. The tornado became wrapped in rain as it moved to the east of Wakefield. The tornado entered Dixon County about 2.25 miles east of Wakefield.
This is a continuation of the Pilger tornado that went through Stanton and Cuming into Wayne County. Once entering the county the tornado produced violent damage at two farmsteads where the houses were completely destroyed down to the foundation. The tornado finally started to narrow and weaken as a new tornado developed to the northeast. As this occurred the tornado narrowed and accelerated to the east northeast to the south of the new tornado before finally dissipating.
Heavy rain and snow melt caused flooding at Wayne State University, mainly at their Willow Bowl outdoor amphitheater. Wayne Municipal Airport was under water and did sustain damage. Also the walking trail in Wayne was damaged by flood waters.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,844
Population (ACS)
$222K
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 |
| Aug 27, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 1, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Nebraska?
208 events are on record between 1953 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Hail, with 94 recorded events — 45.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as very low risk, placing it in the 14 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 356
- Webster County 354
- Valley County 356
- Wheeler County 212
- Thurston County 239
- York County 521
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.