Webster County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 354 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,463 nationally and #59 in Nebraska.
354
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$58.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Webster County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Webster County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 4.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 143 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 52 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 Webster County, Nebraska record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $34.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Webster County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 175 | 0 | $18.3M | 4.5 | 1959–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 102 | 0 | $4.9M | 70 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 37 | 0 | $34.6M | F4 | 1953–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 24 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $275K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $165K | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $80K | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2004 |
Decade by decade
Webster 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: 38 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF4 | 0 | 8 | 131.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-10 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 56.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 75.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 39.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-11-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Webster County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 1998 | Lightning | BLUE HILL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hail up to the size of baseballs fell across Red Cloud for approximately 25 minutes. There were numerous reports of car damage, and there was likely roof and siding damage as well. Trees in the area also suffered damage from the hail.
A line of thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts up to 80 MPH moved across the county. Numerous power poles were downed in the Inavale, Red Cloud and Guide Rock areas. Power outages were also reported. Several trees, including ones large in diameter, were damage or uprooted. In Guide Rock, a garage was blown off its foundation partially onto a roadway.
This tornado touched down just inside Franklin County south of Campbell, moved through northwestern Webster County and into southern Adams County. As this tornado tracked northeast, some power poles, and irrigation pivot, and an outbuilding were damaged east of Campbell. Once it crossed into Adams County, a few more pivots were tipped and a home sustained minor damage. The maximum wind gust was estimated to be 85 MPH.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,360
Population (ACS)
$118K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Feb 23, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Webster County, Nebraska?
354 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $58.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Webster County?
Hail, with 175 recorded events — 49.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Webster County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 38 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Webster County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Webster County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Webster County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Webster County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 55 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Webster 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
- Wayne County 208
- Wheeler County 212
- Washington County 356
- York County 521
- Valley County 356
- Thurston County 239
Cite this page
“Webster County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/webster-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.