Wheeler County, Nebraska severe weather history spans 212 recorded events between 1958 and 2023. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 69.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,373 nationally and #91 in Nebraska.
212
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$2.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Wheeler County, Nebraska severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wheeler County, Nebraska severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 93 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 189 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $1.1M 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 Wheeler County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 147 | 0 | $225K | 4.5 | 1958–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 42 | 0 | $482K | 70 | 1969–2023 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $472K | F2 | 1975–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2005–2010 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $325K | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Wheeler 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: 16 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-05-08 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 78.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 46.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-05-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 38.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 176.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-10-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 99.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wheeler County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2004 | Tornado | BARTLETT | 0 | 2 | $170K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Ericson Dam in Wheeler County, Nebraska failed Sunday evening, June 13th. Heavy rainfall contributed to water levels at the Ericson Dam that exceeded the maximum dam height, and water flowed into the emergency spillway. As debris gathered the spillway began to erode before 7 p.m. CST and the spillway breached, thereafter causing water to drain from the lake. Water levels behind the dam were estimated at 23 or 24 feet prior to dam failure. The floodwater flowed down Cedar River where the floodwater impacted approximately 15 homes and farmland in Wheeler County. At 845 p.m. CST, the floodwater reached the Wheeler and Greeley County line, with 6 inches of water was flowing over the Highway 281 bridge.
Extensive wind damage in and around Bartlett. A canopy was torn off a gas station, several trees branches and power lines were down, and several grain bins were damaged or destroyed. In addition, 20 R.E.A poles were snapped off and several center pivot irrigation systems were overturned south of Bartlett.
The tornado touched down in a cornfield and overturned a center pivot irrigation system as it moved west southwestwards. Nearby, large tree limbs were broken off and a roof was taken off an open detached garage at a farmstead. Then the tornado encountered a second farmstead where it lifted an unanchored manufactured home and smashed it on top of a camper trailer and a detached garage, destroying them. It also lifted a semi-trailer and dropped it onto a John Deere tractor and a pickup sitting next to it. Debris from the house and garage was carried into the cornfield to the west. The tornado continued moving west southwestwards breaking tree limbs before lifting. A husband, wife, and their daughter were inside the home when it was destroyed. The woman was hospitalized with a broken neck and the girl required numerous stitches from lacerations on her leg. The man only received minor cuts and bruises.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
847
Population (ACS)
$147K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Jul 15, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Bartlett 165
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wheeler County, Nebraska?
212 events are on record between 1958 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wheeler County?
Hail, with 147 recorded events — 69.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wheeler County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wheeler County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wheeler County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wheeler County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wheeler County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wheeler 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
- Webster County 354
- York County 521
- Wayne County 208
- Washington County 356
- Valley County 356
- Thurston County 239
Cite this page
“Wheeler County, Nebraska.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nebraska/wheeler-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.