Colfax County, Nebraska
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1952 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
33
Tornado reports
129
Hail reports
27
Floods since 1996
445
All events
0
Deaths
$32.3M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Colfax County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 33 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated
Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
Tornado F3 Tornado
Tornado F3 Tornado
Heavy rain from roughly June 7th into the 14th produced prolonged flooding along Shell Creek and its tributaries from near Lindsay in Platte county downstream to around Schuyler in Colfax county. The high water flooded many county roads and forced the closure of Highway 15 north …
Hail up to golfball-size fell in the Schuyler area for around 20 minutes. The hail caused considerable damage to houses, vehicles and trees in town. The ground was almost completely covered white with hail and hail fragments. An insurance agent stated the damage was in the millio…
Hail Hail
Emergency management report of hail measured up to 1.00 inch in diameter.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) drought conditions were present across portions of Colfax County at the beginning of the month, but conditions improved steadily throughout May. Severe drought coverage was reduced to zero by the end of the month, while moderate (D1) drought expanded to cover 100 perc…
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail estimated at 1.00 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated at 1.00 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail estimated at 1.00 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail estimated at 1.00 inch in diameter.
Drought Drought
Extreme (D3) drought conditions were initially present across a trace of Colfax County at the beginning of April. Conditions improved steadily throughout the month, eliminating the extreme drought and shrinking the coverage of severe (D2) drought from nearly 48 percent down to ju…
Drought Drought
A D2 (Severe) drought was introduced across the southwestern portion of the county on March 24, persisting through the remainder of the month. The cooperative observer near Clarkson, Nebraska recorded 0.79 inches of precipitation for the month, which was 0.72 inches below average…
Hail Hail
Public mPING report of hail estimated at 1.00 inch in diameter.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
No observations within the county. Estimated minimum wind chill temperatures of 30 to 33 degrees below zero based on surrounding observations.
High Wind High Wind
No observations within the county. Estimated maximum wind gusts of 58-62 mph based on surrounding observations.
High Wind High Wind
No observations within the county. Estimated maximum wind gusts of 58-60 mph based on surrounding observations.
High Wind High Wind
No observations within the county. Estimated maximum wind gusts of 58-60 mph based on surrounding observations.
High Wind High Wind
No observations within the county. Estimated maximum wind gusts of 55-60 mph based on surrounding observations.
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
Personal weather station measured heat index of 110 and 116 degrees.
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
Personal weather station measured heat index of 109 and 111 degrees.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Delayed public report of porch and roof damage. Time estimated based on radar.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail measured up to 1.75 in diameter.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated up to 1 in diameter.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated up to 1.25 in diameter. Report received via mPING.
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail estimated up to 1.5 in diameter.
Hail Hail
Delayed report of hail estimated at baseball-sized hail via a picture relayed by emergency management. Time estimated based on radar.
Blizzard Blizzard
US Highway 30 across Colfax County closed due to blizzard conditions. Snowfall amounts generally in the 7 to 12 range with wind gusts estimated in the 50 to 70 mph range.
High Wind High Wind
No observations within the county, however Mesonet station UR363 measured gust of 58 mph just east of the Colfax/Dodge county line.
High Wind High Wind
No observations in the county, though surrounding conditions support High Wind Warning, with a 58 mph gust just outside the western edge of the county.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chill got as low as -39 in the county.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chill got as low as -35 in the county.
High Wind High Wind
Though no direct measurements were made in the county of severe level wind gusts, observations from surrounding counties support the high likelihood of wind gusts up to 60 mph occurring the afternoon of the 19th.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Law enforcement reported a tree down on Highway 15 just north of the Platte River bridge.
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
Max heat indices ranging from 111 to 124 degrees were observed by mesonet stations in Rogers and Schuyler.
Hail Hail
The office received a public report of quarter sized hail.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A 58 miles per hour wind gust was measured by a personal weather station.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
This is a continuation of the flash flood that occurred in Platte County. The office received a report from the public that county roads in far northwest Colfax County were impassable due to water. 6 inches of rain had already fallen with rain continuing at the time of the report…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A 60 miles per hour wind gust was recorded on a personal weather station.
Tornado EF1 Tornado
This is a continuation of the EF-1 tornado from Platte County. After moving into Colfax County, the roof of a large livestock barn was damaged, producing EF-1 damage. The tornado dissipated in an agricultural field about 5.5 miles southeast of Leigh. The peak winds and width of t…
Tornado EF1 Tornado
This tornado developed 3 miles southwest of Howells, where it damaged a grain bin and flipped a center pivot. It moved northeast across agricultural fields between County Road T and County Road U. As it crossed County Road 14 it snapped several wood power poles. The tornado conti…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
This is a continuation of the swath of straight-line damaging winds from southern Platte County. Across much of Colfax County, widespread tree damage and overturned center pivots were observed. The most intense damage was focused along a corridor along and just north of US Highwa…
Tornado EF0 Tornado
This tornado touched down on a farmstead 200 yards west of Road 6 about a quarter-mile south of Road H. Here, the roof was blown off of a farm outbuilding. As it moved northeast and crossed Road 6, the wind caused a wooden power pole to lean about 45 degrees from the ground. The …
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe wind gust was measured on a personal weather station sometime between 545 and 600 am in the morning. The time was estimated based on radar.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A severe wind gust was measured on a personal weather station sometime between 555 and 600 am in the morning. The time was estimated based on radar.
Funnel Cloud Funnel Cloud
The Colfax County EM reported multiple funnel clouds in the Leigh area.
Tornado EF0 Tornado
Eyewitness reports and photo and video evidence show that the long-lived funnel cloud formed a ground circulation that began at approximately 118 local time and lasted for approximately 5 minutes. It slowly traveled northeast during this time, with the only damage being some mino…
Tornado EF0 Tornado
Detailed reports from a combination of emergency management, eyewitnesses, and video evidence from storm spotters indicate this as the path of the tornado. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the final 1.5 miles of the track were intermittent, with occasional debris and dust at the…
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Snow was reported to start falling across the county around 11 am the morning of the 18th. As the day progressed, periods of moderate snow and gusty winds brought low visibilities down to a mile. Just before 4 pm that afternoon, a snow squall moved into the county from the west. …
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chills across the county dropped under 35 degrees below zero every night during the duration of this event. The coldest wind chills were felt on January 13th and 14th. The coldest recorded wind chill in the county was minus 45 degrees, measured in Schuyler on the morning of …
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11 | 0 |
| 2025 | 16 | 0 |
| 2024 | 20 | 5 |
| 2023 | 10 | 1 |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 |
| 2021 | 11 | 1 |
| 2020 | 12 | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 | 0 |
| 2018 | 12 | 0 |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 |
| 2014 | 12 | 0 |
| 2013 | 12 | 0 |
| 2012 | 16 | 0 |
| 2011 | 16 | 0 |
| 2010 | 13 | 0 |
| 2009 | 15 | 0 |
| 2008 | 11 | 0 |
| 2007 | 14 | 1 |
| 2006 | 10 | 1 |
| 2005 | 13 | 0 |
| 2004 | 17 | 3 |
| 2003 | 18 | 0 |
| 2002 | 10 | 0 |
| 2001 | 13 | 0 |
| 2000 | 6 | 0 |
| 1999 | 13 | 1 |
| 1998 | 13 | 4 |
| 1997 | 21 | 0 |
| 1996 | 22 | 2 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 |
| 1992 | 3 | 2 |
| 1991 | 1 | 1 |
| 1990 | 4 | 2 |
| 1989 | 2 | 0 |
| 1988 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | 1 | 1 |
| 1982 | 2 | 1 |
| 1981 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980 | 4 | 0 |
| 1979 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977 | 3 | 1 |
| 1976 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973 | 2 | 1 |
| 1972 | 1 | 1 |
| 1969 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963 | 1 | 1 |
| 1960 | 1 | 1 |
| 1958 | 4 | 0 |
| 1952 | 1 | 1 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Colfax County, measured to its path.
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