Seward County, Nebraska
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1953 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
38
Tornado reports
218
Hail reports
30
Floods since 1996
611
All events
4
Deaths
$68.6M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Seward County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 38 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
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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.
A slow moving tornado tracked from south of Seward to just east of town with a total track length of 8 miles. The tornado was caught on film by several chasers. The tornado destroyed an entire farmstead and a propane and anhydrous ammonia tank farm and machine shed. Several vehic…
This tornado crossed into Seward county from York county and was the most intense tornado during this outbreak with a track of around 14 miles in Seward county. The tornado moved just north of the city of Cordova crossing State Highway 76A. Here the tornado impacted several rural…
Snowfall of 6 to 8 inches fell over much of Seward county, including a little over 8 inches in Utica. One person was killed on I80 during the evening of the 8th when their vehicle hit a patch of ice causing it to swerve into another vehicle and then slid off the road where it rol…
High gradient winds up to 50 mph whipped blinding dust across interstate 80 just east of the Beaver Crossing interchange west of Lincoln. Visibilities, which were suddenly reduced to zero in the blowing dust, caused a 10-vehicle pileup that killed 2 people and injured 8 others. T…
A damaging wind event tracked across Seward County, Nebraska, on the morning of August 9th, 2025, impacting areas from the southwest to the eastern portion of the county. The storm produced a number of strong, measured wind gusts, with the highest recorded being 82 miles per hour…
Hail Hail
Delayed report received via social media of hail measured up to half-dollar sized. Time estimated with radar.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail measured up to 1.00 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
NWS Employee report of hail measured up to 1.25 inches in diameter.
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Personal weather station measured rainfall since midnight.
Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Personal weather station measured rainfall since midnight.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) drought conditions covered nearly 99 percent of Seward County at the beginning of June, but conditions improved rapidly throughout the month. Severe drought coverage was reduced to zero early in the month, and moderate (D1) drought was completely eliminated by mid-mon…
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail measured at 1.00 inch in diameter and wind gusts estimated at 55 mph.
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail measured up to 1 inch in diameter. Report relayed via NWS Chat.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated up to 0.75 inches in diameter. Report received via mPING.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated up to 0.75 inches in diameter. Report received via mPING.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated up to 1.75 inches in diameter, received via mPING.
Hail Hail
Emergency management report of hail estimated up to 1 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated up to 1.25 inches in diameter.
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail measured at 1.00 inch in diameter.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted across Seward County through the month of May, with an expansion in areal coverage observed. The coverage of severe drought expanded from around 95 percent at the beginning of the month up to around 99 percent by the end of the month. The …
Hail Hail
Public report of hail measured up to 1 inch in diameter near Seward, NE.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail measured up to 1.75 inches in diameter near Pleasant Dale, NE.
Drought Drought
Extreme (D3) drought conditions were present across a trace of Seward County at the beginning of the month, but conditions improved slightly throughout April. Extreme drought coverage was reduced to zero by the end of the month, while the coverage of severe (D2) drought shrank fr…
Drought Drought
A D2 (Severe) drought was introduced across nearly the entire county on March 24, persisting and overspreading the remainder of the county through the remainder of the month. The mesonet station near Utica, Nebraska recorded 0.02 inches of precipitation for the month, which was 1…
Hail Hail
Public report of hail measured at 1.00 inch in diameter.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
The office received snowfall reports of 5.8 inches from CoCoRaHS observers, with the heaviest amounts of 6-7 inches estimated along the eastern edge of the county. Measured wind gusts of 20 to 23 mph, combined with the heavy snowfall, reduced visibility to around one-quarter mile…
High Wind High Wind
Personal weather station measured wind gust of 58 mph near Staplehurst, NE.
High Wind High Wind
Personal weather station measured wind gust of 59 mph near Staplehurst, NE. A public report was also received of non-thunderstorm wind damage near Seward, NE with decent sized tree limbs down due to strong winds.
High Wind High Wind
Personal weather station measured wind gust of 58 mph near Staplehurst, NE.
High Wind High Wind
Personal weather station measured wind gust of 58 mph near Staplehurst, NE.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Public report received via social media of power poles down near Tamora, NE.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Trained spotter report of an uprooted tree. Time estimated from radar.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated at 1 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
Delayed public report of hail measured at 1 inch in diameter. Time estimated via radar.
Flood Flood
On the morning of September 1, 2025, thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding concerns to portions of eastern Nebraska, including southern Seward County. Radar estimates for the event indicated total rainfall amounts ranging from 3 to 6 inches. These estimates…
Flood Flood
On the morning of September 1, 2025, intense thunderstorms generated heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding concerns across portions of eastern Nebraska, specifically Seward County. Radar estimated total rainfall for the event ranged from 3 to 6 inches. These assessments were str…
Hail Hail
Public report of hail measured at 1.25 inches in diameter.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated at 1 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail measured at 1 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
Trained spotter report of hail measured at 0.88 inches in diameter.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Personal weather station measured wind gust of 73 mph.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Public report relayed via social media images of large trees down, one impacting a roof. Time estimated from radar. Winds gusted to an estimated 70-80 mph.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Personal weather station measured wind gust of 76 mph.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 0 |
| 2025 | 30 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 | 1 |
| 2023 | 14 | 0 |
| 2022 | 22 | 1 |
| 2021 | 5 | 1 |
| 2020 | 16 | 0 |
| 2019 | 11 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 |
| 2017 | 11 | 0 |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 12 | 0 |
| 2014 | 27 | 5 |
| 2013 | 12 | 0 |
| 2012 | 25 | 1 |
| 2011 | 28 | 0 |
| 2010 | 17 | 0 |
| 2009 | 21 | 0 |
| 2008 | 29 | 2 |
| 2007 | 22 | 0 |
| 2006 | 15 | 0 |
| 2005 | 18 | 0 |
| 2004 | 10 | 0 |
| 2003 | 5 | 0 |
| 2002 | 12 | 1 |
| 2001 | 17 | 1 |
| 2000 | 18 | 1 |
| 1999 | 14 | 0 |
| 1998 | 18 | 1 |
| 1997 | 17 | 1 |
| 1996 | 22 | 1 |
| 1995 | 6 | 0 |
| 1994 | 6 | 0 |
| 1992 | 8 | 3 |
| 1991 | 5 | 1 |
| 1990 | 3 | 1 |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 5 | 1 |
| 1985 | 4 | 1 |
| 1984 | 5 | 0 |
| 1983 | 4 | 0 |
| 1982 | 2 | 0 |
| 1981 | 6 | 2 |
| 1980 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975 | 4 | 1 |
| 1974 | 5 | 0 |
| 1973 | 1 | 0 |
| 1968 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967 | 1 | 1 |
| 1966 | 1 | 0 |
| 1964 | 2 | 2 |
| 1963 | 2 | 1 |
| 1962 | 1 | 1 |
| 1961 | 3 | 0 |
| 1959 | 2 | 0 |
| 1958 | 5 | 2 |
| 1957 | 3 | 2 |
| 1956 | 1 | 0 |
| 1953 | 2 | 2 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Seward County, measured to its path.
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