Wayne 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.
20
Tornado reports
99
Hail reports
15
Floods since 1996
416
All events
2
Deaths
$11.4M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Wayne County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 20 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.
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 na…
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 an…
This violent tornado started 8 miles southwest of Wayne, Nebraska and flattened corn crops and tore off large limbs of some trees. Gaining strength as it headed northeast, the tornado struct a farmstead about 4.5 miles southwest of Wayne. Here barns and sheds were severely damage…
From July 19th through the 30th high temperatures over eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa reached 90 degrees or better all but a day or two, and even then highs were well into the 80s. In addition, overnight lows stayed mostly above 70 degrees. The high temperatures were accompa…
The Wayne County EM reported street flooding in Winside.
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.
Hail Hail
Delayed public report of several hailstones up to ping pong ball sized. Time estimated with radar.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated up to 2.00 inches in diameter in rural Hoskins. Time and location estimated by radar.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail measured up to 1.00 inch in diameter.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Personal weather station measured wind gust of 63 mph.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) drought conditions covered around 42 percent of Wayne County at the beginning of June before temporarily easing early in the month. Severe drought conditions redeveloped by mid-month, covering around 32 percent of the county by the end of June. The CoCoRaHS observer a…
Hail Hail
Public report of hail measured up to 1 inch in diameter.
Hail Hail
Public report of hail estimated up to 1 inch in diameter. Report received via mPING.
Drought Drought
Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted across Wayne County throughout the month of May. The CoCoRaHS observer at Carroll 6.35 WSW recorded 3.64 inches of precipitation.
Drought Drought
Extreme (D3) drought conditions were present across less than one percent of Wayne County at the beginning of the month and conditions improved steadily throughout April. Extreme drought coverage was removed completely early in the month, while the coverage of severe (D2) drought…
High Wind High Wind
No observations within the county. Estimated maximum wind gusts of 58-60 mph based on surrounding observations.
Blizzard Blizzard
KLCG AWOS in Wayne, Nebraska measured several hours with visibility at 0.25 mile or less with snow and wind gusts in the 40-50 mph range. No snowfall reports were available within the county, though a Cocorahs station just east of the county line measured 3 inches of snow.
Drought Drought
A D2 (Severe) drought was introduced across the majority of the county on March 3, with a small sliver of D3 (extreme) drought being introduced across the northwestern portion of the county of March 31. No rainfall reports were available within the county.
Drought Drought
A D2 (Severe) drought was introduced across the northwestern portion of the county on February 17. Through the remainder of the month, drought conditions expanded to encompass a larger portion of the northwestern corner of the county. While no rainfall observations are available …
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
KLCG AWOS measured wind chill temperature as low as 33 degrees below zero.
High Wind High Wind
KLCG AWOS measured wind gust of 61 mph near Wayne, NE. Department of Highways report of an overturned semi trailer closing a portion of Highway 16 near Wayne, NE.
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
Personal weather station measured wind gust of 60 mph near Thurston, NE.
High Wind High Wind
Personal weather station measured gust of 63 mph near Hoskins, NE.
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
KLCG AWOS measured heat index up to 112 degrees with a minimum heat index of 68 degrees through the period. Personal weather station measured heat index of 119 degrees.
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
KLCG AWOS measured heat index up to 105 degrees with a minimum heat index of 79 degrees through the period. Personal weather station measured heat index of 112 degrees.
High Wind High Wind
Personal weather station measured gust of 58 mph in Hoskins.
Blizzard Blizzard
General snowfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches throughout the county. Nebraska State Patrol reported whiteout conditions (0SM visibility) on Highway 35 between Norfolk and Wayne, NE at 21:40 CST. Surrounding conditions supporting blizzard criteria. Wind gusts up to 53 mph.
High Wind High Wind
Personal weather station measured 53 mph wind gust. Surrounding conditions support High Wind Warning.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chill got as low as -30 in the county.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chill got as low as -32 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 65 mph occurring the afternoon of the 19th.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Emergency management reported several large trees damage with one uprooted. Corn in the surrounding area was also flattened.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Emergency management reported several large tree limbs blown down on a farmstead. One limb fell onto a vehicle.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Emergency management reported a powerline down in the town of Carroll.
Hail Hail
The office received a couple reports of quarter sized hail in the town of Wayne from both public sources and emergency management.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Water was reported as partially covering county roads near Hoskins to the northeast by emergency management.
Funnel Cloud Funnel Cloud
The office received a report of a funnel cloud from the Cedar County 911 Call Center.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The emergency manager relayed reports of numerous outbuildings that were damaged. Trees were uprooted and powerlines were blown down in the area as well.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A 58 mph wind gust was recorded on a personal weather station.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
The Wayne County EM reported one primary highway many secondary roads were under water in eastern Wayne County.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Wayne County EM reported part of a small garage roof was removed. There was additional damage to a power pole nearby. Surrounding trees were reported to have remained standing. The time was estimated based on radar.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Freezing drizzle and strong winds brought galloping lines and power outages to Wayne and surrounding areas. North Central Public Power District posted a video on social media of crews sent to assist Northeast Public Power District with power restoration efforts. Winds were estima…
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Periods of snow began impacting the county shortly after 10:30 am on the 18th based off observations from the Wayne Municipal Airport. Gusty winds up to 30 miles per hour and visibilities down to a mile during this system lasted through 3:30 that afternoon. At this time, a cold f…
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 48 degrees, observed in Carroll on the morning of t…
Winter Storm Winter Storm
An estimated 5 to 7 inches of snow fell across the county from this winter storm. Snowfall estimates were interpolated between public reports from adjacent counties. Peak wind gusts across the county were estimated to have ranged between 35 and 45 miles per hour. This included a …
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Public snowfall reports of 7 to 11 inches were received the days following this event. The highest snowfall report came out of Wayne where 11 inches of snow was measured. Wind gusts across the county were also estimated to range from 30 to 40 mph, using peak wind gusts from the W…
Blizzard Blizzard
Social media reports of 5-7 inches of snow in the western half of the county, and 3-5 inches of snow in the eastern half of the county. Conditions in the western half of the county likely reached blizzard criteria due to proximity to KOFK.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The office received photos from the public showing large tree branches down at a farm 6 miles south of Wakefield, Nebraska. The time of the event was estimated by radar.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Report of a large tree branch down on a road.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 |
| 2024 | 17 | 0 |
| 2023 | 13 | 2 |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 |
| 2019 | 8 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 0 |
| 2017 | 12 | 1 |
| 2016 | 10 | 0 |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 |
| 2014 | 18 | 3 |
| 2013 | 17 | 1 |
| 2012 | 16 | 0 |
| 2011 | 20 | 0 |
| 2010 | 16 | 1 |
| 2009 | 11 | 0 |
| 2008 | 12 | 0 |
| 2007 | 18 | 0 |
| 2006 | 6 | 0 |
| 2005 | 16 | 0 |
| 2004 | 16 | 1 |
| 2003 | 10 | 0 |
| 2002 | 7 | 0 |
| 2001 | 6 | 0 |
| 2000 | 9 | 0 |
| 1999 | 10 | 1 |
| 1998 | 9 | 0 |
| 1997 | 16 | 0 |
| 1996 | 13 | 0 |
| 1995 | 3 | 1 |
| 1994 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | 6 | 1 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 4 | 0 |
| 1984 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983 | 2 | 0 |
| 1982 | 6 | 0 |
| 1981 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980 | 2 | 0 |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977 | 1 | 0 |
| 1976 | 1 | 0 |
| 1974 | 2 | 0 |
| 1971 | 2 | 0 |
| 1969 | 1 | 0 |
| 1968 | 2 | 0 |
| 1967 | 1 | 0 |
| 1965 | 1 | 1 |
| 1964 | 3 | 1 |
| 1962 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961 | 2 | 1 |
| 1957 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956 | 2 | 1 |
| 1955 | 2 | 2 |
| 1953 | 2 | 2 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Wayne County, measured to its path.
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