Webster 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.
37
Tornado reports
175
Hail reports
13
Floods since 1996
569
All events
1
Deaths
$60.9M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Webster County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 37 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.
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 G…
Tornado touched down five miles south of Red Cloud and moved northwest. A home was damaged just south of Inavale.
High Wind High Wind
Sustained speeds near 40 MPH and wind gusts exceeding 50 MPH were common throughout the day. The peak measured wind gust was 61 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located six miles west of Cowles, which also measured a gust of 58 MPH. Gusts between 58 and 60 MPH were measured by …
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A wind gust of 69 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile southwest of Bladen. Wind gusts were estimated to be around 60 MPH across Bladen.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A grain bin was damaged on the north side of Blue Hill.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A wind gust of 64 MPH was measured by a Nebraska Mesonet station located three miles east-northeast of Guide Rock.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A wind gust of 62 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles west of Lawrence.
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Strong thunderstorms dropped as much as 4 to 6 inches of heavy rain across the area. Rural roads in the area were affected by running water, as were a portion of Highway 78/128 near the border of Webster County, NE and Jewell County, KS and a portion of Highway 281 in Smith Count…
High Wind High Wind
Wind gusts anywhere from 55 to near 70 MPH were common across the area. The peak measured wind gust for the county was 66 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located seven miles north of Inavale.
Blizzard Blizzard
Snowfall amounts ranged anywhere from 4 to 9 inches. The highest reported totals included 5.0 inches from Red Cloud and four miles south of Blue Hill. This snow, combined with the strong northerly winds, resulted in widespread white-out conditions.
High Wind High Wind
The peak measured wind gust was 66 MPH, recorded by a mesonet station located six miles west of Cowles.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Transient bands of at times heavier snow combined with strong north-northwest winds gusting over 50 MPH at times resulted in brief periods of near-blizzard conditions due to snow squalls. Overall snowfall amounts were less than one inch.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 5 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.2 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observer located four miles southwest of Blue Hill.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Some of the coldest wind chills of the event were recorded across the county, including -38 degrees by a Nebraska Mesonet station located three miles east of Guide Rock.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snowfall totals across the county generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snowfall totals across the county were generally in the 2 to 4 inch range, with the highest reported total of 4.0 inches from the NWS Cooperative Observers in Red Cloud.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Storm total snow amounts generally in the 3 to 6 inch range, combined with northerly winds gusting between 30 to 35 MPH, resulted in low visibility and hazardous conditions across the county.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Drought Drought
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Wind gusts estimated to be near 60 MPH knocked down some tree limbs of at least a few inches in diameter.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A wind gust of 59 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located five miles north-northeast of Inavale.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A wind gust of 64 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles east-southeast of Campbell.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in tree damage in Bladen, with damage also reported to a roof and flagpole. A wind gust of 67 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located one mile southwest of Bladen.
Hail Hail
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A wind gust of 67 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located seven miles north of Inavale.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A wind gust of 71 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located two miles southwest of Bladen.
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Wind gusts were estimated to be near 70 MPH, resulting in zero visibility due to blowing dust.
Hail Hail
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH.
Tornado EF0 Tornado
This tornado formed within a line of thunderstorms moving across Webster County. Damage along its seven mile path included minor tree damage at a few locations, an overturned camper, a broken window, and damage to older outbuildings. The tornado was likely embedded in heavy rain …
Tornado EF0 Tornado
This tornado danced its way along an approximately six mile path in rural eastern Webster County and ended in far western Nuckolls County. It started just west of Highway 78 between 5-6 miles north of Guide Rock. The worst damage along its path occurred at a nearby farmstead, whe…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in downed tree limbs across town, some falling onto power lines and causing power outages. A resident just southeast of town reported pivot and grain bin damage near their location in addition to tree damage.
Tornado EF0 Tornado
This brief, less than one mile long tornado traversed open country before crossing Highway 281 a couple of miles north of the Cowles/Highway 281 intersection. Corn stalks were strewn about and minor tree damage was noted. The path was based on a combination of damage indicators i…
High Wind High Wind
Frequent gusts of 50 to 60 MPH occurred based on surrounding area observations.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Measured and estimated snowfall totals ranged from 1 to 4 inches.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snowfall amounts ranged from a trace to 3 inches across the county.
Drought Drought
Drought Drought
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Any additional snowfall during this period was light. A reinforcing push of northerly winds gusting between 35 and 45 MPH resulted in blowing and drifting of the snowfall from the 11-12th, causing poor visibility and hazardous conditions through the daytime hours on the 13th.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
A Nebraska Mesonet site located three miles east of Guide Rock recorded wind chills of -36 at 10:00 AM on January 13th and -34 at 4:30 AM on January 14th.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snow amounts of 2 to 6 inches fell across the county, based on reports from nearby locations.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Snowfall amounts ranged from 4 to 8 inches across the county. Highest totals included 6.3 inches, reported by the NWS Cooperative Observer located four miles southwest of Blue Hill, and 5.0 inches, reported by a CoCoRaHS observer located four miles east of Red Cloud.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 15 | 0 |
| 2024 | 29 | 3 |
| 2023 | 25 | 0 |
| 2022 | 12 | 0 |
| 2021 | 20 | 2 |
| 2020 | 13 | 0 |
| 2019 | 32 | 0 |
| 2018 | 20 | 0 |
| 2017 | 28 | 0 |
| 2016 | 21 | 1 |
| 2015 | 13 | 0 |
| 2014 | 20 | 1 |
| 2013 | 14 | 0 |
| 2012 | 24 | 0 |
| 2011 | 27 | 0 |
| 2010 | 16 | 0 |
| 2009 | 7 | 0 |
| 2008 | 11 | 0 |
| 2007 | 14 | 0 |
| 2006 | 19 | 0 |
| 2005 | 12 | 0 |
| 2004 | 13 | 2 |
| 2003 | 8 | 0 |
| 2002 | 16 | 1 |
| 2001 | 12 | 1 |
| 2000 | 10 | 0 |
| 1999 | 15 | 0 |
| 1998 | 13 | 0 |
| 1997 | 14 | 0 |
| 1996 | 7 | 1 |
| 1995 | 2 | 0 |
| 1994 | 4 | 0 |
| 1993 | 1 | 1 |
| 1991 | 5 | 3 |
| 1990 | 4 | 3 |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | 3 | 2 |
| 1986 | 6 | 3 |
| 1985 | 2 | 2 |
| 1984 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | 2 | 0 |
| 1982 | 2 | 0 |
| 1980 | 3 | 0 |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 |
| 1978 | 6 | 3 |
| 1977 | 4 | 2 |
| 1976 | 1 | 0 |
| 1974 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973 | 4 | 0 |
| 1970 | 1 | 0 |
| 1967 | 2 | 2 |
| 1965 | 3 | 1 |
| 1964 | 1 | 0 |
| 1962 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957 | 1 | 1 |
| 1953 | 1 | 1 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Webster County, measured to its path.
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