Wayne County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Nebraska Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Wayne County is about the same as Nebraska average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Wayne County is lower than Nebraska average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #22
| Wayne County | 0.03 |
| Nebraska | 0.04 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Wayne County | 0.0000 |
| Nebraska | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #43
| Wayne County | 191.78 |
| Nebraska | 205.07 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 13,461 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Wayne County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 98 | Cold: | 115 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 20 |
| Dust Storm: | 2 | Flood: | 890 | Hail: | 6,782 | Heat: | 24 | Heavy Snow: | 85 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 29 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 177 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,564 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 252 | Winter Weather: | 102 |
| Other: | 317 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Wayne County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Wayne County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Wayne County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 73 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Wayne County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 5.6 | 1953-06-19 | 2 | 42°13'N / 97°01'W | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Wayne | |||
| 5.8 | 1964-04-20 | 2 | 42°14'N / 97°01'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Wayne | |||
| 8.3 | 1955-06-17 | 2 | 42°15'N / 97°06'W | 42°21'N / 96°56'W | 10.60 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Wayne |
| 9.7 | 1955-05-26 | 2 | 42°14'N / 97°00'W | 42°19'N / 96°55'W | 6.50 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Wayne |
| 9.9 | 1975-05-06 | 3 | 41°58'N / 97°12'W | 42°12'N / 97°14'W | 15.90 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Stanton |
| 11.1 | 1970-06-15 | 2 | 42°02'N / 97°25'W | 42°28'N / 96°25'W | 59.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Madison |
| 11.1 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 42°15'N / 97°25'W | 42°25'N / 97°07'W | 18.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Cedar |
| 13.0 | 1992-05-16 | 2 | 42°24'N / 97°02'W | 42°22'N / 97°01'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cedar |
| 14.2 | 1964-08-10 | 2 | 42°25'N / 97°07'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cedar | |||
| 14.5 | 1992-05-16 | 2 | 42°22'N / 97°01'W | 42°21'N / 96°50'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Dixon |
| 15.0 | 1954-06-17 | 3 | 42°05'N / 97°03'W | 42°07'N / 96°42'W | 17.90 Miles | 163 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stanton |
| 16.8 | 1954-05-30 | 4 | 41°59'N / 97°22'W | 42°03'N / 97°17'W | 5.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Stanton |
| 19.5 | 1963-06-09 | 2 | 42°23'N / 97°20'W | 42°35'N / 96°43'W | 34.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cedar |
| 19.6 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 42°08'N / 97°36'W | 42°15'N / 97°25'W | 12.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Pierce |
| 21.4 | 2003-06-23 | 4 | 42°30'N / 97°19'W | 42°32'N / 97°04'W | 13.00 Miles | 1200 Yards | 1 | 0 | 3.7M | 0 | Cedar |
| Brief Description: An eventual f4 tornado began its destructive path around 6 miles southwest of Coleridge. The tornado moved northeast and crossed the northern sections of the city uprooting trees, downing power lines and destroying a couple of grain bins. A construction business in a garage was also destroyed. The tornado then continued northeast of town hitting a large hog farm. At this farm a 70-year-old man was killed while in a storage shed when a tractor that was flipped by the winds crushed him. Many livestock were also killed by debris or flung through the air by the deadly winds. In one case cattle were carried over a mile then left dead in a pile. The tornado then widened to around 3/4 of a mile, reaching its maximum intensity. Numerous vehicles were tossed at this location and a complete farmstead was flattened. Trees were also stripped and debarked. The tornado remained around 3/4 of a mile wide for a few more miles before turning slightly to the southeast and diminishing, but not before hitting 2 more farmsteads and moving one house off of its foundation. In total, 11 homes received substantial damage and between 100 and 200 utility poles were downed. M70EQ | |||||||||||
| 21.7 | 1967-08-01 | 2 | 41°59'N / 96°50'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cuming | |
| 21.7 | 1975-05-06 | 4 | 42°12'N / 97°34'W | 42°16'N / 97°32'W | 4.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Pierce |
| 22.1 | 1954-06-17 | 3 | 42°07'N / 96°42'W | 42°12'N / 96°42'W | 5.70 Miles | 163 Yards | 1 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thurston |
| 23.5 | 1984-06-17 | 2 | 41°53'N / 97°15'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stanton | |
| 23.6 | 1998-05-28 | 2 | 42°33'N / 97°08'W | 42°33'N / 97°01'W | 8.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Cedar |
| Brief Description: Three farms damaged. Eight to ten power poles downed 8 -10 miles east southeast of Hartington. Injury occurred about 9 miles east of Hartington southeast of the Highway 84/57 interchange. | |||||||||||
| 25.4 | 1962-05-21 | 3 | 42°06'N / 97°47'W | 42°26'N / 97°27'W | 28.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Pierce |
| 26.1 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 41°57'N / 97°40'W | 42°10'N / 97°31'W | 16.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Madison |
| 26.6 | 1975-05-06 | 3 | 42°10'N / 97°28'W | 42°49'N / 97°30'W | 44.80 Miles | 90 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Pierce |
| 26.7 | 1973-06-18 | 2 | 42°21'N / 97°46'W | 42°12'N / 97°31'W | 16.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pierce |
| 27.9 | 1962-05-21 | 3 | 42°26'N / 97°27'W | 42°46'N / 97°06'W | 29.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Cedar |
| 29.1 | 1991-06-04 | 2 | 41°54'N / 97°33'W | 41°54'N / 97°28'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Madison |
| 30.0 | 1960-06-14 | 2 | 42°18'N / 97°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pierce | |
| 31.5 | 1986-07-28 | 4 | 42°41'N / 96°58'W | 42°32'N / 96°41'W | 20.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Dixon |
| 31.9 | 1954-05-30 | 4 | 41°45'N / 97°43'W | 41°59'N / 97°22'W | 24.00 Miles | 167 Yards | 6 | 23 | 2.5M | 0 | Madison |
| 32.7 | 2001-08-17 | 2 | 42°27'N / 96°34'W | 42°26'N / 96°34'W | 1.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 3 | 3.0M | 0 | Dakota |
| Brief Description: A tornado completely destroyed at least ten houses and heavily damaged several others. The tornado heavily damaged the town school, including taking most of the roof off the school. The only church in town and a telephone company building were also heavily damaged. Power lines, poles, and trees were blown down, and electricity and water service were knocked out. Three empty box cars on the southeast side of Jackson were toppled. Three injuries included a woman with a broken leg and cuts rescued from the rubble of a house, and two children with minor injuries. | |||||||||||
| 32.7 | 1980-05-29 | 2 | 42°39'N / 96°59'W | 42°41'N / 96°55'W | 3.30 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Dixon |
| 33.2 | 1967-06-14 | 2 | 42°09'N / 96°29'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Thurston | |
| 33.4 | 1967-06-13 | 2 | 41°45'N / 97°47'W | 41°59'N / 97°23'W | 26.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Madison |
| 34.6 | 1986-07-28 | 4 | 42°32'N / 96°41'W | 42°25'N / 96°25'W | 20.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25.0M | 0 | Dakota |
| 34.8 | 1960-06-15 | 2 | 42°17'N / 97°55'W | 42°17'N / 97°41'W | 11.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Antelope |
| 35.3 | 1965-05-08 | 4 | 41°55'N / 98°05'W | 42°30'N / 97°33'W | 48.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Antelope |
| 35.5 | 1969-06-25 | 2 | 41°45'N / 97°46'W | 41°56'N / 97°27'W | 20.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Madison |
| 36.2 | 1962-05-21 | 3 | 42°03'N / 97°50'W | 42°06'N / 97°47'W | 3.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Madison |
| 37.3 | 1972-07-20 | 2 | 41°51'N / 97°40'W | 0.30 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Madison | |
| 38.1 | 1977-05-04 | 3 | 41°36'N / 97°08'W | 41°43'N / 97°07'W | 7.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Colfax |
| 40.2 | 1984-06-11 | 2 | 42°47'N / 96°59'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clay | |||
| 40.7 | 1967-08-16 | 2 | 42°47'N / 96°56'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clay | |||
| 41.3 | 1962-05-21 | 3 | 41°54'N / 97°54'W | 42°03'N / 97°50'W | 10.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Antelope |
| 41.4 | 1981-09-26 | 2 | 42°47'N / 96°53'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clay | |||
| 41.9 | 1991-05-28 | 2 | 41°56'N / 96°24'W | 1.00 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Burt | |
| 42.1 | 1963-04-28 | 2 | 41°35'N / 97°01'W | 41°40'N / 96°47'W | 13.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Colfax |
| 42.5 | 1998-06-23 | 2 | 41°36'N / 97°04'W | 41°36'N / 96°59'W | 2.70 Miles | 1000 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Colfax |
| Brief Description: Debris on highway. | |||||||||||
| 42.6 | 1975-05-22 | 2 | 42°28'N / 96°22'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Woodbury | |||
| 42.7 | 1991-05-27 | 3 | 41°53'N / 96°28'W | 41°56'N / 96°20'W | 6.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Burt |
| 42.8 | 1982-05-20 | 2 | 41°37'N / 96°55'W | 41°37'N / 96°52'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Dodge |
| 42.8 | 1975-06-21 | 2 | 42°27'N / 97°54'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Knox | |
| 43.1 | 1994-07-05 | 3 | 42°20'N / 96°18'W | 1.80 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 5K | Woodbury | |
| 43.3 | 1982-05-20 | 2 | 41°34'N / 97°04'W | 41°37'N / 96°55'W | 5.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Colfax |
| 43.4 | 1959-05-30 | 2 | 42°49'N / 97°29'W | 42°50'N / 97°08'W | 17.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cedar |
| 43.6 | 1986-07-28 | 4 | 42°25'N / 96°23'W | 42°12'N / 96°11'W | 11.50 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250.0M | 0 | Woodbury |
| 43.7 | 1968-06-13 | 2 | 42°27'N / 96°20'W | 0.10 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Woodbury | |
| 44.0 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 41°52'N / 96°25'W | 41°55'N / 96°21'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Burt |
| 44.0 | 1959-05-30 | 2 | 42°43'N / 97°37'W | 42°49'N / 97°29'W | 9.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Knox |
| 44.1 | 1950-07-15 | 4 | 41°48'N / 96°36'W | 41°44'N / 96°25'W | 10.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 33 | 2.5M | 0 | Burt |
| 44.2 | 1964-05-05 | 3 | 42°31'N / 96°25'W | 42°34'N / 96°21'W | 4.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Woodbury |
| 44.3 | 1984-04-25 | 2 | 41°46'N / 97°45'W | 0.50 Mile | 3 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Madison | |
| 44.3 | 2007-05-05 | 2 | 42°45'N / 97°30'W | 42°48'N / 97°35'W | 6.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 3 | 1.0M | 0K | Knox |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A grain bin was damaged as this tornado initially touched down along with two or three large power line support structures northwest of Crofton. The tornado tracked toward Lewis and Clark Lake taking the roof off of a house and destroying a garage. The tornado also caused other roof damage as it continued tracking toward Lewis and Clark Lake. When it reached the lake it caused significant damage to a recreation area and marina. The tornado also caused 3 minor injuries when it apparently lifted a large SUV off the ground and carried it a hundred feet or so before setting it down with the windows blown in. Numerous campers and boats were flipped or missing at the recreation area, along with vehicle damage. About $1 million in damage was estimated to have occurred at the recreation area. Many trees were also toppled. This tornado and others in Knox county downed 30 to 40 power poles. A Storage building in the area was also severely damaged. This tornado started as one tornado to the southwest was lifting and a weaker one to the northeast was forming. There were several reports by the public of multiple tornadoes in the area, either from the three tornadoes mentioned here, or from multiple vortexes within this tornado. The tornado crossed Lewis and Clark Lake and did f1 damage in South Dakota. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A warm front that was along the Kansas and Nebraska border early Saturday morning May 5th, lifted north during the day bringing widespread heavy rain and severe weather, including tornadoes, to eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. The warm front was part of a large upper level system that brought several days of severe weather and flooding to the region. Heavy rain and flooding was reported with some of the activity Saturday morning, along with isolated severe thunderstorm reports. However, during the afternoon the severe weather became more widespread over northeast Nebraska where supercells spawned several tornadoes. At this time, thunderstorms, some severe with heavy rain, produced flash flooding over parts of southeast Nebraska. By evening the severe weather, including supercell producing tornadoes, shifted into southwest Iowa, although isolated severe thunderstorms persisted over parts of eastern Nebraska until after midnight cdt. | |||||||||||
| 44.4 | 1965-05-08 | 2 | 41°25'N / 97°21'W | 41°44'N / 97°09'W | 24.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Platte |
| 44.6 | 1954-05-30 | 4 | 41°44'N / 97°44'W | 41°45'N / 97°43'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Platte | ||
| 44.8 | 1998-06-23 | 2 | 42°12'N / 96°15'W | 42°12'N / 96°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Monona |
| Brief Description: House destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 45.5 | 1980-10-16 | 2 | 42°13'N / 98°01'W | 0.30 Mile | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Antelope | |
| 46.3 | 1963-06-09 | 2 | 42°46'N / 96°37'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Plymouth | |
| 46.7 | 1950-06-13 | 2 | 42°36'N / 97°53'W | 42°39'N / 97°49'W | 4.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 101 | 25K | 0 | Knox |
| 47.1 | 1959-05-30 | 3 | 42°53'N / 97°17'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Yankton | |||
| 47.7 | 1965-06-07 | 2 | 42°54'N / 97°03'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Clay | |||
| 48.0 | 1967-06-13 | 2 | 41°59'N / 97°23'W | 41°05'N / 97°17'W | 62.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stanton |
| 48.4 | 1998-06-23 | 2 | 41°29'N / 97°18'W | 41°33'N / 97°13'W | 6.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 17 | 4.0M | 500K | Platte |
| Brief Description: Two farm houses destroyed. Six farm houses severely damaged. One house blown off foundation. Bar destroyed. Center pivots overturned. Severe crop damage. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1965-05-24 | 2 | 42°54'N / 97°24'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Yankton | |||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.