Boyd County, Nebraska
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 31015 · population 1,810 · 539 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 418 records for Boyd County, Nebraska from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 307 days; the most frequent are hail reports (165 records). The deadliest single record is the March 14, 2019 flash flood: 1 death and $13.9 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 18 declarations naming the county since 1967, 16 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on September 24, 2024.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 418on 307 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 28 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $98Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 11strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 18latest 2024
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Boyd County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 165 since 1955. 59% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among Nebraska's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 165 | 92 | 1955-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | 69 of 93 |
| Winter storms | 67 | 67 | 1996-2023 | 1 | 0 | $504K | 45 of 93 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 63 | 49 | 1957-2026 | 0 | 0 | $737K | 70 of 93 |
| Drought | 55 | 55 | 2012-2026 | 0 | 0 | $64M | 7 of 93 |
| Extreme cold | 20 | 20 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 32 of 93 |
| High wind and dust storms | 19 | 19 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $37K | 73 of 93 |
| Floods | 16 | 12 | 1997-2023 | 1 | 0 | $25M | 51 of 93 |
| Tornadoes | 11 | 10 | 1960-2019 | 0 | 8 | $6.1M | 80 of 93 |
| Heat | 1 | 1 | 2011-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 59 of 93 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | – | 61 of 93 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Boyd County had?
NOAA records 11 tornadoes in Boyd County from 1960 to 2019, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 8 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 11 tornadoes whose track touched Boyd County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 11, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-05-21 19:45, as SPC files it | SpencerCrossed NE, SD | F3 | 11 mi | 0 |
| 1962-05-14 17:00, as SPC files it | BonesteelCrossed NE, SD | F3 | 53.8 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Nebraska.
Every tornado record filed for Boyd County (11)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-07-28 | Butte, Boyd County | EF0 0.04 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-06-16 | Boyd County | F1 10 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1992-06-16 | Boyd County | F1 1.5 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1977-05-21 | Boyd County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1975-06-20 | Boyd County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1974-06-21 | Boyd County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1967-06-06 | Boyd County | F0 24.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1965-05-08 | Boyd County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1962-05-21 | Boyd County | F3 11 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1962-05-14 | Boyd County | F3 45.3 mi x 1,760 yd | 0 | 8 | $250K step |
| 1960-05-24 | Boyd County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Boyd County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 17, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($30,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindNaper, Boyd County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindNaper, Boyd County | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindNaper, Boyd County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtBoyd County · forecast zone Boyd | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindSpencer, Boyd County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindSpencer, Boyd County | 67 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindSpencer, Boyd County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindNaper, Boyd County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtBoyd County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtBoyd County · forecast zone Boyd | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtBoyd County · forecast zone Boyd | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtBoyd County · forecast zone Boyd | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-14 | Flash FloodMonowi, Boyd County Heavy rain on top of frozen ground, rivers and streams led to historical runoff on the Niobrara River downstream of the Norden river crossing. At 6:46 AM CDT Holt County Dispatch reported the failure of Spencer Dam. A series of ice jams that developed upstream broke loose that led to a wall of water, large blocks of ... | 1 | 0 | $14M | |
| 1997-01-04 | BlizzardBoyd County · forecast zone Boyd 45-55 mph winds created blizzard conditions across northcentral Nebraska. Blowing and drifting snow caused icy roads and visibilities near zero. A storm-related fatality occurred when an 18 year-old male was struck and killed by a passing vehicle. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1962-05-14 | TornadoBoyd County | F3 45.3 mi x 1,760 yd | 0 | 8 | $250K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-07-01 | DroughtBoyd County · forecast zone Boyd | 0 | 0 | $64M | |
| 2019-03-14 | Flash FloodMonowi, Boyd County | 1 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2019-03-13 | FloodLynch, Boyd County | 0 | 0 | $5.8M | |
| 2019-03-13 | FloodButte, Boyd County | 0 | 0 | $3.5M | |
| 2019-03-13 | FloodNaper, Boyd County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 1997-08-14 | HailSpencer, Boyd County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $460K |
| 2005-11-28 | BlizzardBoyd County · forecast zone Boyd | 0 | 0 | $378K | |
| 1999-07-02 | HailSpencer, Boyd County | 4.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $159K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 14, 1962 (tornado, Boyd County); May 21, 1962 (tornado, Boyd County); June 16, 1992 (tornado, Boyd County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Boyd County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 8 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 66 | 40 | 13 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 15 | 25 | 19 | 8 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 12 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 13 | 42 z |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
Drought in the 2020-26: 42 records against 13 in the decade before, 41 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Boyd County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
59% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 28 · Feb 27 · Mar 24 · Apr 23 · May 43 · Jun 81 · Jul 75 · Aug 47 · Sep 16 · Oct 12 · Nov 14 · Dec 28 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Boyd County
FEMA's register lists 18 declarations that include Boyd County: 14 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (7) and severe storm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-24 | DR-4822 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4521 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3483 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-03-21 | DR-4420 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2018-08-27 | DR-4387 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2018-06-29 | DR-4375 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2011-08-12 | DR-4013 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2011-06-18 | EM-3323 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2010-07-15 | DR-1924 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2010-04-21 | DR-1902 | Flood | Severe Storms, Ice Jams, and Flooding |
| 2010-02-25 | DR-1878 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm |
| 2008-06-20 | DR-1770 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2006-01-26 | DR-1627 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3245 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuees |
| 1993-07-19 | DR-998 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1993-04-02 | DR-983 | Flood | Ice Jams & Flooding |
| 1977-01-18 | EM-3022 | Drought | Drought |
| 1967-07-18 | DR-228 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Boyd County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 16 flood or flash flood records for Boyd County from 1997 to 2023, on 12 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Boyd County ranks 2128th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $313,000 on 18 claims filed in Boyd County; the most in one year was 7 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1995: 2 · 1997: 3 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2023: 2; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Boyd County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Boyd County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $3.5 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $883K | 37 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $777K | 6.6 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $211K | 5 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $42K | 15 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $42K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $73K | once in about 1,306 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Very Low | $179K | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $64 | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Boyd County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in NebraskaEvery Nebraska tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Hail in NebraskaThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
- The Nebraska recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Boyd CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Boyd County's FEMA declarations (CSV)18 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis