Dawes County, Nebraska
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 31045 · population 8,197 · 1,396 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 772 records for Dawes County, Nebraska from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 535 days; the most frequent are hail reports (302 records). The most damaging was the July 8, 2004 hail ($1.9 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 12 declarations naming the county since 1991, 10 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “South Fork Fire” on June 10, 2026.
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
- 772on 535 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 021 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $10Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 36strongest EF2
- FEMA declarations
- 12latest 2026
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 Dawes County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 302 since 1955. 62% 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 | 302 | 195 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | 86 of 93 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 200 | 170 | 1957-2026 | 0 | 1 | $580K | 55 of 93 |
| Winter storms | 116 | 98 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $48K | 77 of 93 |
| High wind and dust storms | 72 | 60 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $73K | 61 of 93 |
| Tornadoes | 36 | 29 | 1954-2020 | 0 | 0 | $6.0M | 77 of 93 |
| Extreme cold | 21 | 21 | 2008-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 73 of 93 |
| Floods | 8 | 8 | 1996-2021 | 0 | 0 | $1K | 81 of 93 |
| Heavy rain | 7 | 4 | 2010-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 49 of 93 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 5 | 5 | 1997-2017 | 0 | 0 | – | 48 of 93 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2022-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 65 of 93 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 1996-1996 | 0 | 0 | $847K | 57 of 93 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 1998-1998 | 0 | 0 | – | 41 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 Dawes County had?
NOAA records 36 tornadoes in Dawes County from 1954 to 2020, the strongest rated EF2, with 0 deaths and 0 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 39 tornadoes whose track touched Dawes County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 36: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Nebraska.
Every tornado record filed for Dawes County (36)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-02 | Marsland, Dawes County | EF2 3.4 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-07-02 | Marsland, Dawes County | EF2 3.4 mi x 275 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-06-12 | Wayside, Dawes County | EFU 1.09 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-06-11 | Box Butte Reservoir, Dawes County | EF0 0.76 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-06-11 | Box Butte Reservoir, Dawes County | EF1 0.99 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-05-17 | Crawford, Dawes County | EF0 2.67 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-08-29 | Chadron, Dawes County | EF0 0.28 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-07-08 | Crawford, Dawes County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-23 | Chadron, Dawes County | F0 0.4 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002-08-24 | Whitney, Dawes County | F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-06-12 | Chadron, Dawes County | F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-06-04 | Whitney, Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-07-08 | Chadron, Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1994-06-08 | Chadron, Dawes County | F0 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1993-05-05 | Chadron, Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-06-30 | Dawes County | F0 0.5 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-06-30 | Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1989-07-14 | Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1985-07-31 | Dawes County | F1 0.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1983-06-19 | Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1983-06-19 | Dawes County | F2 10 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1982-08-23 | Dawes County | F1 11 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1982-06-04 | Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1982-06-04 | Dawes County | F2 0.8 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1982-06-04 | Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1979-06-26 | Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1976-07-28 | Dawes County | F1 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1975-04-27 | Dawes County | F1 0.5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1965-05-24 | Dawes County | F1 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1963-05-15 | Dawes County | F1 0.2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1960-06-27 | Dawes County | F0 1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1960-06-27 | Dawes County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1960-06-20 | Dawes County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1958-07-01 | Dawes County | F0 0.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1958-05-30 | Dawes County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1954-05-22 | Dawes County | 0 | 0 | – |
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 Dawes County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 22, 2010 hail ($271,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Many business signs with holes in them. Windows shattered in the Walmart parking lot. Hail damage to many cars.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 237146)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-28 | HailBordeaux, Dawes County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-28 | HailChadron, Dawes County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-28 | HailChadron, Dawes County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindChadron Airport, Dawes County | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-30 | Heavy RainChadron, Dawes County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-30 | HailChadron, Dawes County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindChadron Airport, Dawes County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | Winter WeatherDawes County · forecast zone Dawes | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | High WindDawes County · forecast zone Dawes | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-17 | High WindDawes County · forecast zone Dawes | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-25 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillDawes County · forecast zone Dawes | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | High WindDawes County · forecast zone Dawes | 52 kt wind | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-06-30 | HailDawes County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 20 | – |
| 2001-07-04 | Thunderstorm WindCrawford, Dawes County Estimated 70 mph thunderstorm winds uprooted some trees and knockedout power in Crawford. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $167K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-07-08 | HailChadron, Dawes County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 1996-08-02 | LightningCrawford, Dawes County | 0 | 0 | $753K | |
| 2010-07-22 | Thunderstorm WindChadron, Dawes County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $406K |
| 2010-07-22 | HailChadron, Dawes County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $271K |
| 2001-07-04 | Thunderstorm WindCrawford, Dawes County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $167K |
| 1994-07-15 | HailChadron, Dawes County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $100K |
| 2009-07-10 | HailWhitney, Dawes County | 2.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | $69K |
| 2004-07-08 | HailChadron, Dawes County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $31K |
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: June 27, 1960 (tornado, Dawes County); June 27, 1960 (tornado, Dawes County); June 19, 1983 (tornado, Dawes 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 Dawes 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 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 26 | 37 | 72 | 96 | 48 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 20 | 43 | 32 | 8 | 12 | 55 | 29 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 10 | 16 | 65 z | 25 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 6 | 4 | 39 | 23 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
Winter storms in the 2010s: 65 records against 16 in the decade before, 65 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 Dawes 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?
62% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 27 · Feb 31 · Mar 41 · Apr 48 · May 92 · Jun 177 · Jul 168 · Aug 104 · Sep 18 · Oct 19 · Nov 17 · Dec 30 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Dawes County
FEMA's register lists 12 declarations that include Dawes County: 7 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 3 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (4) and fire (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-10 | FM-5637 | Fire | South Fork Fire |
| 2024-05-24 | DR-4786 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds |
| 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 |
| 2015-06-25 | DR-4225 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2013-11-26 | DR-4156 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Winter Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 2012-08-30 | FM-5009 | Fire | Region 23 Fire Complex |
| 2010-07-15 | DR-1924 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2006-07-28 | FM-2660 | Fire | Dawes County Fire Complex |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3245 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuees |
| 1991-05-28 | DR-908 | 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.
FEMA's modeled risk for Dawes County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dawes County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.3 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 | $559K | 74 modeled event-days a year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $138K | 17 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $617K | once in about 259 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $387K | 4.1 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $179K | 43 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $656K | 5.9 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $462 | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $59K | once in about 1,445 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Dawes 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 Dawes CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Dawes County's FEMA declarations (CSV)12 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis