Dundy County, Nebraska

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 31057 · population 1,654 · 920 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 774 records for Dundy County, Nebraska from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 493 days; the most frequent are hail reports (348 records). The deadliest single record is the January 13, 2024 cold/wind chill, filed for the forecast zone Dundy, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 12 declarations naming the county since 1993, 10 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on August 20, 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
774on 493 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
14 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$118Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
36strongest EF2
FEMA declarations
12latest 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 Dundy County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 348 since 1956. 53% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in May and June. 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.

Dundy County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Hail 348 198 1956-2026 0 2 $112M 41 of 93
Severe thunderstorm wind 153 111 1957-2026 0 0 $1.4M 58 of 93
Winter storms 69 69 1996-2025 0 0 $218K 71 of 93
High wind and dust storms 67 63 1996-2026 0 0 $28K 23 of 93
Drought 64 64 2000-2026 0 0 – 35 of 93
Tornadoes 36 28 1953-2025 0 2 $4.3M 65 of 93
Floods 18 14 1998-2024 0 0 $470K 63 of 93
Extreme cold 13 12 1997-2024 1 0 – 78 of 93
Wildfires 3 3 2021-2022 0 0 $2K 11 of 93
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 2 2 1996-2019 0 0 – 68 of 93
Heavy rain 1 1 2006-2006 0 0 – 70 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 Dundy County had?

NOAA records 36 tornadoes in Dundy County from 1953 to 2025, the strongest rated EF2, with 0 deaths and 2 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 36 tornadoes whose track touched Dundy County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 36, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Dundy County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1967-06-06 19:00, as SPC files itHamletF340.1 mi0
1953-06-05 19:15, as SPC files itUnnamedF39.8 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Nebraska.

Every tornado record filed for Dundy County (36)
Every tornado recorded in Dundy County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-05-18 Max, Dundy County EFU 0.13 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2023-05-11 Max, Dundy County EFU 3.02 mi x 75 yd 0 0 –
2022-06-24 Benkelman Jones Airport, Dundy County EFU 2.07 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2021-05-26 Max, Dundy County EFU 4.37 mi x 300 yd 0 0 –
2021-05-26 Benkelman, Dundy County EFU 1.55 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2021-05-26 Max, Dundy County EFU 0.15 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2021-05-26 Max, Dundy County EF2 8.29 mi x 575 yd 0 0 –
2021-05-26 Benkelman, Dundy County EF0 1.88 mi x 350 yd 0 0 –
2020-06-04 Colfer, Dundy County EFU 0.82 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2019-08-11 Parks, Dundy County EFU 0.01 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2013-04-08 Benkelman, Dundy County EF1 0.75 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $317K
2011-06-19 Max, Dundy County EF0 1.93 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2011-06-19 Max, Dundy County EF0 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $46K
2010-05-16 Parks, Dundy County EF0 0.25 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
2007-03-28 Benkelman, Dundy County EF1 12 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $655K
2005-05-11 Benkelman, Dundy County F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2005-05-11 Parks, Dundy County F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2002-08-26 Benkelman, Dundy County F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
1997-08-21 Benkelman, Dundy County F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $4K
1996-08-04 Parks, Dundy County F1 0.5 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
1996-05-22 Benkelman, Dundy County F0 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1992-03-08 Dundy County F0 0.5 mi x 23 yd 0 0 $250 step
1991-06-03 Dundy County F0 0.1 mi x 23 yd 0 0 –
1985-09-02 Dundy County F1 0.2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $25K step
1984-06-11 Dundy County F2 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $250K step
1983-06-12 Dundy County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $30 step
1982-07-09 Dundy County F1 0.8 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $250K step
1982-05-04 Dundy County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $250K step
1978-05-26 Dundy County 0 0 $25K step
1971-05-30 Dundy County F0 0 0 –
1971-05-30 Dundy County F0 22.3 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1971-05-30 Dundy County F0 0 0 $25K step
1967-06-06 Dundy County 0 1 $25K step
1962-05-14 Dundy County F1 0 0 –
1957-07-07 Dundy County F2 34.2 mi x 33 yd 0 1 $30 step
1953-06-05 Dundy County 0 0 $25K 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 Dundy County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 17, 2025 high wind ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Dundy County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-21 HailMax, Dundy County 3.20 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-21 HailMax, Dundy County 3.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-21 HailMax, Dundy County 2.25 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-21 HailMax, Dundy County 2.50 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-20 HailColfer, Dundy County 0.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-20 Thunderstorm WindParks, Dundy County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-20 HailSanborn, Dundy County 1.61 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-08 HailColfer, Dundy County 1.25 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-01 DroughtDundy County · forecast zone Dundy 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtDundy County · forecast zone Dundy 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtDundy County · forecast zone Dundy 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindDundy County · forecast zone Dundy 56 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

Records with deaths or injuries in Dundy County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-01-13 Cold/Wind ChillDundy County · forecast zone Dundy This event was based on nearby observations in Yuma, CO, Imperial, NE, and McCook, NE. The AWOS at the airport in Yuma, CO report reported -25F wind chills starting at 1215 AM with Imperial starting at 1245 AM on the 13th. There were brief times during the day time hours that wind chills warmed above -25F, generally ... 1 0 –
1994-07-24 HailBenkleman, Dundy County Wind driven hail up to baseball-size heavily damaged property and crops in a six mile wide swath from 19 miles north of Benkleman, south to the Kansas/Nebraska state line. Homes, autos, farm equipment and corn were damaged. After breaking windshields, the hail injured at least two motorists. Property damage was ... 2.75 in hail 0 2 $110M
1967-06-06 TornadoDundy County 0 1 $25K step
1957-07-07 TornadoDundy County F2 34.2 mi x 33 yd 0 1 $30 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.

The costliest records in Dundy County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1994-07-24 HailBenkleman, Dundy County 2.75 in hail 0 2 $110M
1993-08-06 HailHaigler, Dundy County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $1.0M
1994-06-08 HailHaigler, Dundy County 0.88 in hail 0 0 $995K
1994-06-08 Thunderstorm WindHaigler, Dundy County 0 0 $995K
2007-03-28 TornadoBenkelman, Dundy County EF1 12 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $655K
2013-04-08 TornadoBenkelman, Dundy County EF1 0.75 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $317K
2008-04-24 Thunderstorm WindBenkelman, Dundy County 65 kt wind 0 0 $104K
1998-06-07 Thunderstorm WindBenkelman, Dundy County 0 0 $91K

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 4, 1982 (tornado, Dundy County); July 9, 1982 (tornado, Dundy County); June 11, 1984 (tornado, Dundy 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 Dundy 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).

Dundy County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Hail5814511297971
Severe thunderstorm wind221415484338
Winter storms––––5292213
High wind and dust storms––––5182123
Drought––––0724 z33
Tornadoes22455459

Drought in the 2010s: 24 records against 7 in the decade before, 24 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 Dundy 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?

53% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 33 · Feb 23 · Mar 35 · Apr 60 · May 161 · Jun 159 · Jul 127 · Aug 88 · Sep 21 · Oct 22 · Nov 16 · Dec 29 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Dundy County

FEMA's register lists 12 declarations that include Dundy County: 10 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (8) and biological (2).

Declarations including Dundy County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-08-20DR-4808Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2020-04-04DR-4521BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3483BiologicalCovid-19
2015-06-25DR-4225Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-08-12DR-4014Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight Line Winds, and Flooding
2008-06-20DR-1770Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2007-08-29DR-1721Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2007-01-07DR-1674Severe StormSevere Winter Storms
2006-01-26DR-1627Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2005-09-13EM-3245HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuees
2001-05-16DR-1373Severe StormSevere Winter Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes
1993-07-19DR-998FloodSevere Storms and 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 Dundy County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 18 flood or flash flood records for Dundy County from 1998 to 2024, on 14 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Dundy County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $3,019 on 1 claim filed in Dundy County; the most in one year was 1 in 1984. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1984: 1; 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 Dundy County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dundy County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.8 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Dundy County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
DroughtRelatively Moderate$645K79 modeled event-days a year
HailRelatively Low$687K8.2 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Low$279K3.6 a year (modeled)
WildfireVery Low$17Konce in about 1,836 years (modeled)
Winter WeatherVery Low$30K13 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveVery Low$359K5.6 a year (modeled)
Ice StormVery Low$24Konce in about 8 years (modeled)
TornadoVery Low$243Kabout once a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Dundy County

  1. Yuma County, CO 1,840
  2. Cheyenne County, KS 1,142
  3. Rawlins County, KS 1,097
  4. Dundy County 774
  5. Hitchcock County 771
  6. Chase County 756
  7. Hayes County 515

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next