Keith County, Nebraska

What hazards hit Keith County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 455 since 1976. 61% of its hail reports since 1976 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.

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 Keith County had?

NOAA records 53 tornadoes in Keith County from 1957 to 2024, the strongest rated EF2, with 0 deaths and 1 injury 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 55 tornadoes whose track touched Keith County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 53: 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.

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 Keith County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 30, 2026 thunderstorm wind (8 injuries and $1.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars).

Thunderstorm wind gusts between 80 and 90 MPH occurred near Kingsley Dam. Several campers were overturned at Beach Area 5 Campground. Eight minor injuries were reported with none hospitalized. The strong winds led to severe beach erosion between Beach Area 5 and Beach Area 12 Campgrounds. Some campers parked on the shoreline were swallowed up by the lake due to the erosion. Damage reports are from Broadcast Media and Emergency Management.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1357057)

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

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 Keith 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

61% of its hail reports since 1976 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Keith County

FEMA's register lists 9 declarations that include Keith County: 6 major disasters, 2 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (4) and biological (2).

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 Keith County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 17 flood or flash flood records for Keith County from 1999 to 2025, on 14 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Keith County ranks 2477th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $39,000 on 7 claims filed in Keith County; the most in one year was 2 in 2002. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Keith County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Keith County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.4 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.

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

Counties that share a border with Keith County

1. Lincoln County 2,085
2. Keith County 968
3. Garden County 672
4. Perkins County 662
5. Deuel County 506
6. McPherson County 427
7. Arthur County 411

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 Keith CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Keith County's FEMA declarations (CSV)9 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis