Thomas County, Nebraska

What hazards hit Thomas County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 184 since 1972. 51% of its hail reports since 1972 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 Thomas County had?

NOAA records 9 tornadoes in Thomas County from 1962 to 2020, the strongest rated F2, 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 12 tornadoes whose track touched Thomas County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 9: 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 Thomas County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the October 2, 2022 wildfire (1 death and $3.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars).

A fire initiated along a trail during the mid afternoon hours of October 2nd in north central portions of the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey. Aided by very strong southerly winds, the fire quickly spread to the north and north northwest consuming the Nebraska 4 H camp. At this camp, 18 buildings were destroyed including the main lodge. The fire then jumped the Middle Loup River and Nebraska highway 2 racing across several miles of open rangeland. One firefighter perished from a medical emergency while battling the fire. Approximately 200-250 different personnel battled this fire from the 2nd through the 11th. When the fire was fully extinguished, 19000 total acres had burned.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1060705)

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 Thomas 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?

51% of its hail reports since 1972 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 Thomas County

FEMA's register lists 10 declarations that include Thomas County: 7 major disasters, 2 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (6) 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.

FEMA's modeled risk for Thomas County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Thomas County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $708,000. 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 Thomas County

1. Cherry County 1,825
2. Hooker County 470
3. Blaine County 461
4. Logan County 457
5. Thomas County 429
6. McPherson County 427

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 Thomas CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Thomas County's FEMA declarations (CSV)10 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis