Thurston County, Nebraska
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 31173 · population 6,766 · 394 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 433 records for Thurston County, Nebraska from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 331 days; the most frequent are hail reports (112 records). The deadliest single record is the June 17, 1954 tornado: 1 death. FEMA has issued 24 declarations naming the county since 1967, 22 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on August 3, 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
- 433on 331 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 12 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $21Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 17strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 24latest 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 Thurston County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 112 since 1956. 55% of its hail reports since 1956 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 | 112 | 80 | 1956-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 48 of 93 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 91 | 68 | 1967-2026 | 0 | 0 | $414K | 29 of 93 |
| Winter storms | 77 | 74 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 of 93 |
| Extreme cold | 58 | 56 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 93 |
| High wind and dust storms | 24 | 24 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2K | 30 of 93 |
| Floods | 23 | 21 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | $806K | 18 of 93 |
| Tornadoes | 17 | 16 | 1954-2026 | 1 | 2 | $20M | 40 of 93 |
| Drought | 15 | 15 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 54 of 93 |
| Heat | 14 | 14 | 1999-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 18 of 93 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2012-2019 | 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 Thurston County had?
NOAA records 17 tornadoes in Thurston County from 1954 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 1 death and 2 injuries recorded in the county. That is 40th of 93 Nebraska counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 16 tornadoes whose track touched Thurston County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 17: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-06-17 19:45, as SPC files it | Thurston | F3 | 23.6 mi | 1 |
| 1977-07-07 02:30, as SPC files it | Decatur | F4 | 22.6 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Nebraska.
Every tornado record filed for Thurston County (17)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-17 | Winnebago, Thurston County | EF1 1.87 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-12-15 | Rosalie, Thurston County | EF1 2.21 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-06-05 | Walthill, Thurston County | EF1 1.49 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2013-10-04 | Macy, Thurston County | EF2 7.29 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 2 | – |
| 2002-07-25 | Macy, Thurston County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-06-23 | Macy, Thurston County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1993-08-26 | Pender, Thurston County | F1 1.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 1990-03-13 | Thurston County | F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1978-05-28 | Thurston County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1977-07-30 | Thurston County | 0 | 0 | $250K step | |
| 1977-07-07 | Thurston County | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step | |
| 1975-05-25 | Thurston County | F0 0.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1975-05-25 | Thurston County | F0 0.2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1973-07-01 | Thurston County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-06-14 | Thurston County | F2 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1954-08-25 | Thurston County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1954-06-17 | Thurston County | F3 5.7 mi x 163 yd | 1 | 0 | $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.
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 Thurston County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the October 4, 2013 tornado (2 injuries).
Tornado damage started in Thurston County approximately 3 miles southwest of Macy in rural areas. The tornado then tracked northeast through Macy. The tornado weakened in intensity as it tracked northeast from the edge of Macy across highway 75 and moved toward the Missouri River. The damage in Macy varied in width from 100 to 250 yards wide. There were a total of 6 homes that were considered to have recieved heavy damage or destroyed and can not be occupied. There were a total of 12 homes and 1 business that received at least minor damage. Numerous vehicles were damaged and there were two minor injuries. Outside of Macy, the majority of the damage was to trees but some farmsteads received minor damage to buildings.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 472671)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtThurston County · forecast zone Thurston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | TornadoWinnebago, Thurston County | EF1 1.87 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindWalthill, Thurston County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindWalthill, Thurston County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindPender, Thurston County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | HailPender, Thurston County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtThurston County · forecast zone Thurston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardThurston County · forecast zone Thurston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindThurston County · forecast zone Thurston | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-03 | DroughtThurston County · forecast zone Thurston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillThurston County · forecast zone Thurston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-21 | High WindThurston County · forecast zone Thurston | 51 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-06-17 | TornadoThurston County | F3 5.7 mi x 163 yd | 1 | 0 | $250K step |
| 2013-10-04 | TornadoMacy, Thurston County Tornado damage started in Thurston County approximately 3 miles southwest of Macy in rural areas. The tornado then tracked northeast through Macy. The tornado weakened in intensity as it tracked northeast from the edge of Macy across highway 75 and moved toward the Missouri River. The damage in Macy varied in width ... | EF2 7.29 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 2 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-08-26 | TornadoPender, Thurston County | F1 1.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2000-06-25 | Flash FloodWalthill, Thurston County | 0 | 0 | $686K | |
| 1995-06-07 | Thunderstorm Wind1 S Pender, Thurston County | 0 | 0 | $194K |
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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 7, 1977 (tornado, Thurston 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 Thurston 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 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 58 | 30 | 5 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 23 | 12 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 10 | 27 | 26 | 14 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 8 | 20 | 23 | 7 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 9 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 8 | 12 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
55% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 54 · Feb 37 · Mar 27 · Apr 23 · May 41 · Jun 89 · Jul 70 · Aug 32 · Sep 8 · Oct 8 · Nov 8 · Dec 36 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Thurston County
FEMA's register lists 24 declarations that include Thurston County: 21 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (12) and flood (7).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | DR-4928 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4868 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2022-07-27 | DR-4662 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms 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 |
| 2018-08-27 | DR-4387 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2017-08-01 | DR-4325 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2014-07-28 | DR-4185 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2014-07-24 | DR-4183 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2013-11-26 | DR-4156 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Winter Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 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 |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3245 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuees |
| 2004-05-25 | DR-1517 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 1990-07-04 | DR-873 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1984-07-03 | DR-716 | Tornado | Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1971-07-07 | DR-308 | Flood | Floods |
| 1971-02-23 | DR-303 | Flood | Floods |
| 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 Thurston County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 23 flood or flash flood records for Thurston County from 1997 to 2024, on 21 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Thurston County ranks 2262nd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $552,000 on 13 claims filed in Thurston County; the most in one year was 8 in 1984. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1982: 2 · 1984: 8 · 1993: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2019: 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 Thurston County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Thurston County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.8 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $964K | 6.1 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $955K | 42 modeled event-days a year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $601K | once in about 195 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $7K | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $624K | 5.3 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.0M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $372K | 4 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $39K | about 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 Thurston 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 Thurston CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Thurston County's FEMA declarations (CSV)24 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis