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Nebraska high wind and dust storms

Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 93 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 3,739 high wind and dust records in Nebraska from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 116 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the May 22, 2002 dust storm in Seward County: 2 deaths and 8 injuries. Nebraska ranks 10th of 52 states and territories by count and 24th of 51 per square mile.

High wind and dust storms in Nebraska, 1996 to 2026

Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
3,7391996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
116average
Deaths
958 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$21Mas filed
Busiest year
2025328 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are high wind and dust records common in Nebraska?

Nebraska averages about 116 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 10th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (328). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Nebraska records 487 high wind and dust records since 1996, 24th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Rhode Island 7061
  2. 2. New Jersey 4882
  3. 3. Massachusetts 4776
  4. 4. Delaware 3705
  5. 5. Maryland 1330
  6. 6. Connecticut 1301
  7. 7. Vermont 1178
  8. 8. Hawaii 1067
  9. 9. New York 1028
  10. 10. Wyoming 900
  11. 24. Nebraska 487

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Nebraska have the most high wind and dust records?

Per square mile, Dakota County leads Nebraska: 37 days with a high wind record since 1996, 140.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Kimball County has the most wind records (104 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Dakota County 140.0 (37)
  2. Douglas County 125.6 (42)
  3. Red Willow County 125.5 (102)
  4. Scotts Bluff County 116.3 (101)
  5. Deuel County 113.7 (51)
  6. Sarpy County 113.4 (28)
  7. Hall County 109.8 (77)
  8. Banner County 97.9 (78)
  9. Adams County 95.9 (68)
  10. Valley County 95.1 (74)
  11. Kearney County 94.9 (55)
  12. Kimball County 91.4 (104)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the windy season in Nebraska?

Nebraska's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is April (738 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 463 · Feb 305 · Mar 688 · Apr 738 · May 151 · Jun 103 · Jul 21 · Aug 5 · Sep 8 · Oct 440 · Nov 375 · Dec 442 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Nebraska?

Nebraska: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2002-05-22 Dust StormSeward County · forecast zone Seward High gradient winds up to 50 mph whipped blinding dust across interstate 80 just east of the Beaver Crossing interchange west of Lincoln. Visibilities, which were suddenly reduced to zero in the blowing dust, caused a 10-vehicle pileup that killed 2 people and injured 8 others. The eastbound lanes of I-80 were closed ... 2 8 –
2018-04-29 Dust StormHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Sunday the 29th and Monday the 30th were two of the windiest consecutive days of spring 2018 within South Central Nebraska, especially in terms of SOUTH winds. On both days, primarily the afternoon featured several hours of sustained speeds commonly 25-35 MPH (isolated 40 MPH) and frequent gusts to around 50 MPH, ... 2 0 $705K
2018-10-03 High WindLancaster County · forecast zone Lancaster Estimated wind gusts to 59 mph as a cold front moved through. Two children were playing on a bounce toy at a pumpkin patch on the north side of Lincoln, NE when it was tossed by the wind. 1 child was injured with a broken arm. Another child received extensive injuries after being trapped in the bounce house. This ... 51 kt wind 1 1 –
2002-04-18 High WindOtoe County · forecast zone Otoe A strong low level jet was aided by weakening and dissipating showers and thunderstorms and produced a large area of strong and occasionally damaging gradient winds. The strong winds first made it into southeast Nebraska at 148 am cdt when the Falls City Asos measured wind speeds of 72 mph. These strong winds blew a ... 60 kt wind 1 1 –
1996-04-25 High WindDouglas County and Washington County · forecast zone Douglas One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. High winds sustained from 20 to 40 mph with gusts to 70 mph were found over Eastern Nebraska from early the 25th until early the 26th. Winds gusting to 51 mph toppled a 65 foot tree, killing a 13 year old Omaha boy as he played outside. A Creighton man was injured when a beam from a parking canopy was blown on him. ... 1 1 $11K
2010-05-22 Strong WindDouglas County and Washington County · forecast zone Douglas Sustained south winds of 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph caused a large tree limb to fall onto a 7-year-old boy killing him in midtown Omaha. 35 kt wind 1 0 –
2003-03-28 Strong WindFranklin County · forecast zone Franklin A strong crosswind was believed to have caused a 45 year old Naponee woman to lose control of her vehicle, which then rolled down an embankment and struck a utility pole west of Bloomington. The driver was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. 40 kt wind 1 0 $16K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest high wind and dust records in Nebraska

Nebraska: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-10-26 High WindAdams County · forecast zone Adams One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 54 kt wind 0 0 $4.9M
2003-07-07 High WindHoward County and Merrick County · forecast zone Howard One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. 62 kt wind 0 0 $1.8M
2016-12-25 High WindFurnas County · forecast zone Furnas One storm episode: 21 records in 20 places; the totals are the episode's. 59 kt wind 0 0 $1.2M
2005-03-10 High WindLincoln County · forecast zone Lincoln 40 kt wind 0 4 $756K
2018-04-29 Dust StormHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 2 0 $705K
2005-10-06 Strong WindClay County · forecast zone Clay 39 kt wind 0 0 $627K
1996-10-29 High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson 0 0 $564K
2022-04-22 High WindScotts Bluff County · forecast zone Scotts Bluff 72 kt wind 0 0 $504K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Nebraska?

Nebraska's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

High wind and dust storms: Nebraska and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeNebraskaUnited StatesNebraska's share
1996-9958914,0264.2%
2000s69437,2541.9%
2010s1,18741,7482.8%
2020-261,26936,3003.5%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent high wind and dust records in Nebraska

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 High WindRed Willow County · forecast zone Red Willow 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-07 High WindSioux County · forecast zone North Sioux 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-30 Dust StormKeith County · forecast zone Keith 0 5 –
2026-04-17 High WindRed Willow County · forecast zone Red Willow 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindFillmore County · forecast zone Fillmore 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindYork County · forecast zone York 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindGosper County · forecast zone Gosper 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindDawson County · forecast zone Dawson 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindPolk County · forecast zone Polk 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindNance County · forecast zone Nance 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindHoward County · forecast zone Howard 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindSherman County · forecast zone Sherman 52 kt wind 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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