NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ainsworth, NE
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Ainsworth, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 57 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 57
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Ainsworth
The strongest of the 57 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on October 29, 1956; its path came within 22 miles. Of the 57, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on July 18, 2025. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ainsworth. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 128 times since 1971, with stones up to 5 inches. Of the 91 Nebraska cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ainsworth.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ainsworth
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s7
- 1980s3
- 1970s7
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 29, 1956 | F4 | 22 mi | 147.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 11, 2011 | EF3 | 17 mi | 0.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1962 | F3 | 24 mi | 53.8 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 7, 1979 | F2 | 5 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 1965 | F2 | 8 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1965 | F2 | 3 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1965 | F2 | 20 mi | 44.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1963 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2024 | EF1 | 11 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2024 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2011 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 2007 | EF1 | 17 mi | 16.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 57, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ainsworth
The Storm Prediction Center has 128 hail reports within 10 miles of Ainsworth since 1971, made on 89 separate days. Of these, 103 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on July 30, 1976. The most recent report is from August 17, 2025. July has the most reports, 43.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ainsworth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ainsworth, NE, 2 miles northeast of Ainsworth at 2,510 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 15°F. May and June are the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 23.8 inches over 46 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 144 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 23.8 inches is more than at 15 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (22%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 15 | 0.4 | 1 | 4.2 |
| Feb | 40 | 18 | 0.6 | 2 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 51 | 26 | 1.2 | 3 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 61 | 36 | 2.6 | 5 | 6.6 |
| May | 71 | 47 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 81 | 57 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 63 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 61 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 52 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 39 | 1.7 | 4 | 1.8 |
| Nov | 50 | 27 | 0.6 | 2 | 4.1 |
| Dec | 38 | 18 | 0.6 | 2 | 5.5 |
| Year | 62 | 38 | 23.8 | 46 | 35.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ainsworth, NE (2,510 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Ainsworth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 60 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ainsworth: 52 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on July 19, 2025. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 89 Nebraska cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 29 have had fewer than Ainsworth.
July 19, 2025: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Ainsworth — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Severe thunderstorms producing several wet microbursts, led to violent winds in Ainsworth. Wind gusts, estimated at around 100 MPH, uprooted several mature trees in and around Ainsworth.”
August 30, 2010: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Ainsworth — $800,000 damage.
NWS: “A storm hit Ainsworth with damage significant that included the destruction of two buildings and many trees. Power lines were also downed by the winds and resulted in a power outage that lasted about two hours.”
July 8, 2013: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Ainsworth — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong wind gusts estimated to 80 MPH destroyed a machine shed, cattle feeding shed, and hog shed 3 miles west of Ainsworth. A dry fertilizer plant also sustained heavy damage 2 miles west of Ainsworth.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Brown County, which includes Ainsworth, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Brown County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.7 million a year, the 77th highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $498,000 (18%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Ainsworth
- Valentine, NE41 mi
- Atkinson, NE48 mi
- Winner, SD53 mi
- Mission, SD62 mi
- Burwell, NE63 mi
- Oneill, NE65 mi
- Rosebud, SD71 mi
- Broken Bow, NE79 mi
- Platte, SD80 mi
- Ord, NE81 mi
- Lake Andes, SD81 mi
- Wagner, SD88 mi
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