NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Atkinson, 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 Atkinson, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 67
- 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 Atkinson
The highest rating among the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 9, 2003, came within 8 miles. Of the 67, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 24 each. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2019. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Atkinson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 99 times since 1960, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 91 Nebraska cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Atkinson.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Atkinson
By decade
- 2010s4
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s21
- 1980s6
- 1970s5
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2003 | F3 | 8 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1965 | F3 | in town | 44.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2009 | EF2 | 17 mi | 4.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 23, 2009 | EF2 | 15 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 2008 | EF2 | 9 mi | 29.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 28, 1998 | F2 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1996 | F2 | 10 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1992 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1992 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1992 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1992 | F2 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Atkinson
The Storm Prediction Center has 99 hail reports within 10 miles of Atkinson since 1960, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 80 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 30, 2011. The most recent report is from August 26, 2024. June has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Atkinson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Atkinson 3SW, NE, 6 miles southwest of Atkinson at 2,128 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 10°F. May is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 25.1 inches over 50 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 31 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 25.1 inches is more than at 18 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (26%). Oneill, 18 miles east, has its own station (O'Neill, NE): 26.0 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 10 | 0.4 | 1 | 5.5 |
| Feb | 35 | 13 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 47 | 23 | 1.3 | 3 | 5.1 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.1 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 62 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 59 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 50 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 36 | 2.4 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Nov | 47 | 24 | 0.7 | 2 | 4.0 |
| Dec | 34 | 14 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.2 |
| Year | 59 | 36 | 25.1 | 50 | 33.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Atkinson 3SW, NE (2,128 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 Atkinson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 47 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Atkinson: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 16, 2010.
May 30, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Atkinson — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Fire Chief reported extensive storm damage due to thunderstorm winds at the Scribner Grain facility. The grain facility was damaged with power lines down, irrigation systems damaged and a grain bin and the rigging at the site damaged.”
June 10, 2010: flood 3 miles from the centre of Atkinson — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Flooding was reported by the public in Atkinson after four inches of rainfall flooded the town lumberyard, outlying areas, and produced minor flooding in town. Numerous rainfall reports of three to four inches were received in the area.”
August 8, 2010: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Atkinson — $120,000 damage.
NWS: “Law enforcement reported six grain bins blown over 7 miles north of Atkinson.”
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
Holt County, which includes Atkinson, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2003, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Holt County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.0 million a year, the 57th highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.5 million (21%), 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 Atkinson
- Oneill, NE18 mi
- Lake Andes, SD45 mi
- Wagner, SD46 mi
- Ainsworth, NE48 mi
- Burwell, NE53 mi
- Springfield, SD55 mi
- Platte, SD60 mi
- Ord, NE67 mi
- Winner, SD72 mi
- Crofton, NE74 mi
- Parkston, SD76 mi
- Pierce, NE76 mi
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