NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Central City, 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 Central City, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 183 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 18 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 183
- EF3 or stronger
- 18
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Central City
The strongest of the 183 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 5, 1964; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 4 people. The deadliest, an F4 on May 8, 1965, killed 4 people. Of the 183, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 63. The most recent tornado was on June 24, 2025. Central City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 135 times since 1957, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 91 Nebraska cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Central City.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Central City
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s28(1 EF3+)
- 1990s39(4 EF3+)
- 1980s24(5 EF3+)
- 1970s20(3 EF3+)
- 1960s23(3 EF3+)
- 1950s19(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1964 | F5 | 15 mi | 79.7 mi | 4 / 50 |
| May 8, 1965 | F4 | 20 mi | 125.7 mi | 4 / 53 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F4 | 21 mi | 1.1 mi | 3 / 110 |
| Apr 7, 1978 | F4 | 7 mi | 31.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 21 mi | 2.3 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 22 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jun 20, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 9.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 2001 | F3 | 8 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1993 | F3 | 19 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1993 | F3 | 23 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1993 | F3 | 9 mi | 75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 11 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 183, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Central City
The Storm Prediction Center has 135 hail reports within 10 miles of Central City since 1957, made on 80 separate days. Of these, 96 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 18, 1961. The most recent report is from May 19, 2025. June has the most reports, 43.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Central City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Central City, NE, 1 mile west of Central City at 1,700 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 14°F. May is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 28.5 inches over 50 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 28.5 inches is more than at 38 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (56%). Aurora, 20 miles south, has its own station (Aurora, NE): 30.5 inches a year, 2.0 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 | 35 | 14 | 0.8 | 2 | 6.2 |
| Feb | 40 | 17 | 0.8 | 3 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 52 | 27 | 1.5 | 3 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 63 | 37 | 2.8 | 5 | 1.7 |
| May | 73 | 49 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 40 | 2.3 | 4 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 50 | 27 | 1.3 | 3 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 38 | 17 | 1.0 | 2 | 5.3 |
| Year | 62 | 39 | 28.5 | 50 | 28.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Central City, NE (1,700 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 Central City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 74 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Central City: 46 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 heavy rain events, 8 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $19.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on May 12, 2005. May has had the most flash floods, 5 of 8. Of the 89 Nebraska cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Central City.
June 7, 2024: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Central City — $6.0 million damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts estimated to be near 75 MPH resulted in tree and crop damage in the area, as well as flipped irrigation pivots. Power outages were reported in the area, and trees were reported down in Clarks.”
May 11, 2005: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Central City — $3.5 million damage.
June 2, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Central City — $3.3 million damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts were estimated to be near 80 MPH along this path. Several irrigation pivots were overturned and trees were damaged, including at least one that was uprooted.”
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
Merrick County, which includes Central City, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Merrick County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.5 million a year, the 21st highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.7 million (32%), 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 Central City
- Aurora, NE20 mi
- Grand Island, NE23 mi
- Saint Paul, NE26 mi
- York, NE28 mi
- Doniphan, NE32 mi
- Wood River, NE38 mi
- Columbus, NE39 mi
- Albion, NE40 mi
- Hastings, NE42 mi
- Juniata, NE46 mi
- David City, NE46 mi
- Ravenna, NE46 mi
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