NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbus, 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 Columbus, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 124 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 124
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Columbus
The strongest of the 124 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 5, 1964; its path came within 8 miles, and it killed 4 people. Of the 124, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on August 14, 2024. Columbus has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 144 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Columbus has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 91 Nebraska cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Columbus
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s6(1 EF3+)
- 2000s17(1 EF3+)
- 1990s23(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s18(2 EF3+)
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1964 | F5 | 8 mi | 79.7 mi | 4 / 50 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F4 | 14 mi | 131 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 7, 1978 | F4 | 10 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 9.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 2001 | F3 | 19 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 17 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1975 | F3 | 24 mi | 63.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1962 | F3 | 7 mi | 25.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 13, 1952 | F3 | 5 mi | 44.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | in town | 2.72 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 24, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 15, 2006 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 124, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Columbus
The Storm Prediction Center has 144 hail reports within 10 miles of Columbus since 1962, made on 99 separate days. Of these, 100 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 4 days, most recently May 19, 2025. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. June has the most reports, 46.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Columbus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus 3 NE, NE, 3 miles northeast of Columbus at 1,450 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 28.8 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. Snowfall averages 25.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 28.8 inches is more than at 40 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (59%). David City, 18 miles southeast, has its own station (David City, NE): 30.5 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 14 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 37 | 18 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.0 |
| Mar | 50 | 28 | 1.4 | 4 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 2.9 | 5 | 1.1 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 41 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 48 | 28 | 1.2 | 3 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 36 | 18 | 0.9 | 2 | 5.6 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 28.8 | 53 | 25.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus 3 NE, NE (1,450 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 Columbus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 125 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Columbus: 102 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 floods, 8 flash floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 21, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 89 Nebraska cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Columbus.
March 13, 2019: flood 10 miles from the centre of Columbus — 1 killed.
NWS: “This is for flooding along the Shell Creek. 21 feet at 7:30 am on March 14th.”
December 15, 2021: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Columbus — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Straight-line winds in this area were estimated to be around 85 MPH. In addition to a few irrigation pivots being overturned, a large metal-framed structure with attached canopy at an area cattle lot suffered significant damage.”
August 18, 2003: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Columbus — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “A possible thunderstorm microburst hit around a 1 mile area northwest of Columbus. The winds, estimated at over 70 mph, took a tin roof off of local power company cement block building.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Columbus's ZIP code 68601 have filed 62 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from March 2019 Midwest Flooding in 2019: 13 claims (21% of all) and $1.1 million. 23% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 41 Nebraska cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 23 have fewer than Columbus.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| March 2019 Midwest Flooding2019 | 13 | $1.1 million |
Platte County, which includes Columbus, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 8 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Platte County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.5 million a year, the 7th highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.3 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 Columbus
- Schuyler, NE16 mi
- David City, NE18 mi
- Madison, NE28 mi
- Stanton, NE37 mi
- Albion, NE39 mi
- Seward, NE39 mi
- Central City, NE39 mi
- Norfolk, NE41 mi
- York, NE41 mi
- Wahoo, NE42 mi
- West Point, NE43 mi
- Ceresco, NE46 mi
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