NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit David 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 David City, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 119
- 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 David City
The strongest of the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 5, 1964; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 4 people. Of the 119, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than David City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1959, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 91 Nebraska cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than David City.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of David City
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s5
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s22(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s19(3 EF3+)
- 1960s19(2 EF3+)
- 1950s17(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1964 | F5 | 10 mi | 79.7 mi | 4 / 50 |
| Jun 13, 2001 | F4 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F4 | 3 mi | 131 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 7, 1978 | F4 | 13 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1992 | F3 | 22 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 24 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1975 | F3 | 23 mi | 63.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1962 | F3 | 22 mi | 25.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 13, 1952 | F3 | 11 mi | 44.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.72 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 15, 2006 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1998 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in David City
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of David City since 1959, made on 82 separate days. Of these, 75 were 1 inch across or larger, and 12 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 1, 2018. The most recent report is from April 17, 2025. June has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in David City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is David City, NE, in David City at 1,610 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 30.5 inches over 58 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 147 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 30.5 inches is more than at 46 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (68%). Schuyler, 15 miles north, has its own station (Columbus 3 NE, NE): 28.8 inches a year, 1.7 less 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 | 31 | 12 | 0.8 | 2 | 8.0 |
| Feb | 36 | 15 | 0.9 | 3 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 49 | 26 | 1.7 | 4 | 5.1 |
| Apr | 61 | 36 | 3.0 | 6 | 1.9 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 40 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.9 |
| Nov | 48 | 26 | 1.4 | 3 | 2.4 |
| Dec | 35 | 16 | 1.2 | 3 | 6.1 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 30.5 | 58 | 31.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at David City, NE (1,610 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 David City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of David City: 55 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $561,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 84 mph, on December 15, 2021. Of the 89 Nebraska cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 19 have had fewer than David City.
August 16, 2017: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of David City — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Highway 15 was closed due to flooding and debris in the road. In addition numerous county roads were closed across Butler County.”
August 16, 2017: flood 6 miles from the centre of David City — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “At least 50 roads were closed across Butler County due to widespread flooding with amounts of 4 to 6 inches reported. 01 inches of rain.”
June 20, 1997: thunderstorm wind in David City — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “At David City, strong winds collapsed a large airport hanger and toppled at least five center pivots irrigation systems. Trees fell on two homes in the Surprise area causing damage.”
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
Butler County, which includes David City, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 5 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 Butler County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.4 million a year, the 38th highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.2 million (30%), 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 David City
- Schuyler, NE15 mi
- Columbus, NE18 mi
- Seward, NE24 mi
- Wahoo, NE27 mi
- Ceresco, NE28 mi
- Milford, NE34 mi
- Fremont, NE35 mi
- York, NE36 mi
- Yutan, NE38 mi
- Waverly, NE39 mi
- Lincoln, NE39 mi
- Ashland, NE41 mi
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