NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mc Cook, 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 Mc Cook, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Mc Cook
The strongest of the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 15, 1990; its path came within 2 miles. Of the 90, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on May 23, 2024. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mc Cook. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 177 times since 1958, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Mc Cook has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 91 Nebraska cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Mc Cook
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s10
- 2000s17
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 1990 | F4 | 2 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 18, 1975 | F3 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 2019 | EF2 | 4 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 1996 | F2 | 11 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1958 | F2 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1957 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2021 | EF1 | 21 mi | 3.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2015 | EF1 | 18 mi | 11.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF1 | 19 mi | 34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF1 | 18 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 2000 | F1 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mc Cook
The Storm Prediction Center has 177 hail reports within 10 miles of Mc Cook since 1958, made on 91 separate days. Of these, 126 were 1 inch across or larger, and 26 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 5, 2022. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. June has the most reports, 47.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mc Cook
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mc Cook, NE, 1 mile east of Mc Cook at 2,602 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 14°F. June and August are the wettest at 3.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 22.8 inches over 46 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 156 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 22.8 inches is more than at 11 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (16%). Oberlin, KS, 28 miles south, has its own station (Oberlin, KS): 21.8 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 14 | 0.4 | 1 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 45 | 16 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 56 | 25 | 1.2 | 3 | 4.2 |
| Apr | 65 | 34 | 2.4 | 5 | 3.1 |
| May | 74 | 45 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 86 | 56 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 62 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 60 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 50 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 36 | 1.7 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 24 | 0.9 | 2 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 43 | 16 | 0.7 | 2 | 5.8 |
| Year | 66 | 36 | 22.8 | 46 | 29.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mc Cook, NE (2,602 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 Mc Cook
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 162 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mc Cook: 146 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 5 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 119 mph, on May 23, 2024. September 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 Mc Cook.
July 21, 2002: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Mc Cook — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Refer to event narrative for July 21st.”
April 23, 2008: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Mc Cook — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 9-year old boy ran outside to retrieve a cardboard box before the storm arrived so it wouldn't blow away. As he was retrieving the box which was near a yard light, lightning struck the light pole and jumped to a metal button on his coat.”
May 23, 2024: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Mc Cook — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Variety of damage to a property due to damaging winds ranging from 78 to 118 mph. Five sets of double poles snapped near the ground for a half mile going north from this location in addition to some power lines down facing the east.”
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 Mc Cook's ZIP code 69001 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $45,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 41 Nebraska cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 2 have fewer than Mc Cook.
Red Willow County, which includes Mc Cook, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1990, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 fire, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 20, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Red Willow 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 $8.2 million a year, the 52nd highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.2 million (27%), is from hail.
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 Mc Cook
- Oberlin, KS28 mi
- Norton, KS46 mi
- Gothenburg, NE56 mi
- Cozad, NE56 mi
- Imperial, NE59 mi
- Lexington, NE61 mi
- Colby, KS61 mi
- North Platte, NE63 mi
- Holdrege, NE68 mi
- Phillipsburg, KS75 mi
- Oakley, KS78 mi
- Ogallala, NE83 mi
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