NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mitchell, 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 Mitchell, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 114 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 114
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Mitchell
The strongest of the 114 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 27, 1955; its path passed within a mile of the city centre, and it killed 2 people. Of the 114, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on June 20, 2024. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mitchell. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 292 times since 1958, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Mitchell has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 91 Nebraska cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Mitchell
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s19
- 2000s11
- 1990s22(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1955 | F4 | in town | 26 mi | 2 / 29 |
| Jun 9, 1991 | F3 | 17 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1985 | F3 | 15 mi | 48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1978 | F3 | 14 mi | 53.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 2.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2023 | EF2 | 25 mi | 4.72 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 12, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 31.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2005 | F2 | 22 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1998 | F2 | 7 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 1993 | F2 | 5 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 20, 1983 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 31, 1978 | F2 | 24 mi | 20.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 114, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mitchell
The Storm Prediction Center has 292 hail reports within 10 miles of Mitchell since 1958, made on 129 separate days. Of these, 253 were 1 inch across or larger, and 50 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 23, 2023. The most recent report is from July 18, 2025. June has the most reports, 156.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mitchell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Scottsbluff 1E, NE, 9 miles southeast of Mitchell at 3,909 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 60°F; December is the coolest, at 40°F and 15°F. May is the wettest at 2.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 15.8 inches over 36 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 170 nights a year. Snowfall averages 39.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 15.8 inches is more than at 2 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (3%). Minatare, 17 miles east, has its own station (Scottsbluff Heilig Airport, NE): 15.6 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 15 | 0.3 | 1 | 4.6 |
| Feb | 43 | 17 | 0.5 | 2 | 8.4 |
| Mar | 53 | 24 | 1.0 | 3 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 61 | 33 | 1.7 | 4 | 3.7 |
| May | 70 | 43 | 2.9 | 6 | 1.3 |
| Jun | 82 | 53 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 60 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 57 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 47 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 34 | 1.3 | 3 | 2.3 |
| Nov | 51 | 23 | 0.6 | 2 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 40 | 15 | 0.5 | 2 | 8.3 |
| Year | 63 | 35 | 15.8 | 36 | 39.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Scottsbluff 1E, NE (3,909 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 Mitchell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 111 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mitchell: 82 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $4.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on June 20, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 14 of 24. Of the 89 Nebraska cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 82 have had fewer than Mitchell.
June 6, 2020: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Mitchell — 2 injured.
NWS: “Reports of tin being blown off a shed and rolling across US 26 striking two motorcyclists. Highway was shutdown and 2 injuries were reported.”
June 20, 2024: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Mitchell — $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous reports of wind gusts between 90 and 100 MPH near the town of Mitchell causing significant damage with downed trees, powerlines, and overturned center pivots.”
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
Scotts Bluff County, which includes Mitchell, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1997, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 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 Scotts Bluff County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.7 million a year, the 11th highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.5 million (34%), 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 Mitchell
- Scottsbluff, NE8 mi
- Gering, NE12 mi
- Minatare, NE17 mi
- Torrington, WY24 mi
- Bayard, NE27 mi
- Kimball, NE49 mi
- Alliance, NE50 mi
- Wheatland, WY65 mi
- Sidney, NE67 mi
- Chadron, NE72 mi
- Cheyenne, WY75 mi
- Sterling, CO95 mi
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