NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Norfolk, 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 Norfolk, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 122 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 122
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Norfolk
The highest rating among the 122 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 7 times; the most recent, on June 16, 2014, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 30, 1954, killed 6 people. Of the 122, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 55. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2024. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Norfolk. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 141 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 91 Nebraska cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Norfolk.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Norfolk
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s15(4 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s17
- 1980s10
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s20(3 EF3+)
- 1950s15(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 1954 | F4 | 4 mi | 29.9 mi | 6 / 23 |
| May 8, 1965 | F4 | 20 mi | 125.7 mi | 4 / 53 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 20 mi | 11.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 15 mi | 23.94 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 9 mi | 12.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | 19 mi | 18.34 mi | 0 / 15 |
| May 6, 1975 | F4 | 14 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1954 | F3 | 19 mi | 23.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 6, 1975 | F3 | 11 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 6, 1975 | F3 | 10 mi | 44.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1963 | F3 | 25 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1962 | F3 | 16 mi | 71.7 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 122, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Norfolk
The Storm Prediction Center has 141 hail reports within 10 miles of Norfolk since 1956, made on 93 separate days. Of these, 96 were 1 inch across or larger, and 12 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 9, 2011. The most recent report is from June 16, 2025. June has the most reports, 38.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Norfolk
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Norfolk Karl Stefan Airport, NE, 3 miles south of Norfolk at 1,551 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 27.0 inches over 52 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 150 nights a year. Snowfall averages 29.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 27.0 inches is more than at 27 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (40%). Stanton, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Stanton 7NE, NE): 26.3 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 12 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.9 |
| Feb | 37 | 16 | 0.8 | 2 | 6.1 |
| Mar | 50 | 26 | 1.4 | 3 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 61 | 37 | 2.7 | 6 | 2.3 |
| May | 72 | 48 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 38 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 48 | 25 | 1.2 | 3 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 36 | 16 | 0.8 | 2 | 6.1 |
| Year | 61 | 38 | 27.0 | 52 | 29.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Norfolk Karl Stefan Airport, NE (1,551 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 Norfolk
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Norfolk: 81 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 101 mph, on June 29, 2026. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 89 Nebraska cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 29 have had fewer than Norfolk.
June 11, 2010: flood 3 miles from the centre of Norfolk — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall of at least 3 to 5 inches fell over much of the upper Elkhorn River basin in the week ending 7am 6/12, including 1 to 2 inch 24 hour amounts ending 7am the 12th.”
April 14, 2012: flash flood in Norfolk — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Rainfall, unofficially up to 5 inches in parts of Norfolk, combined with large accumulations of hail and caused flash flooding in parts of Norfolk and other locations across the northern sections of the county.”
September 30, 2007: lightning strike in Norfolk — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A lightning strike started a house fire in Norfolk causing around $100,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Norfolk's ZIP code 68701 have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987, and were paid $3.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 12. 29% 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, 11 have fewer than Norfolk.
Madison County, which includes Norfolk, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds, on September 6, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate 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 $26.8 million a year, the 9th highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.0 million (45%), 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 Norfolk
- Stanton, NE11 mi
- Madison, NE13 mi
- Pierce, NE14 mi
- Wayne, NE24 mi
- West Point, NE38 mi
- Albion, NE38 mi
- Columbus, NE41 mi
- Hartington, NE42 mi
- Schuyler, NE42 mi
- Oakland, NE49 mi
- Crofton, NE52 mi
- David City, NE55 mi
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