NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit North Platte, 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 North Platte, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for North Platte
The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on October 29, 1956; its path passed within a mile of the city centre. Of the 97, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2025. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than North Platte. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 365 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). North Platte has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 91 Nebraska cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of North Platte
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s21(2 EF3+)
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 29, 1956 | F4 | in town | 147.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 18, 2012 | EF3 | 5 mi | 1.71 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 18, 2012 | EF3 | 5 mi | 6.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 17, 2000 | F3 | 15 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 25, 1989 | F3 | 3 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 27, 1972 | F3 | 12 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 18, 2012 | EF2 | 6 mi | 1.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1990 | F2 | 9 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1967 | F2 | 10 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1962 | F2 | 25 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2025 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in North Platte
The Storm Prediction Center has 365 hail reports within 10 miles of North Platte since 1955, made on 191 separate days. Of these, 274 were 1 inch across or larger, and 38 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 13, 1996. The most recent report is from July 23, 2025. July has the most reports, 108.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in North Platte
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is N Platte Exp Farm, NE, 5 miles south of North Platte at 3,025 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 37°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 21.2 inches over 43 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 163 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 21.2 inches is more than at 10 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (15%). Gothenburg, 34 miles east, has its own station (Gothenburg, NE): 24.2 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 14 | 0.3 | 1 | 5.0 |
| Feb | 41 | 16 | 0.5 | 2 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 52 | 25 | 1.0 | 2 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 61 | 33 | 2.3 | 5 | 4.6 |
| May | 70 | 45 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 81 | 56 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 61 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 59 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 50 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 64 | 37 | 1.8 | 4 | 1.4 |
| Nov | 50 | 24 | 0.5 | 2 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 39 | 16 | 0.4 | 1 | 3.8 |
| Year | 62 | 36 | 21.2 | 43 | 28.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at N Platte Exp Farm, NE (3,025 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 North Platte
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 292 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of North Platte: 266 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 8 floods, 5 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on August 1, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 11. Of the 89 Nebraska cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 63 have had fewer than North Platte.
August 1, 2013: thunderstorm wind in North Platte — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Storm damage survey observed damage to homes, business and schools as numerous trees were uprooted, large tree limbs snapped or broken. The downed trees brought down numerous power lines that caused power outages between Buffalo Bill to Poplar streets.”
June 26, 1999: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of North Platte — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm with damaging wind squalls moved through Lincoln and Custer Counties causing extensive loss and damage of trees. Several trees were uprooted and many more were broken in the city of North Platte.”
August 17, 1999: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of North Platte — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm packing 75 mph wind and 3/4 inch hail moved through Lincoln County. Several trees were uprooted and broken in North Platte and numerous limbs were broken with the greatest damage on the east side of the city of North Platte.”
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 North Platte's ZIP code 69101 have filed 62 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $205,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2011: 11 claims (18% of all) and $85,000. 18% 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 North Platte.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2011 | 11 | $85,000 |
Lincoln County, which includes North Platte, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1994, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lincoln County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.9 million a year, the 17th highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.8 million (40%), 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 North Platte
- Gothenburg, NE34 mi
- Cozad, NE45 mi
- Ogallala, NE48 mi
- Lexington, NE59 mi
- Broken Bow, NE62 mi
- Imperial, NE63 mi
- Mc Cook, NE63 mi
- Holdrege, NE88 mi
- Holyoke, CO88 mi
- Oberlin, KS90 mi
- Kearney, NE93 mi
- Burwell, NE98 mi
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