NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pierce, 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 Pierce, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Pierce
The highest rating among the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 7 times; the most recent, on June 16, 2014, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 30, 1954, killed 6 people. Of the 102, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2024. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pierce. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1956, with stones up to 3.25 inches. Of the 91 Nebraska cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pierce.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Pierce
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s10(3 EF3+)
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s21
- 1980s6
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s18(4 EF3+)
- 1950s13(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 1954 | F4 | 17 mi | 29.9 mi | 6 / 23 |
| May 8, 1965 | F4 | 9 mi | 125.7 mi | 4 / 53 |
| Jun 23, 2003 | F4 | 24 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 20 mi | 12.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | 25 mi | 18.34 mi | 0 / 15 |
| May 6, 1975 | F4 | 1 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1964 | F4 | 22 mi | 51.2 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF3 | 24 mi | 6.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1975 | F3 | 16 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 6, 1975 | F3 | 4 mi | 44.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1962 | F3 | 3 mi | 71.7 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pierce
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Pierce since 1956, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 62 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.25 inches, fell on August 26, 2024. The most recent report is from July 7, 2025. June has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pierce
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Osmond, NE, 11 miles north of Pierce at 1,650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 10°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 27.5 inches over 50 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 158 nights a year. That 27.5 inches is more than at 29 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (43%). Norfolk, 14 miles southeast, has its own station (Norfolk Karl Stefan Airport, NE): 27.0 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 10 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Feb | 36 | 13 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 48 | 24 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Apr | 60 | 35 | 2.7 | 5 |
| May | 72 | 48 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Aug | 84 | 60 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 77 | 51 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 64 | 37 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 47 | 23 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Dec | 34 | 13 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Year | 60 | 36 | 27.5 | 50 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Osmond, NE (1,650 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 Pierce
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 36 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pierce: 29 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods and 2 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $550,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 101 mph, on June 29, 2026.
June 20, 2011: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Pierce — 1 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 70 mph caused significant tree and outbuilding damage from around 2 miles southwest of Willow Lake through Pierce and a little northwest of town. A house also lost part of its roof south of Willow Lake.”
March 13, 2019: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Pierce — $475,000 damage.
NWS: “A levee on the North Fork of the Elkhorn River broke due to heavy rains and snow melt. This allowed water to flood Pierce.”
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
Pierce County, which includes Pierce, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds, on July 27, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pierce County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.4 million a year, the 51st highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (43%), 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 Pierce
- Norfolk, NE14 mi
- Stanton, NE24 mi
- Madison, NE26 mi
- Wayne, NE26 mi
- Hartington, NE33 mi
- Crofton, NE40 mi
- Albion, NE42 mi
- Yankton, SD48 mi
- West Point, NE49 mi
- Springfield, SD50 mi
- Vermillion, SD52 mi
- Columbus, NE53 mi
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