NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wayne, 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 Wayne, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Wayne
The highest rating among the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 8 times; the most recent, on June 16, 2014, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 30, 1954, killed 6 people. Of the 100, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on June 15, 2024. Of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Wayne. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1956, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 91 Nebraska cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wayne.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Wayne
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s20(6 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s21
- 1980s5
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s14(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 1954 | F4 | 17 mi | 29.9 mi | 6 / 23 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 9 mi | 11.5 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 11 mi | 23.94 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Jun 23, 2003 | F4 | 21 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 10 mi | 15.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 15 mi | 12.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | 1 mi | 18.34 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jul 7, 1977 | F4 | 18 mi | 22.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1954 | F3 | 9 mi | 23.6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2014 | EF3 | 22 mi | 3.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1975 | F3 | 10 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 6, 1975 | F3 | 22 mi | 44.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wayne
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Wayne since 1956, made on 67 separate days. Of these, 68 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on May 5, 1964. The most recent report is from April 17, 2025. June has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wayne
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wayne, NE, 2 miles northeast of Wayne at 1,465 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 11°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 27.6 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 159 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 27.6 inches is more than at 32 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (47%). Stanton, 21 miles southwest, has its own station (Stanton 7NE, NE): 26.3 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 11 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.8 |
| Feb | 35 | 15 | 0.8 | 2 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 47 | 24 | 1.4 | 4 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 60 | 35 | 3.0 | 6 | 2.7 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 51 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 38 | 2.3 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 47 | 25 | 1.2 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 34 | 15 | 0.8 | 2 | 6.2 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 27.6 | 53 | 32.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wayne, NE (1,465 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 Wayne
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wayne: 49 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 4 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $7.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 12, 2022. Of the 89 Nebraska cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Wayne.
March 13, 2019: flood 3 miles from the centre of Wayne — $3.5 million damage.
NWS: “Water was over Highway 20 between 583 Avenue and 5835 Avenue. In addition, flooding resulted in extensive damage to public infrastructure including numerous county and township roads, culverts, and some bridges.”
April 16, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Wayne — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Wayne County EM reported street flooding in Winside.”
March 13, 2019: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Wayne — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain and snow melt caused flooding at Wayne State University, mainly at their Willow Bowl outdoor amphitheater. Wayne Municipal Airport was under water and did sustain 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
Wayne County, which includes Wayne, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 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 Wayne County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.3 million a year, the 42nd highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.2 million (34%), 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 Wayne
- Stanton, NE21 mi
- Norfolk, NE24 mi
- Pierce, NE26 mi
- Hartington, NE30 mi
- West Point, NE31 mi
- Dakota City, NE33 mi
- Madison, NE34 mi
- Dakota Dunes, SD34 mi
- South Sioux City, NE36 mi
- Sergeant Bluff, IA37 mi
- Sioux City, IA38 mi
- Oakland, NE39 mi
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