NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wood River, 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 Wood River, Nebraska since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 216 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 216
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Wood River
The strongest of the 216 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 5, 1964; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 4 people. The deadliest, an F4 on May 8, 1965, killed 4 people. Of the 216, 19 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 48 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 74. The most recent tornado was on July 6, 2024. Wood River has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 91 Nebraska cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 136 times since 1956, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 91 Nebraska cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wood River.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Wood River
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s12
- 2000s23
- 1990s42(5 EF3+)
- 1980s46(5 EF3+)
- 1970s33(3 EF3+)
- 1960s30(3 EF3+)
- 1950s17(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1964 | F5 | 21 mi | 79.7 mi | 4 / 50 |
| May 8, 1965 | F4 | 4 mi | 125.7 mi | 4 / 53 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F4 | 17 mi | 1.1 mi | 3 / 110 |
| Apr 7, 1978 | F4 | 18 mi | 31.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 16 mi | 2.3 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Jun 3, 1980 | F3 | 14 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jun 6, 1993 | F3 | 12 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1993 | F3 | 19 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1993 | F3 | 25 mi | 75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 8 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 6 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1985 | F3 | 9 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 216, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wood River
The Storm Prediction Center has 136 hail reports within 10 miles of Wood River since 1956, made on 96 separate days. Of these, 105 were 1 inch across or larger, and 21 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 19, 1975. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 45.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wood River
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hastings 4N, NE, 16 miles southeast of Wood River at 1,938 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 15°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 27.9 inches over 52 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 146 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 27.9 inches is more than at 33 of the 68 Nebraska stations used on this site (49%). Gibbon, 14 miles west, has its own station (Kearney 4 NE, NE): 25.6 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 15 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 40 | 19 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 52 | 28 | 1.4 | 3 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 63 | 38 | 3.0 | 6 | 1.7 |
| May | 73 | 50 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 62 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 40 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 50 | 28 | 1.3 | 3 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 38 | 18 | 0.9 | 2 | 5.6 |
| Year | 62 | 40 | 27.9 | 52 | 28.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hastings 4N, NE (1,938 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 Wood River
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 99 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wood River: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 11 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $31.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 20, 1997. 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 Wood River.
July 9, 2021: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Wood River — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts of at least 65 MPH resulted in a semi truck being blown over on the westbound lane of Interstate 80 approximately three miles west of the Alda exit. The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.”
July 10, 2011: thunderstorm wind in Wood River — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Tree damage was reported across Wood River, and crop damage was also reported north of town.”
August 23, 2019: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Wood River — $3.1 million 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
Hall County, which includes Wood River, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 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 Hall County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $38.5 million a year, the 4th highest of 93 Nebraska counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.4 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 Wood River
- Doniphan, NE11 mi
- Gibbon, NE14 mi
- Grand Island, NE15 mi
- Juniata, NE15 mi
- Hastings, NE19 mi
- Ravenna, NE21 mi
- Kearney, NE27 mi
- Minden, NE28 mi
- Saint Paul, NE30 mi
- Aurora, NE31 mi
- Central City, NE38 mi
- Holdrege, NE48 mi
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