Fillmore County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Fillmore County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 11, 2014Tornado$7.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado was the second to be rated an EF3 that affected south central Nebraska, starting in far northern Fillmore County before traversing a portion of York County and passing north of Cordova in Seward County. Damage along the track in Fillmore County was widespread, including one home which was totally destroyed. All 6 occupants took shelter in the basement. Another home suffered less significant damage, but outbuildings on the same property were destroyed. Also along the path of this tornado, and to the south of the path where rear flank downdraft winds occurred, numerous irrigation pivots were overturned, power poles were broken as well as trees and grain bins either…

2. May 27, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind gusts were estimated to be near 90 MPH, with damage generally confined to southern portions of Fillmore County. Along this path, multiple irrigation pivots were overturned, power poles were broken and trees were damaged. A number of grain bins were damaged or destroyed, outbuildings were damaged and one home suffered damage, mainly broken glass.

3. May 22, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Straight-line winds from the rear flank downdraft of a supercell thunderstorm in Clay county rushed across Fillmore county. Damage was widespread across the county with over 50 center irrigation pivots damaged or destroyed. Minor structure damage and major tree damage was common.

4. May 11, 2014Tornado$3.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado traveled rural areas of northern Fillmore County, bumping the York County line along the way. It touched down a few miles north-northwest of Grafton and lifted a few miles north-northeast of Fairmont. One home suffered damage when part of the roof was torn away, while another older home was pushed approximately 30 feet off of its foundation. There was widespread power pole and tree damage, with some trees containing debris from grain bins, and a number of irrigation pivots were overturned. The peak wind with this tornado was estimated to be 120 MPH. South of the main tornado track, strong rear flank downdraft winds resulted in additional power pole and irrigation…

5. May 11, 2005Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Though well predicted, the severe weather and flooding on the night of May 11 was even worse than imagined. Thunderstorms ravaged a large part of south central Nebraska with hail, high winds, a tornado and catastrophic flooding.During evening and early morning hours, 4 to 12 inches of fell from Dawson County east to York County. At Kenesaw and Wood River, over 11 inches of rain was measured. The city of Grand Island set a rainfall record for a single event with 7.21 inches of rain. Statically, this event was a 100 year rain and flood event for the area. In Wood River, 12 people were evacuated due to rising water. It was estimated every structure in Wood River sustained some sort…

6. May 11, 2014Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is the continuation of the EF3 tornado that started in Clay County northwest of Fairfield.||This tornado was reported initially as a multi-vortex tornado for several miles before taking on a more traditional look south of Saronville, where it was described as a wedge tornado. Based upon reports and video, it appears the entire mesocyclone of the storm was near ground level southwest of Sutton. It was one of the strongest tornado of the day in south central Nebraska, rated an EF3 with the peak wind estimated to be 150 MPH. Rear flank downdraft winds resulted in damage on the south side of the tornado track and in addition to the damage to Sutton itself, areas east of Clay…

7. Apr 18, 2005Hail$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wild night of weather became the first major severe weather event of the season in south central Nebraska. Severe thunderstorms were responsible for tornadoes, very large hail and flash flooding, mainly east of Columbus to Hastings line. Fillmore County was hardest hit. A tornado in the northwest corner of the county damaged a center pivot. The county Emergency Manager was injured by flying glass after baseball sized hail pummeled his vehicles' windshield. He was treated and released from the hospital that evening. The hail hammered much of the county over the course of 3 to 4 hours. Geneva sustained some of the more widespread property damage. Damage in Fillmore County totaled…

8. Aug 9, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The highest measured wind gusts near and along this path included the following: 91 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located three miles south-southeast of Fairmont; 86 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located two miles northeast of Exeter; 75 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located four miles southeast of Sutton; 74 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located two miles south of Exeter. There were several reports of tree damage along this path, including the Grafton and Fairmont areas. Power outages and line damage was also reported. In the Fairmont area, at least one grain bin was destroyed, and a semi was tipped over.

9. Jun 25, 2013Hail$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   For the fourth consecutive and final night, strong to severe thunderstorms rumbled through portions of the 24-county area. However, in contrast to previous nights when far western counties bore the brunt of severe weather, the main activity during this early Tuesday morning finale targeted far eastern portions of South Central Nebraska near Highway 81. These elevated multicell storms were marginally severe hail producers, first edging northward out of Kansas into Nuckolls and Thayer counties between 230-400 am CDT. Then from 4-6 am CDT, storms quickly unzipped into a north-south line primarily over Fillmore, York and Polk counties, before exiting the local area into eastern…

10. May 15, 1998Tornado$750,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Midday thunderstorms spawned a tornado south of York damaging a farmstead significantly. The tornado set down two miles north of Fairmont and was on the ground for seven miles before lifting just east of McCool Junction. The tornado nearly destroyed at least one farmstead and caused damage to power poles and lines and center pivot systems. A semi tractor trailer was overturned three miles southeast of York. The driver sustained minor injuries. The same storm also produced a brief tornado south of Benedict destroying two hog confinement facilities but no hogs were injured.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

113°F2 times, most recently Jul 13, 1954

All-time low

−34°FFeb 12, 1899

Warmest night

89°FAug 26, 1955

Coldest day

−9°F2 times, most recently Jan 18, 1943

Wettest day

8.59 inMay 7, 2015

Snowiest day

15.0 inMar 17, 1924

Hottest year

1934mean 57.4°F

Coldest year

1993mean 48.5°F

Wettest year

190246.01 in

Driest year

193412.35 in

Snowiest season

63.8 in1959-60

Station Hebron (USC00253735), 1,480 ft elevation, 25.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 26, 2026; 96.1% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00253735.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.