Nuckolls County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Nuckolls 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.

Claims by ZIP code

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. Aug 9, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A swath of wind with gusts estimated to be as high as 90 MPH swept through the southeastern portion of Nuckolls County. Peak measured gusts included the following: 73 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located one mile west-northwest of Ruskin; 67 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located in Ruskin; 66 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located two miles north-northwest of Superior. Widespread damage was reported along and near this path, including the Superior and Ruskin areas. An estimate of 200 trees were damaged in Superior, causing the park to be closed for a period of time for clean-up. Several roofs sustained damage in Superior, with at least two downtown businesses…

2. Jun 20, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind gusts were estimated to around 75 MPH. Tree limbs of 6 to 10 inches in diameter were downed, and several streets closed due to trees across them. Power was out for much of the town for several hours. A couple vehicles were damaged by falling tree limbs. A 40 foot section of a roof was blown off of the local lumberyard and an awning was damaged at another business. At least 9 irrigation pivots were damaged south of town. Most of the damage focused between 8th Street and the Republican River.

3. May 6, 2015Tornado$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This is a continuation of the tornado that touched down west-northwest of Webber in Jewell County, KS, traveling northeast through the very northwest corner of Republic County, KS, before entering Nebraska near the town of Hardy in Nuckolls County. It continued traveling northeast into Thayer County, lifting northwest of Deshler. This tornado was rated an EF2, with an estimated peak wind speed of 122 MPH. EF2 damage was noted in both Jewell County, KS and Nuckolls County, NE.||Damage along this tornado path included numerous pivots overturned and snapped power poles. There was a large amount of tree damage noted. In addition, in Nuckolls County, grain bins and outbuildings were…

4. Jun 13, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wild night of weather struck south-central Nebraska with high winds, hail and tornadoes. Of the five tornadoes confirmed, the most damaging one occurred southeast of Hubbell. One farmstead sustained around one-half million dollars in damage, including losing several outbuildings, grain bins, and an exterior wall on the home. The other tornadoes were quite brief, but one did manage to produce minor damage on a farm in eastern Furnas county.Another area of widespread destruction occurred with straight-line winds in extreme southern Clay and northern Nuckolls counties. Winds estimated at 90 mph tore through grain bins, outbuildings, and trees. Major damage was had at a turkey farm…

5. Jun 20, 2017Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Although just one lone strong-to-severe thunderstorm tracked across far southern portions of South Central Nebraska on this Tuesday evening, it wreaked havoc on one particular community: Superior in Nuckolls County. Estimated 75 MPH winds struck primarily southern portions of town around 10 p.m. CDT, causing extensive damage to trees and power lines and ripping a 40-foot section of roof from a lumberyard building, among other damages. Although severe wind was the main story in Superior, hail up to golf ball size also fell. While the immediate Superior area bore the brunt of storm headlines, hail ranging from half dollar to ping pong ball size fell a bit farther west in the…

6. Jun 14, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A line of thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts up to 80 MPH moved across the county. In Nelson, trees were reported down, including one that fell on a house and pickup, causing extensive damage to the house. At the fairgrounds, a tin roof was removed from a barn, and a couple its trusses were damaged. The roof of the arena was damaged and a camper was flipped on it side.

7. Dec 30, 2006Ice Storm, Nuckolls$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wide variety of significant winter weather began impacting portions of south central Nebraska during the day on Friday (12/29) and continued through Saturday night (12/30), before exiting the area on Sunday (12/31). Freezing rain, sleet, and snow began Friday afternoon in portions of Dawson county, with snowfall amounts as high as 9 inches. By Friday night most of the precipitation had turned to sleet and freezing rain, pressing further east to around highway 281. This led to significant ice accumulations which continued through Saturday night. The areas just west of Grand Island and Hastings received significant ice accrual from the storm, with up to an inch of ice reported…

8. May 18, 2025Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind gusts estimated to be near 75 MPH resulted in 11 empty train cars being pushed off of the track.

9. Oct 23, 2022Wildfire, Nuckolls$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   At approximately 12:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday the 23rd, a transformer malfunction ignited a wildfire near the intersection of Road D and Road 3100...about 1 mile east of Bostwick. Pushed by strong southerly winds gusting to at least 50 MPH, this fire raced north along Road 3100 and across Highway 136, making a slight turn to the north-northwest between Roads J and K. This swiftly moving fire was finally halted approximately six miles west of Nelson, near the intersection of PQ Road and Road 3000. Along the way, this fire scorched roughly 11,000 acres of crop and pasture land, along a swath around 12 miles long and up to two miles wide. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but one…

10. Jun 7, 2022Tornado$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    This tornado touched down in Nuckolls County, just northwest of Ruskin, and moved southeast across town. In town, most of the damage was confined to trees. After passing through town, the tornado destroyed a shed and two empty grain bins south of town. As the tornado rapidly traveled southeast, it upset roughly a half-dozen irrigation pivots, damaged at least two more grain bins, peeled tin and shingles from the rooftops of at least two buildings, and damaged trees. After nearly 10 miles, the tornado lifted three miles north of Byron in Thayer County.

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

112°FJul 12, 1939

All-time low

−33°FFeb 16, 2021

Warmest night

90°FJul 28, 1931

Coldest day

−14°FFeb 2, 1905

Wettest day

7.13 inMay 7, 2015

Snowiest day

13.7 inDec 19, 1968

Hottest year

1998mean 55.3°F

Coldest year

1902mean 48.6°F

Wettest year

197348.76 in

Driest year

193410.64 in

Snowiest season

64.4 in1959-60

Station Superior (USC00258320), 1,512 ft elevation, 5.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1902 to October 27, 2026; 94.6% 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 USC00258320.
• 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.