Otoe County

Every recorded tornado

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

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NE Univ of NE Lincoln (9).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 22, 2004Tornado$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This long tracked tornado is often referred to as the Hallam tornado. It initially touched down 3 miles west of Daykin in northern Jefferson county. The tornado was rated an f0 or f1 in Jefferson county damaging farm outbuildings, grain bins and trees. From there the tornado crossed into Saline county southwest of Western and remained an f0 or f1 until it struck the southern portion of Wilber where it strengthened to f2. Roofs were blown off of homes just southeast of Wilber.The tornado traveled from Wilber into Gage county, crossing the county line west of Clatonia where it grew to its most intense stage, f4. The tornado remained nearly at this strength as it crossed into…

2. Oct 25, 1997Heavy Snow, Otoe$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major early season snowstorm struck the area. A heavy wet snowfall of 6 to 14 inches fell on trees, many of which were still fully or partially leafed, and caused extensive damage and/or total destruction. At least 205,000 residents in the affected area were without power just after the storm, many of the outages lasted for several days. Omaha Public Power District estimated that it was the worst outage in 50 years. Nearly 85% of the trees in the Omaha area and 25% of the trees in the Lincoln area sustained damage or were totally destroyed. Many emergency shelters in and around the Omaha and Lincoln areas were opened for use by those who suffered a hardship from the storm.

3. May 23, 1996Flash Flood$620,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rainfall throughout the month resulted in flash flooding along the Little Nemaha River in Otoe County on May 9th, the 23rd, and the 27th. Damage estimates to public structures amounted to $618,000 and nearly $6 million to crops.

4. Jun 11, 2010Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain over much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during most of June caused a prolonged period of flooding along the Missouri River, especially downstream of Omaha through Rulo. The river near Nebraska City climbed above flood stage early in the afternoon on June 11th and remained above flood stage into July. The river at Nebraska City crested around or a little over 25 feet during the afternoon of June 16th and June 21st. Flood stage is 18 feet. Industrial roads near the river were flooded along with some cabins, boat ramps and recreation areas.

5. Apr 11, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 60 mph damaged numerous locations in town including several trees that were were split with large sections falling onto houses causing roof damage, damage to garages and to windows. According to the Nebraska City News Press, the damage was primarily along a line from Pendleton Woolen Mills and W&H Manufacturers along Industrial Road to North Table Creek across the parking lot of Norman's.

6. May 15, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$85,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Semi truck overturned. 7000 square foot pole barn destroyed west of Syracuse. Hay sheds flattened. Most damage confined to an area between Douglas/Syracuse/and Unadilla.

7. May 23, 2008Lightning$80,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A lightning strike started a fire that caused an estimated $80,000 damage to a home in Nebraska City.

8. Apr 15, 2006Tornado$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado touched down in far southern Otoe county around 11 miles south of Nebraska City, or around 1 mile east northeast of Julian. Julian is in Nemaha county and just south of the Otoe county line. The touchdown was near County Road S and Highway 75. The tornado caused f1 damage to a house in this vicinity and then tracked around 2.5 miles before lifting around 9 miles south of Nebraska City or about 2 to 3 miles northeast of Julian near county road Q and Highway 75. The tornado also caused f1 damage to houses near County Road R and Highway 75 and County Road S and Highway 75. Several trees were also toppled onto vehicles destroying them or causing extensive damage. The…

9. Jun 1, 2011Flood$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding along the Missouri River gradually worsened during June as record releases from Gavins Point Dam brought widespread flooding along the river. The river at Nebraska City, which climbed above its 18 foot flood stage in mid April, started June around 23 feet and then began rising by the 10th eventually reaching a record crest of around 28 feet by the end of the month. The river stayed well above flood stage through July. In Otoe county farmland, roads and recreation areas near the river flooded as did some cabins and a grain elevator near Nebraska City. Flood waters crossed Highway 2 in Fremont county Iowa prompting its closure on both sides of the river.

10. Jun 24, 2024Flood$75,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Excessive rainfall across much of eastern South Dakota resulted in river flooding along the Missouri River at the end of June. Moderate flood stage was observed along the Missouri, with the river gauge in Nebraska City cresting at 24.35 feet on 6/30. Flood stage at this river gauge is 18.0 feet. At 10:20 am CDT, emergency management sent photos of minor flooding in industrial areas right along the riverbank. Additional photos showed lowland flooding that had advances approximately half a mile outside of the normal riverbank. At 10:36 am on the 29th, additional photos were submitted by emergency management showing water levels had risen considerable, inundating multiple industrial…

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

116°FAug 13, 1936

All-time low

−33°FDec 10, 1919

Warmest night

86°FJul 25, 1936

Coldest day

−11°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

6.74 inMay 9, 1950

Snowiest day

12.0 inMar 14, 1912

Hottest year

1921mean 56.0°F

Coldest year

1979mean 47.3°F

Wettest year

199350.52 in

Driest year

189514.58 in

Snowiest season

59.2 in2018-19

Station Syracuse (USC00258395), 1,100 ft elevation, 8.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 19, 2026; 99.1% 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 USC00258395.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.