Polk County tornado history

38 tornadoes touched Polk County, Nebraska between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.5 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Apr 7, 1978).

38tornadoes since 1950
F4strongest rating
0killed · 4 injured
47.4 milongest path · 1971
(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F016
(E)F114
(E)F22
(E)F33
(E)F42
(E)F50
unrated1

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
Apr 7, 1978F431.2 mi77 yd10
Apr 7, 1978F48 mi50 yd00
Jul 21, 1962F325.2 mi880 yd10
Oct 9, 2001F318 mi1,500 yd00
Jun 20, 2011EF39.5 mi880 yd00
Jul 30, 1968F26.4 mi200 yd20
Jun 15, 1992F22 mi150 yd00
Jun 4, 1971F147.4 mi10 yd00
Oct 9, 2001F112 mi400 yd00
Dec 15, 2021EF112 mi400 yd00
Dec 15, 2021EF17.5 mi350 yd00
Oct 9, 2001F15 mi400 yd00

Most recent tornadoes

DateRatingPathWidthInjuredKilled
Aug 14, 2024unrated—15 yd00
May 21, 2024EF04.1 mi75 yd00
Dec 15, 2021EF112 mi400 yd00
Dec 15, 2021EF17.5 mi350 yd00
May 2, 2021EF01.3 mi100 yd00
Apr 27, 2014EF00.4 mi45 yd00
Jun 20, 2011EF39.5 mi880 yd00
May 12, 2011EF00.7 mi30 yd00
May 12, 2011EF01 mi30 yd00
May 11, 2011EF12.3 mi75 yd00
May 10, 2005F00.1 mi50 yd00
Oct 9, 2001F112 mi400 yd00

Nearby counties

York County, NE48Butler County, NE37Merrick County, NE31Nance County, NE24Platte County, NE37Seward County, NE39Hamilton County, NE65Colfax County, NE33

Questions

How many tornadoes has Polk County, Nebraska had?

38 tornadoes touched Polk County, Nebraska between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.5 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Polk County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on Apr 7, 1978, with a 31.2-mile path.

When is tornado season in Polk County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (13 of 38). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).