National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Significant August Tornadoes across the North Platte Warning Area

Listed below are selected significant August tornadoes for the North Platte CWA.  Tornadoes are relatively rare across Western and North Central Nebraska during August, with only 49 confirmed since 1950.  In terms of a ratio, one could expect less than one confirmed tornado during an average August for the entire CWA.  Considering that the North Platte County Warning Area consists of 26 Nebraska counties which encompasses nearly 33,000 square miles, it would mean that the likelihood of a tornado striking a particular square mile would be less than 1/200,000 during an average year.     

• Estimated F-3     08/07/1924  Sheridan/Cherry Counties -- The tornado formed on the county border near "Hinchley" (ESE of Rushville) and moved southeast.  The tornado was reported at times to be as large as two miles wide destroying windmills, barns and a ranch.  Along with the damage, 34 cattle were killed and a man was killed with his wife severely injured (location not shown on map).
•  Estimated F-2 (EF-1)    08/15/1956  Brown County -- The tornado passed to the northeast of Ainsworth, derailing boxcars from a train near Long Pine and throwing an old car body over 400 yards.
• Estimated F-2     08/16/1960  Garden County  --  The tornado destroyed a barn on the southeast side of Oshkosh.
• Estimated F-2 (EF-1)    08/31/1964  Frontier County  -- Several farms were destroyed and cattle was lost when a tornado moved across portions of western and southern Curtis.
• F-2    08/10/1980  Sheridan County -- The tornado, which formed 13 miles northeast of Alliance, moved south to 4 miles west of Antioch destroyed a barn and killed livestock along its path.
• EF-1    08/04/1981  Garfield County -- The tornado destroyed two barns and damaged a home along its path 15 miles east of Burwell.
• EF-2    08/24/1981  Logan County -- The tornado totally destroyed a home, with the owner of the house uninjured as he hid in the bathtub.  The same foundation was hit by a tornado six years prior, on June 18, 1975.  From 1956 to 1981, only two houses had been destroyed by a tornado in Logan County, on this same foundation!

Recent Tornadoes in the North Platte CWA

• EF-0    08/09/2006  Lincoln County  -- Two tornadoes reported in Lincoln County, the first north of Sutherland and the second near Hershey.
• EF-0    08/03/2007  Cherry County  -- Rain wrapped tornado reported by the public just north of Sparks.
• EF-0    08/11/2008  Cherry County  -- A tornado was reported by the public 10 miles northwest of Elsmere.
• EF-0    08/13/2008  Deuel County -- Little damage was reported with the tornado that was near Chappell.    

Below is a map showing the location of the 49 confirmed August tornadoes for the North Platte CWA since 1950.  Please double click on the map to enlarge the features.