Wayne, NE tornado history
20 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Wayne, NE from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 36th of 51 Nebraska cities with a tornado on record. 4 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on May 12, 2023 (EF0, 0.7-mile path); the strongest, on June 16, 2014, was rated EF4. The deadliest, on June 16, 2014, killed 1 along its path.
Dashed circle: 10 miles from the city's Census center point. A tornado counts when its recorded path passes inside the circle. Paths run straight from start to end point, as SPC records them.
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Every tornado within 10 miles of the center of Wayne, NE
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2023 | EF0 | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 5.6 mi |
| May 12, 2023 | EF0 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 4.8 mi |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 15.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 8.6 mi |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF4 | 11.5 mi | 1 / 0 | Stanton County, NE | 9.0 mi |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | 18.3 mi | 0 / 15 | Wayne County, NE | 0.9 mi |
| Jun 1, 2010 | EF0 | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 10.0 mi |
| May 21, 2004 | F1 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 1.9 mi |
| Jun 30, 1999 | F0 | – | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 2.7 mi |
| Aug 29, 1993 | F1 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Dixon County, NE | 8.0 mi |
| May 16, 1992 | F0 | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 1.0 mi |
| Jun 15, 1970 | F2 | 59.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Madison County, NE | 1.6 mi |
| May 8, 1965 | F1 | 41.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE → IA | 0.8 mi |
| Apr 20, 1964 | F2 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 0.8 mi |
| Oct 10, 1961 | F1 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 7.5 mi |
| May 30, 1959 | F1 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Dixon County, NE | 8.4 mi |
| Oct 29, 1956 | F1 | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 5.3 mi |
| Jun 17, 1955 | F2 | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 3.6 mi |
| May 26, 1955 | F2 | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Wayne County, NE | 0.7 mi |
| Jun 17, 1954 | F3 | 23.6 mi | 1 / 0 | Stanton County, NE | 9.0 mi |
| Jun 19, 1953 | F2 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 | Wayne County, NE | 1.3 mi |
More: Wayne County tornadoes · Nebraska tornado history · Wayne hail history · Nebraska damaging wind
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Severe Weather Database (SVRGIS) tornado file, 1950–2025, and SPC preliminary storm reports for 2026 (data through November 6, 2026). Ratings are the ones the National Weather Service assigned: Fujita (F) scale before Feb 1, 2007, Enhanced Fujita (EF) after. Paths are drawn as straight lines from the start to the end point SPC records; real paths curve. City and county boundaries: US Census Bureau.
NWS Damage Survey Paths Near Wayne
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 3 tornadoes within 10 miles of Wayne in damage surveys (1 EF4, 2 EF0). On the map, those paths follow the survey, colored by the EF rating of each stretch, instead of a straight line from start to end.
| Date | Rating | Peak wind | Path length | Max width | Deaths / injuries | On the ground | Surveyed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2023 | EF0 | 80 mph | 0.7 mi | 20 yd | 0 / 0 | 23:24–23:35 UTC | NWS Omaha |
| May 12, 2023 | EF0 | 85 mph | 0.3 mi | 20 yd | 0 / 0 | 23:14–23:16 UTC | NWS Omaha |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | – | 18.9 mi | – | 0 / 0 | 19:18 UTC | NWS FSD, |
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT): the tornado paths and EF-rating zones NWS survey teams mapped after each storm. Survey data are preliminary and can be revised; NOAA's official record is Storm Data (NCEI). Paths are simplified to about 30 m. Times are when the tornado was on the ground, in UTC.