Axtell, Nebraska
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 1986. It stands in District 4. It lies in ZIP code area 68924. The Survey maps it on the Axtell West quadrangle. 732 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,224 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Axtell
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 2 records
Bethphage Missionlisted 2013
Salem Swedish Methodist Episcopal Churchlisted 1982
Population over time
2 figuresAxtell grew from 726 to 732 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 726 | |
| 2020 | 732 | +6 (+1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 13 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1896 USGS Holdrege quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1955 USGS Grand Island quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Grand Island quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Grand Island quadrangle1:250000
- 1970 USGS Axtell West quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Holdrege quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
37 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 37 fires within 5 miles of Axtell between 2007 and 2020, burning about 94 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 16 |
| Debris and open burning | 11 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 30 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 21 September 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 19 September 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 18 September 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 11 September 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 1 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 4 August 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 17 August 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 76 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Axtell in 76 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 42 hail, 27 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $125,000 | Peak wind gusts were estimated to be around 75 MPH, with one measured gust of 66 MPH from a mesonet station located two miles southwest of Axtell. These wind gusts caused widespread tree damage in Axtell, with several large branches downed and some trees split in two. One portion of a split tree landed on a garage. Another home suffered minor damage as well as fence damage. |
| March 2020 | Hail | Axtell | $125,000 | Hail was mostly pea to nickel sized, with a few quarter size stones, and was 2 inches deep in the yard. |
| July 2024 | Hail | Axtell | $125,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $100,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF0) | Axtell | $75,000 | A local resident reported damage to an irrigation pivot and soybean field north of Axtell. Subsequent radar review showed a circulation in the same area and time as the report, supporting a tornado. The location of the path was estimated based upon radar and the local resident report. The tornado was rated an EF0 with peak winds estimated to be 80 MPH based upon damage described to the pivot. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $50,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be between 60 and 70 MPH downed a large tree in town. This tree landed on a home, punching a hole through the bedroom ceiling. The tree also landed on power lines. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Axtell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Axtell | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $35,000 | A wind gust of 79 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located five miles north of Axtell. Reports via social media included large tree limbs downed, a garage severely damaged, and a flipped trampoline. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Axtell | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $25,000 | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 MPH and were accompanied by dime size hail. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Axtell | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $20,000 | Winds estimated at 60 mph were accompanied by hail up to the size of quarters, causing minor to significant crop damage across the area. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Axtell | $10,000 | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Hail | Axtell | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $5,000 | This gust occurred behind the squall line in a pressure minimum. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Axtell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Axtell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Axtell | $4,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | $2,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 65 MPH resulted in a tree being uprooted. These winds were likely associated with outflow from storms several miles to the south. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Axtell | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | A wind gust of 73 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located three miles north-northeast of Hildreth. |
| July 2024 | Tornado (EFU) | Axtell | - | This tornado was a brief touchdown reported by storm chasers and an off-duty NWS employee. No rating nor wind speed was assigned due to the lack of quality damage indicators in the area. The location was based off of video and photos. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Axtell | - | Pea to quarter size hail was reported in Axtell. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Axtell | - | Hail ranging in size from half dollars to tennis balls was reported along and near this path, including golf ball size hail from the NTV television studio located just east of Axtell. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Axtell | - | Facebook photo of hail next to a ruler revealed a giant stone approximately four inches in diameter. |
| April 2022 | Tornado (EFU) | Axtell | - | This tornado briefly touched down between Minden and Hildreth. Location and time was approximated from reports and radar. No damage was reported. |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | A wind gust of 65 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located 3 miles east-northeast of Axtell. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | A wind gust of 68 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located five miles north of Axtell. |
| May 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Axtell | - | This landspout appeared to drift west over the course of a few minutes over farmground just south-southeast of the ethanol plant east of Axtell. Damage was minimal. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | A wind gust of 63 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located 3 miles east-northeast of Axtell, with wind gusts of at least 60 MPH continuing east into the Minden area. These gusts caused tree damage across the area, with a power line downed across Highway 6 approximately 3 miles west of Minden and a handful of tree limbs, the largest being 8 to 10 inches in diameter, downed in Minden. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | Wind gust was measured on a portable anemometer. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Axtell | - | Hail up to 2 inches in diameter was reported along this path. Hail was accompanied by 60 MPH wind gusts. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | Measured wind gusts of 62 to 68 mph occurred near the Highway 44 corridor in western Kearney County. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Axtell | - | Wind gusts of 50 mph and heavy rain also occurred. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | Wind gusts were estimated between 50 and 60 MPH. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | Power pole and power lines blown down in town. Tree damage was also reported. |
| May 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Axtell | - | Storm spotters reported a brief tornado near the county line northwest of Axtell. No damage was reported. |
| July 1994 | Hail | Axtell | - | Thunderstorm winds ripped tin off of a barn. Quarter-size hail also occurred. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | Thunderstorm winds ripped tin off of a barn. Quarter-size hail also occurred. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| September 2023 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| April 2019 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| April 2019 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| August 2018 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| September 2017 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| September 2010 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Axtell | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Heavy Rain | Axtell | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keene | 4.9 miles | 13 | |
| Wilcox | 8.2 miles | 13 | |
| Minden | 9.6 miles | 12 | |
| Kearney City (historical) | 12.0 miles | 20 | |
| Newark | 14.2 miles | 16 | |
| Koller | 14.7 miles | 14 | |
| Norman | 17.7 miles | 12 | |
| Valley City (historical) | 18.0 miles | 16 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Axtell | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2743048 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 835239. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.





