Dorchester, Nebraska
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1935 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Dorchester precinct. It lies in ZIP code area 68343. The Survey maps it on the Dorchester quadrangle. 610 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,483 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Dorchester
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 1 record
Z.C.B.J. Rad Tabor No. 74listed 1985
Population over time
2 figuresDorchester grew from 586 to 610 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 | 586 | |
| 2020 | 610 | +24 (+4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 14 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.
- 1935 USGS Dorchester quadrangle1:48000
- 1940 USGS Dorchester quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Lincoln quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1957 USGS Lincoln quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Lincoln quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Dorchester quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS York quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
10 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 10 fires within 5 miles of Dorchester between 2003 and 2020, burning about 44 acres in total. None 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 | 4 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 August 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 3 June 2017 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 2 May 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 7 April 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 9 March 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 30 November 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 29 November 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 8 October 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 71 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dorchester in 71 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 38 hail, 20 thunderstorm wind, 6 flood, 4 flash flood. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Dorchester | $50,000 | Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches in a several hour period produced flash flooding in the streets of Dorchester and Crete. In the Crete area several cars were flooded up door level and some roads were damaged by flood waters. Several basements were also flooded. |
| September 2014 | Flash Flood | Dorchester | $5,000 | Emergency management and spotters reported flash flooding across Saline County. The area received between 4 to 7 inches of rainfall and this led to the flash flooding. The flooding caused several streets and highways to be closed, including Nebraska Highway 15 near the Dorchester. |
| August 2014 | Flood | Dorchester | $5,000 | Repeated thunderstorms on the 27th and 28th of August caused heavy rainfall and the West Fork of the Big Blue river to go into flood. The river rose above flood stage on the morning of the 29th, the river created and fell below flood stage in early early September. The flooding was generally minor and confined to low-lying areas along the river. |
| September 2014 | Flood | Dorchester | $5,000 | The West Folk of the Big Blue began to flood in late August and continued above flood stage into early September. The river crested in late August and fell below flood stage early on the morning on the 3rd. The flooding was minor and mainly confined to low-lying areas along the river. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Dorchester | $2,000 | Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches on 6/20 and 6/21 and additional rain the next few days eventually caused the West Fork of the Blue River to flood in Saline County. The river near Dorchester crested at a little over 16.5 feet during the evening of 6/26, flood stage is 15 feet. Farmland and county roads near the river flooded. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Delayed report from emergency management of roof damage to several structures in Dorchester, NE. Time estimated from radar. Wind speeds were estimated at 80 mph. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Delayed report from emergency management of damage to power lines and pivots flipped south of Dorchester. Time estimated from radar. Wind speeds were estimated at 80 mph. |
| September 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Mesonet measured wind gust of 59 mph. |
| September 2025 | Flash Flood | Dorchester | - | Flash flooding struck portions of southeast Nebraska, including northern Saline County, on the morning of September 1, 2025, due to intense thunderstorms. Radar data indicated peak rainfall rates of 23 inches per hour, leading to estimated totals ranging from 3 to 6 inches. These estimates were strongly supported by public reports, including: 5.51 inches four miles northwest of Dorchester, 5.91 inches three miles east of Friend, and 3.52 inches four miles northeast of Friend. A delayed social media report from Dorchester further confirmed the impact, showing inundated roadways with an estimated 24 inches of water covering the pavement in some areas. |
| July 2024 | Tornado (EF0) | Dorchester | - | A narrow area, less than 100 yards across with several damaged trees and downed limbs was documented along Highway 15. Roads off of the highway near this location were impassable. This damage lines up perfectly with tight radar indicated rotation, and with a funnel observation. Peak winds in this tornado were estimated at 74 miles per hour. The width of this tornado was measured to be at 80 yards. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | A personal weather station measured a peak wind gust of 66 mph. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | A personal weather station measured a peak wind gust of 81 mph. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Trained spotter reported 1-inch hail. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Public reported 1.25 inch hail via social media. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Public reported 1.25 inch hail. |
| May 2021 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Public reported 1.5 inch hail. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF2) | Dorchester | - | This is segmnent 1 of 3 of an EF-2 tornado that began in northeast Saline County where it overturned numerous irrigation pivots. This tornado continued northeast into It continued northeastward into Seward County. |
| September 2021 | Flood | Dorchester | - | Water across the road south of town on Turkey Creek. Waterways are full. Small creek along highway 33 is out of its banks. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Public reported 1 inch hail. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | A storm chaser measured a 63 mph wind gust south of Dorchester. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | A storm chaser estimated a 60 mph wind gust. |
| October 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Reports on social media indicated that branches and power poles were downed. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Nickel-size hail was accompanied by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph near the Dorchester area. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at around 60 mph downed large tree branches east of Dorchester. The winds were accompanied by nickel-size hail. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Spotters reported hail ranging from quarter to golf ball size from in Dorchester to 2 miles south southeast of town. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Dorchester | - | The hail broke windows in several homes in town. |
| July 2013 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Hail as large as ping pong ball-size fell north of Western and west of Wilber for about 5 minutes. The hail partially shredded crops in the area and some accumulation was noted on roads. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at around 60 mph damaged pivots and downed trees east of Dorchester. Time was estimated from radar. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Hail up to nickel-size was reported in Dorchester. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Tree limbs as large as 4 inches in diameter were downed by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2011 | Heavy Rain | Dorchester | - | Rainfall of around 4 inches fell across parts of Saline county this night. The heavy rain produced some minor flooding of the Big Blue River in the Crete area. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Hail up to quarter-size fell for several minutes in the Dorchester area. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | A storm chaser measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph southeast of Friend. |
| March 2009 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Golf ball-size hail caused siding damage to at least 20 homes in the Dorchester area. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph knocked over 2 trees that fell on vehicles in town along with downing numerous branches. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Hail up to nickel-size lasted for a few minutes. |
| August 2007 | Flood | Dorchester | - | Several days of spotty heavy rainfall pushed Turkey Creek out of its banks, causing some minor agricultural lowland flooding. The creek near Wiber was above it's 11 foot flood stage from around 1215 am CDT on Aug 4th until 530 am on August 5th. The creek crested at around 11.7 feet at 1015 pm CDT on the 4th. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph lasted for around 15 minutes southwest of Dorchester. These strong winds downed numerous 4 to 6 inch tree limbs and caused some damage to a chimney. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Nickel size hail was accompanied by winds strong enough to break 2 inch tree limbs. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Emergency management measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 68 mph on home weather equipment. The winds blew down 3 large trees in town along with numerous branches knocked down on streets. A hot tub was flipped against a tree, the canopy of a trailer was blown off and at least one window in a downtown building was blown out. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 to 65 mph by a trained spotter caused some tree and power line damage in town. Arching electrical charges from power lines caused a grass fire that was quickly extinguished. The winds were accompanied by dime size hail. |
| July 2005 | Hail | Dorchester | - | The hail was accompanied by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated by a trained spotter at 60 mph. |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | Dorchester | - | Rainfall of 2 to 3 inches which fell over parts of Saline county during the evening of 5/22 produced areas of flash flooding across Saline county. An area near Dorchester reported local flooding of roads near town. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at around 60 mph by emergency management. |
| September 2002 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Hail up to 1 inch in diameter fell east of Dorchester. |
| September 2002 | Hail | Dorchester | - | Hail up to 1 inch in diameter was reported near Dorchester. |
| June 2000 | Hail | Dorchester | - | A few penny size hailstones, most smaller. |
| July 2000 | Flood | Dorchester | - | Rainfall of 2.4 inches in 1 hour caused some street and small stream flooding around Dorchester. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dorchester | - | Large tree branches downed. |
| October 2016 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| October 2016 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| October 2013 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Dorchester | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Dorchester | - | 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.
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 Dorchester | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1820610 | 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 828759. 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.






