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Falls City, Nebraska

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1915 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Falls City precinct. It lies in ZIP code area 68355. The Survey maps it on the Falls City quadrangle. 4,133 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,010 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Falls City within Richardson County

On record in Falls City

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 4 records

Population over time

2 figures

Falls City fell from 4,325 to 4,133 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.

YearPeople Change
20104,325
20204,133-192 (-4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 12 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

25 since 2008

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 25 fires within 5 miles of Falls City between 2008 and 2020, burning about 150 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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
Debris and open burning15
Missing data/not specified/undetermined6
Arson/incendiarism1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Smoking1
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
16 August 2008Smoking1.0 acresNebraska Forest Servicenot named
11 August 2008Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named
21 July 2018Debris and open burning1.0 acresNebraska Forest Servicenot named
7 June 2017Debris and open burning1.0 acresNebraska Forest Servicenot named
5 June 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named
13 June 2008Debris and open burningunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named
9 April 2010Debris and open burning12 acresNebraska Forest Servicenot named
18 April 2020Debris and open burning5.0 acresNebraska Forest Servicenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Richardson County

Storms near this place

53 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Falls City in 53 storm reports between 1997 and 2026: 23 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 1 tornado. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
October 2024Thunderstorm WindFalls City$1,500,000A swath of destructive straight line winds impacted portions of southeast Richardson County including Falls City. The Falls City ASOS measured a 91 miles per hour wind gust at 1:09 pm CDT, and again at 1:12 pm CDT. The ASOS lost power and stopped transmitting data at 1:15 pm CDT. Widespread tree damage was reported across Falls City with snow plows assisting in the removal of tree debris. Trees went through the roofs of two homes, and an additional house had a wall blown down as reported by law enforcement. A large factory in town lost approximately 3 to 4 thousand square feet of its roof. Powerlines were down across the southeast portion of the county, debris was strewn out across fields, and a school bus was reported to have been moved by the wind.
May 2006LightningFalls City$75,000Lightning struck a tree next to a house and then traveled into the house and set in on fire. By the time firefighters arrived the house was completely in flames. The house and all of its contents were destroyed. There was nobody home at the time and no injuries were reported.
April 1999Tornado (F0)Falls City$8,000Brief touchdown downed a few power poles and outbuildings.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindFalls City$2,000Damage to shed roof.
May 2011Flash FloodFalls City$1,000Two to three inches of rain fell over much of Richardson county over several hours during the afternoon/early evening of 5/25...2.29 inches was measured at Falls City. The heavy rain caused flash flooding for a few hours across Pony Creek Road south of Falls City causing its brief closure.
August 2007Flash FloodFalls City$1,000Rainfall of around 2 inches in an hour or so caused flooding across Highway 73 north of Falls City closing it for a while this evening.
April 2026HailFalls City-Trained spotter report of hail estimated up to 1 inch in diameter in Falls City, NE.
April 2024Thunderstorm WindFalls City-The Falls City ASOS recorded a 58 mile per hour wind gust.
July 2024HailFalls City-A trained spotter reported quarter sized hail which fell for a few minutes.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Falls City ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Falls City ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 64 mph.
May 2023HailFalls City-NWS Employee reported 1-inch hail.
May 2020HailFalls City-Quarter sized hail.
May 2019Heavy RainFalls City-Observers reporting 5 to 7 inches of rain across the county.
August 2019HailFalls City-The public reported one inch hail.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindFalls City-A person estimated 60 mph winds with pea size hail in Falls City.
April 2014HailFalls City-The spotter indicated the hail lasted for 5 minutes.
September 2013Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 70 mph tipped over a farm outbuilding and ripped tin from buildings in the area.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Several trees and power lines were blown down.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindFalls City-A wind gust to 58 mph was measured by the Falls City ASOS equipment.
May 2013HailFalls City-Reported on the west side of Falls City.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Two trees and some large tree limbs were blown down in the Falls City area from thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at around 60 mph.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Thunderstorm winds gusted over 60 mph for about 20 minutes in the Falls City area. Gusts of 64 to 70 mph were measured by the Asos at Falls City for this period. Tree damage was noted across town.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindFalls City-The Asos at the Falls City airport measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 59 mph.
June 2009HailFalls City-The hail lasted for around 5 minutes.
March 2009Thunderstorm WindFalls City-A thunderstorm wind gust was measured at 59 mph by Asos at the Falls City airport. The winds caused damage to a hanger door.
June 2009HailFalls City-Hail up to golf ball-size was reported from southwest of Falls City into town. Many vehicles in town sustained hail damage, some substantially, along with roofs and sidings of homes. The hail was from a multi-updraft supercell thunderstorm that moved across the area that afternoon.
June 2009Flash FloodFalls City-Heavy rain, for the second night in a row, caused flash flooding along Big Muddy Creek north of Falls City. The flooding closed Highway 73 for an hour or so. Damage along Highway 73 was minimal.
July 2009HailFalls City-Hail up to quarter-size fell for at least several minutes in the Falls City area.
September 2008Thunderstorm WindFalls City-A thunderstorm wind gust was measured at 59 mph by the Falls City Asos.
March 2006Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph ripped the roof off of a cabin and scattered the debris across a park near Stanton Lake.
July 2004HailFalls City-Dime to nickel size hail fell in Falls City for a little over 5 minutes.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindFalls City-A severe thunderstorm produced a measured wind gust of 66 mph at the Falls City Airport, and the Richardson County Emergency Manager recorded an unofficial wind gust of 80 mph with their monitoring equipment. The storm produced extensive tree damage throughout Falls City, and tore the roof off a local hardware store.
July 2001Flash FloodFalls City-Heavy rain caused flooding of county roads near Falls City.
July 2001Flash FloodFalls City-Heavy rainfall in Richardson county, radar estimated over 3 inches in some locations, caused flash flooding along Walnut Creek southeast of Falls City. The flood waters affected mainly rural lowlands but did flood a county road near town.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage south of Falls City.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindFalls City-Thunderstorm gust downed power lines and did some tree limb and roof damage.
April 2017HailFalls City-no account filed
April 2017HailFalls City-no account filed
April 2016Thunderstorm WindFalls City-no account filed
July 2014HailFalls City-no account filed
June 2010HailFalls City-no account filed
June 2009HailFalls City-no account filed
May 2007HailFalls City-no account filed
March 2007HailFalls City-no account filed
December 2006HailFalls City-no account filed
July 2004HailFalls City-no account filed
July 2003HailFalls City-no account filed
March 2000HailFalls City-no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindFalls City-no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindFalls City-no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindFalls City-no account filed
May 1997HailFalls City-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Richardson County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Archer (historical)2.6 miles12
Straussville3.7 miles11
Preston Census Designated Place4.8 miles12
Preston4.8 miles12
Salem6.4 miles11
Verdon8.4 miles11
Arago (historical)9.1 miles14
Rulo9.3 miles13

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 Falls CityAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q968130The 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 829265. 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.