BlockGrafton, Nebraska
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1898 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Grafton Township. It lies in ZIP code area 68365. The Survey maps it on the Grafton quadrangle. 106 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,690 feet above sea level.
On record in Grafton
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
Big Blue River Bridgelisted 1992- Grafton High Schoollisted 2025
Population over time
2 figuresGrafton fell from 126 to 106 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 | 126 | |
| 2020 | 106 | -20 (-16%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 15 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.
- 1898 USGS York quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1899 USGS York quadrangle1:125000
- 1955 USGS Lincoln quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1957 USGS Lincoln quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Lincoln quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Grafton quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS York quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
7 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Grafton between 1996 and 2009, burning about 426 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 4 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 May 1997 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District | COTTONWOOD |
| 3 April 2009 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 3 April 1996 | Debris and open burning | 160 acres | Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District | WILKINS |
| 29 March 1999 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District | BRAUNING |
| 28 March 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District | BRAUNING |
| 9 November 1999 | Smoking | 5.0 acres | Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District | BRAUNING 2 |
| 18 January 2000 | Smoking | 95 acres | Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District | WILKINS |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
40 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Grafton in 40 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 18 hail, 13 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 2 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 2014 | Tornado (EF2) | Grafton | $3,500,000 | This tornado traveled rural areas of northern Fillmore County, bumping the York County line along the way. It touched down a few miles north-northwest of Grafton and lifted a few miles north-northeast of Fairmont. One home suffered damage when part of the roof was torn away, while another older home was pushed approximately 30 feet off of its foundation. There was widespread power pole and tree damage, with some trees containing debris from grain bins, and a number of irrigation pivots were overturned. The peak wind with this tornado was estimated to be 120 MPH. South of the main tornado track, strong rear flank downdraft winds resulted in additional power pole and irrigation pivot damage, and an outbuilding suffered damage near Highway 81 north of Fairmont. |
| May 2014 | Tornado (EF3) | Grafton | $1,500,000 | This is the continuation of the EF3 tornado that started in Clay County northwest of Fairfield.||This tornado was reported initially as a multi-vortex tornado for several miles before taking on a more traditional look south of Saronville, where it was described as a wedge tornado. Based upon reports and video, it appears the entire mesocyclone of the storm was near ground level southwest of Sutton. It was one of the strongest tornado of the day in south central Nebraska, rated an EF3 with the peak wind estimated to be 150 MPH. Rear flank downdraft winds resulted in damage on the south side of the tornado track and in addition to the damage to Sutton itself, areas east of Clay Center, southwest of Sutton through northwest of Grafton were affected. Power poles and trees were damaged or snapped, irrigation pivots were overturned, and a few homes and outbuildings suffered damage.||Damage from this tornado was first noted north of Fairfield, where large tree limbs were knocked down and power poles broken. The tornado shifted mainly east across Highway 14 south of Clay Center, with additional tree damage as well as irrigation pivots overturned. It then started to move to the northeast, crossing Highway 41 east of Clay Center and Highway 6 a few miles west of Sutton, but powerful rear flank downdraft winds of 100 mph hammered Sutton and areas south-southwest of town, causing widespread property damage. Moving in between Saronville and Sutton, the tornado then started a more east-northeast path, crossing Road 6 north of Sutton before dissipating approximately 5 miles northeast of town.||As the tornado approached and crossed Highway 6 it intensified to it strongest point. Damage peaked a few miles north of Sutton, where the EF-3 rating was assigned, resulting from the destruction of a home. Elsewhere along the path, a few other homes sustained less significant damage than the one north of Sutton, and a number of other outbuildings and grain bins were also damaged or destroyed. Many trees were damaged, destroyed or contained debris (mainly from destroyed grain bins), irrigation pivots were overturned and power poles broken. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $1,000,000 | The highest measured wind gusts near and along this path included the following: 91 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located three miles south-southeast of Fairmont; 86 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located two miles northeast of Exeter; 75 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located four miles southeast of Sutton; 74 MPH, measured by a mesonet station located two miles south of Exeter. There were several reports of tree damage along this path, including the Grafton and Fairmont areas. Power outages and line damage was also reported. In the Fairmont area, at least one grain bin was destroyed, and a semi was tipped over. |
| June 2019 | Hail | Grafton | $250,000 | Quarter to golf ball size hail was accompanied by 50 to 60 MPH wind gusts. |
| June 2015 | Flood | Grafton | $250,000 | Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall totaled generally 4-7 across much of Fillmore County between the 3rd-6th, with the majority of this rain falling on the 4th-5th. The cumulative effects of multiple heavy rains resulted in significant flooding along the West Fork Big Blue River and its smaller stream tributaries in the northern part of the county, mainly on the 6th-7th. Reports indicated that this may have been some the worst flooding observed along the river in 50-80 years. A few days of warm and dry weather settled in from June 7-9, allowing flood waters to largely recede. However, another focused area of 1.50-3.00 of heavy rain targeted the York and northern Fillmore counties area on the night of the 10th into the morning of the 11th. This again pushed the West Fork Big Blue River out of its banks in the McCool Junction area from the 11th into the 12th, before this multiple-day flooding event finally came to a close. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $180,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH knocked three irrigation pivots over near Road H between Roads 5 and 6. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Grafton | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Grafton | $100,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Grafton | $100,000 | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Grafton | $75,000 | A QLCS tornado affected portions of eastern Clay County and western Fillmore County. This tornado touched down at approximately Road 315 and Z Road south of Sutton, then moved north-northeast where it impacted a farmstead along Z Road, just north of Road 316. Within this stretch of the tornado, several EF1 damage points were noted, particularly with respect to several large wooden power poles snapped, uprooted trees, and destroyed small grain bins. The grain bins were carried approximately 300 to 400 yards downstream into a nearby corn field that also sustained pivot damage. Small farm implements were also carried downwind, and a small chicken coop and other outbuildings were destroyed. Fortunately, the house received only minor damage to the siding. The tornado lifted shortly thereafter just northeast of the farmstead. In addition, a broad swath of severe crop damage was noted in the vicinity of and to the south of the tornado track, likely due to a combination of large hail and straight-line wind gusts of 60-80 MPH. Here, five foot tall healthy corn plants were reduced to 1-2 foot stalks, and bean fields were nearly unrecognizable. The peak wind gust was estimated to be 110 MPH, and the tornado width was based on power line damage south of the impacted farmstead. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Grafton | $50,000 | Heavy rainfall resulted in flooding along area creeks and rivers across northern portions of Fillmore County, including School Creek and the West Fork of the Big Blue River. Some rural roads and bridges were covered with water. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $40,000 | no account filed |
| October 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $30,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 65 MPH damaged some empty grain bins. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Grafton | $30,000 | no account filed |
| April 2014 | Hail | Grafton | $25,000 | The report, along with a photo, was received via Twitter. |
| June 1997 | Hail | Grafton | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Grafton | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $2,000 | Winds accompanied by dime size hail. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH, accompanied by dime size hail. |
| March 2020 | Hail | Grafton | - | Hail was mostly pea sized, with a few stones as large as a quarter. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | Estimated wind gusts of 50 to 60 MPH accompanied quarter to golf ball size hail. |
| May 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Grafton | - | This tornado location was determined from video and chaser reports. An experienced meteorologist and others have reported that this tornado rotated anti-cyclonically, or the opposite direction most tornadoes rotate. Radar imagery and video suggest the anti-cyclonic circulation could have occurred, although the rotational direction could not be confirmed via field survey. No damage was reported with this tornado. |
| April 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Grafton | - | A tornado in far northwest Fillmore County knocked over an irrigation center pivot system on its short path. |
| April 2023 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| October 2016 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| April 2009 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| September 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Funnel Cloud | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | 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 Grafton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2237877 | 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 829614. 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.