Mullen, Nebraska
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1948 and the latest in 1988. It stands in Mullen precinct. It lies in ZIP code area 69152. The Survey maps it on the Mullen quadrangle. 500 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,215 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Mullen
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
Hooker County Courthouselisted 1990
Population over time
2 figuresMullen fell from 509 to 500 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 | 509 | |
| 2020 | 500 | -9 (-2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 10 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.
- 1948 USGS Mullen quadrangle1:62500
- 1951 USGS Mullen quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Valentine quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Valentine quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Mullen quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1988 USGS Mullen quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
11 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 11 fires within 5 miles of Mullen between 1999 and 2012, burning about 2,313 acres in total. 6 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 6 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 August 2012 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 26 August 2012 | Natural | 40 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 26 August 2012 | Natural | 50 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 26 August 2012 | Natural | 135 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 21 August 2005 | Natural | 50 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 17 August 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 1 August 2012 | Natural | 5.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 5 July 2008 | Natural | 10 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Storms near this place
60 of 275 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Mullen in 275 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 190 hail, 63 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado, 9 funnel cloud. 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 1997 | Flash Flood | Mullen | $500,000 | Flash flood waters washed out 2 miles of county road. |
| June 2000 | Hail | Mullen | $250,000 | Significant damage to grassland in Hooker county and property in the Mullen area as a thunderstorm dropped hail covering the ground several inches deep in some areas. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Mullen | $100,000 | The cooperative observer reported the tennis ball size hail. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Mullen | $35,000 | A supercell storm dropped very large hail as it moved south along Highway 97 through the Dismal River area. The hail damaged roofs and vehicles. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Mullen | $30,000 | Large hail broke windshields and heavily damaged vehicles. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Mullen | $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Mullen | $25,000 | Windows were broken out of house with cars stuck on Highway 97 due to the hail. |
| July 2000 | Hail | Mullen | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Mullen | $15,000 | The large hail damaged a few roofs and vehicles. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Mullen | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Mullen | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $10,000 | Numerous tree limbs reported down in Mullen. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $10,000 | Law Enforcement reported power outages in Mullen and street signs knocked down. |
| October 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported a stop sign blown down along with several three to five inch diameter tree limbs down throughout the town. The downed tree limbs help take out power lines on the west side of town. |
| October 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $10,000 | Law enforcement reported tree damage and numerous power lines down in Mullen. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $10,000 | A 40 foot radio tower was blown down and 8 inch tree limbs were snapped. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused extensive tree damage in the community of Mullen. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Mullen | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Mullen | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Mullen | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Mullen | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Mullen | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Mullen | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Mullen | $9,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $7,000 | Thunderstorm wind damaged, broke, or blew down numerous trees southwest of Mullen and in Mullen. |
| June 1999 | Hail | Mullen | $7,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Mullen | $6,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Mullen | $6,000 | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $5,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 MPH blew shingles off of a house. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $5,000 | Multiple trees and power lines reported down in Mullen. |
| May 2009 | Tornado (EF0) | Mullen | $5,000 | Numerous trained storm spotters reported the touchdown of the tornado approximately 17 miles south southwest of Mullen. The tornado traveled across open rangeland until encountering one ranch. As it moved past the ranch, it demolished a metal windbreak, a tower, an outbuilding, and a windmill. The tornado also broke off large trees and carried a pickup cab 100 feet. The tornado then continued on a east-southeast track carrying debris 2 miles. The tornado was on the ground for about 3.5 miles. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Mullen | $5,000 | A few golf ball size hailstones were reported in the vicinity of a dissipated tornado near Highway 97 and the Dismal River. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Mullen | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Mullen | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Mullen | $4,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Lightning | Mullen | $3,000 | Two cows were struck by lightning and died. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $3,000 | 60 mph thunderstorm winds blew down large tree limbs in Mullen. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Mullen | $3,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Mullen | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds snapped off large tree limbs and destroyed a small shed. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $2,000 | Large tree limbs down. |
| August 2002 | Hail | Mullen | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Mullen | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Mullen | $1,500 | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Mullen | $1,000 | A sheriff's deputy reported his wind shield was broken out by ping pong ball sized hail on Highway 97 near Mile Marker 55. |
| April 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $1,000 | TREE LIMBS DOWN |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $1,000 | Large tree down. |
| August 2005 | Hail | Mullen | $1,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Mullen | $1,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Mullen | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Hail | Mullen | - | Large quantity of hail with drifting noted. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | - | Thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 60 MPH, reported at this location. |
| July 2024 | Hail | Mullen | - | Report via social media. Time estimated from radar. |
| June 2024 | Tornado (EF2) | Mullen | - | EF-2 damage was observed at several locations in Hooker County as the tornado continued to track south southeast. |
| July 2024 | Hail | Mullen | - | Report via social media with hail up to 4 inches in diameter. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | - | A trained spotter estimated 60 to 70 mph winds. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | - | Thunderstorm wind gust of 60 MPH estimated at this location. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mullen | - | Thunderstorm wind gust. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelso | 6.2 miles | 12 | |
| Heil School (historical) | 10.3 miles | 10 | |
| Weir | 17.2 miles | 10 |
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 Mullen | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1894192 | 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 831529. 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.





