Niobrara, Nebraska
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1950 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Niobrara Township. It lies in ZIP code area 68760. It stands on Niobrara River. The Survey maps it on the Niobrara quadrangle. 365 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,230 feet above sea level.
On record in Niobrara
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
Niobrara River Bridgelisted 1992
Ponca Tribal Self-Help Community Building Historic Districtlisted 2003
Population over time
2 figuresNiobrara fell from 370 to 365 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 | 370 | |
| 2020 | 365 | -5 (-1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 11 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.
- 1950 USGS Niobrara quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS O'Neill quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS O'Neill quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1969 USGS O'Neill quadrangle1:250000
- 1977 USGS Niobrara quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Atkinson quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1989 USGS O'Neill quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
13 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of Niobrara between 2004 and 2019, burning about 1,413 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | STANDING BEAR OVERLOOK |
| 4 July 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | STANDING BEAR BRIDGE FIRE |
| 28 May 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 5 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | JAY ROMKEMA |
| 29 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 640 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 20 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 12 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 600 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 10 April 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | MILLER / RUNNING WATER |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
44 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Niobrara in 44 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 24 hail, 15 thunderstorm wind, 4 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2010 | Flood | Niobrara | $35,000 | Rainfall of at least 4 to 8 inches fell across the Ponca Creek basin from late in the evening of the 21st into the early morning hours of the 22nd. The heavy rain caused flooding along Ponca Creek for much of July 22nd. The creek near Verdel crested a little over 14.5 feet during the early afternoon hours of the 22nd, flood stage is 12 feet. The flooding caused numerous washouts of county roads and and also flooded Highway 12 along with agricultural lowlands. Several culverts needed replacement after the flood. There was also significant flooding of a resort near the Missouri River close to where Ponca Creek flows into it with over 2 feet of water reported in the campground. |
| October 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Flood | Niobrara | $10,000 | Rainfall of 4 to 6 inches fell across much of this area during the night of July 21st and 22nd. The heavy rain produced flooding along Bazile Creek which flooded across Highway 12 east of Niobrara depositing some debris and causing its temporary closure. A Few county roads in the area were also flooded as were agricultural lowlands near the Creek. |
| July 2025 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Emergency management report of hail measured up to 1 inch in diameter. Time estimated from radar. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Public reported hail larger thana golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Public reported hail larger than a quarter and small than a golf ball. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Public reported 1.75-inch hail. |
| March 2023 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Public reported golf ball sized hail. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Public reported lots of quarter to half dollar size hail with wind gusts estimated at 45 mph. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | Public reported horse barn and garage destroyed. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | Public reported several large trees downed. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | Public reported a garage and horse barn destroyed. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | Public reported a large tree down by the Missouri River near Niobrara, NE. |
| August 2017 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Hail up to half dollar size was reported in Niobrara. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | The wind gust was reported on a weather station at Niobrara State Park. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | A few large tree limbs down and some shingle damage to roofs were reported. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Hail up to golf ball-size fell for around 20 to 30 minutes northwest of Verdigre. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Hail around quarter-size fell for about a half hour northeast of Verdigre from a slow moving thunderstorm. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Lots of quarter-size hail was reported by a trained spotter in the Niobrara area. |
| May 2008 | Flood | Niobrara | - | Heavy rain that fell across northeast Nebraska during the evening and overnight hours of May 29th and 30th caused flooding along Bazile Creek from east of Niobrara to around the Bloomfield area and along Verdigre Creek near Verdigre. County roads along the creeks were flooded with some bridge approaches severely damaged. Highway 12 east of Niobrara was flooded along with agricultural lowlands and a park near Verdigre. |
| March 2007 | Flood | Niobrara | - | Rapid snow melt caused flooding of small streams in Knox county. Bazile Creek, near Maiden's Leap, 5 miles east of Niobrara, flooded a few county roads and Highway 12 causing their closure. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 mph severely damaged a trailer, uprooted 2 trees, upset a center pivot, and caused some building damage in an area from 6 miles southwest of Niobrara into Niobrara. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Niobrara | - | The hail caused vehicle and some building/house damage in town. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | Thunderstorm winds gusts estimated at 60 mph downed a few trees and broke some signs in Niobrara. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Mostly pea-size but a few reached dime size. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 60 mph uprooted a large tree which caused serious damage to a barn. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | A spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of around 60 mph in Niobrara. The winds destroyed 3 large metal garages west of town. |
| August 2002 | Hail | Niobrara | - | Hail up to 2 inches in diameter was reported in the Niobrara area over a period of 16 minutes. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | Thunderstorm winds downed numerous tree limbs, some up to 4 inches in diameter. Power was also knocked out to parts of town. |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Niobrara | - | Brief touchdown. |
| May 2016 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Hail | Niobrara | - | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Niobrara | - | 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 Niobrara | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2183452 | 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 831636. 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.






