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Ogallala, Nebraska

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1897 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Ogallala City. It lies in ZIP code area 69153. The Survey maps it on the Ogallala quadrangle. 4,878 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,222 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Ogallala within Keith County

On record in Ogallala

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 5 records

Population over time

2 figures

Ogallala grew from 4,737 to 4,878 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
20104,737
20204,878+141 (+3%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 16 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

12 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 12 fires within 5 miles of Ogallala between 2003 and 2016, burning about 25 acres in total. 1 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
Fireworks3
Equipment and vehicle use2
Debris and open burning2
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Smoking1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Natural1

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
12 September 2011Equipment and vehicle use20 acresNebraska Forest Servicenot named
4 July 2011Fireworksunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named
4 July 2011Fireworksunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named
29 July 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named
29 June 2011Naturalunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named
17 May 2016Debris and open burningunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named
15 May 2011Fireworks1.0 acresNebraska Forest Servicenot named
1 May 2011Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreNebraska Forest Servicenot named

Every fire recorded in Keith County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Ogallala: 3 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Brown Sand & Gravel Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
East Pits & Plants No. 1 & 2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
River Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Keith County

Storms near this place

60 of 169 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ogallala in 169 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 92 hail, 59 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado, 6 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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
July 2001LightningOgallala1 hurtLightning struck a woman as she walked past a utility pole during a thunderstorm. The woman was knocked to the ground. She was taken to the hospital but then released with no serious injuries.
July 2024HailOgallala$1,000,000Golf ball to tennis ball sized hail reported on the west side of Ogallala.
July 2003HailOgallala$1,000,000Hail initially struck the west side of Ogallala and then moved southeast across the town with numerous cars and boats sustaining severe body damage and broken windshields. Vinyl siding on homes were also damaged and windows broken.
May 2019HailOgallala$500,000Multiple reports of 2 inch diameter hail reported in Ogallala with numerous reports of damaged windows and car windows.
July 1999Tornado (F1)Ogallala$500,000The tornado touched down briefly 4 miles southwest of Ogallala where its intensity was F0. The tornado then lifted and touched down again in the southeast part of Ogallala as an F1 and travelled northwest through a mobile home park destroying two trailers and damaging ten others. It then crossed Highway 61 and struck Indian Hills Manor breaking all the windows on the east side of the building and taking the roof off WEL-Life, a senior residence near Indian Hills. It then hit two homes, taking the roof off one and removing the garage from the other.
August 1993Thunderstorm WindOgallala$500,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 70 mph uprooted trees, demolished a building at the grain elevator, and blew out a plate glass window at a business. Two of the trees fell onto cars. The debris from the demolished building blocked the neighboring railroad tracks for 2 hours and tore out a power line.
June 1998HailOgallala$250,000Hail, accumulating several inches deep, produced widespread damage to roofs, cars, and crops in and around Ogallala. Hail was accompanied by extensive street flooding.
June 1996Tornado (F1)Ogallala$250,000no account filed
July 2003Thunderstorm WindOgallala$240,000Thunderstorm outflow winds snapped off large tree limbs, broke off the top 150 feet of a 247 ft tower for KOGA radio, and destroyed six campers and extensively damaged seven other campers at a business one half mile south of Kingsley Dam. Nearby farmsteads received extensive damage to garages, barns, and outbuildings. Most doors on a storage facility near Kingsley Dam were damaged. Power poles and trees were also snapped off.
March 2007Tornado (EF1)Ogallala$100,000A tornado touched down along the Union Pacific railroad tracks near Highway 30 on the far west side of Ogallala and moved north-northeast. In the path, the tornado destroyed a garage, broke off power poles, destroyed outbuildings, lifted and moved vehicles, broke off trees, damaged roofs, and overturned horse trailers at a small farm and a veterinary hospital before lifting.
October 1994Tornado (F1)Ogallala$100,000A tornado moved along a narrowrow path from southwest to northeast for about nine city blocks on the west edge of Ogallala. The tornado touched down by the Union Pacific tracks south of West United States Highway 30; uprooting a tree there. The tornado moved across United States Highway 30 and felled a tree on a home, causing extensive damage to the roof. The tornado then ripped a 24 foot by 96 foot roof from a storage building. The roof was scattered across the Keith County fairgrounds and into an electrical feeder station, causing power outages to 25 homes. Tops were taken out of trees along the entire path and tree limbs ripped electrical services off numerous homes. Several trees were also uprooted along the path. Fifty feet of edging was blown off the elementary school's roof and three windows were broken. A tree fell on the roof of a home and a vehicle near the home. Hayes County 15NE Hayes Center,05,2250CST,,,0,0,?,?,Thunderstorm Winds (G60) Thunderstorm winds moved a double-wide trailer off of its foundation. Two storage sheds were destroyed and a solar panel from the roof of the trailer. Crops were destroyed in an adjacent cornfield.
August 1993HailOgallala$50,000A line of severe thunderstorms pushed through Keith county. Dime-size hail covered the ground and formed drifts north of Roscoe. A hail drift 6 inches deep remained there during the early afternoon. Hail up to golfball-size fell at Roscoe, south of Ogallala and at Brule. The hail damaged 1,000 acres of corn, 300 acres of sunflowers, 250 acres of beans, along with some hay. There was also some structural damage to buildings, windows were broken , and cars were dented.
June 2009HailOgallala$35,000Golf ball size hail was reported covering Interstate 80 near mile marker 122 west of Ogallala.
June 1999HailOgallala$30,000A severe thunderstorm that developed in western Keith County produced tennis ball sized hail which destroyed approximately 10000 acres of wheat. Corn and sugar beets were also damaged; but, those crops were not as sensitive to hail damage because of the early developmental stage of the corn and the underground growth of beets..
July 2003HailOgallala$30,000no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindOgallala$25,000Thunderstorm wind gusts measured at 68 MPH reported with several 6 inch diameter tree limbs down in Ogallala.
July 2009HailOgallala$25,000The hail hit the golf course southeast of Ogallala.
June 1999HailOgallala$20,000The thunderstorm became severe in south central Garden County just southeast of Oshkosh and crossed the county line in western Keith County and travelled to near Brule in southwest Keith County. The swath of the hail storm was approximately 4 miles wide and 25 miles long, and it brushed the northeast corner of Deuel county. The wheat on about 64,000 acres was destroyed.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindOgallala$15,000Law enforcement reports wind damage to a home in Ogallala.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindOgallala$15,000Strong winds overturned several boats on Lake McConaughy.
July 2020Flash FloodOgallala$10,000A high water rescue was performed in downtown Ogallala where a mother and child were stranded in a car. The water was up to a police officer's belt line.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindOgallala$10,000The emergency manager reported four empty mobile homes damaged.
June 1998HailOgallala$10,000no account filed
June 2009HailOgallala$8,000no account filed
July 2009HailOgallala$8,000no account filed
August 2007HailOgallala$8,000no account filed
June 2025Thunderstorm WindOgallala$5,000Power lines reported down just to the southwest of Ogallala.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindOgallala$5,000Numerous trees down and windows blown out.
June 2009HailOgallala$5,000Penny to quarter size hail occurred for approximately 10 minutes.
March 2007Tornado (EF0)Ogallala$5,000A supercell thunderstorm spawned a brief tornado that produced minor roof damage to homes and broke off some tree limbs.
June 2004HailOgallala$3,000no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindOgallala$2,000Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 MPH brought down a large healthy tree at this location.
July 2024HailOgallala$1,000Broken Wind shield on a police cruiser, west side of Ogallala.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Multiple 4 inch tree limbs down from thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 MPH.
July 2025HailOgallala-Hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter along with heavy rain reported in Ogallala.
July 2025Flash FloodOgallala-Public reports 2 to 4 feet of water on some roadways in Ogallala.
July 2024HailOgallala-Report via social media. Hail fell at the Keith County Fairgrounds.
July 2024HailOgallala-Report via social media at Interstate 80, mile marker 123.
July 2024HailOgallala-Report via social media. Time estimated from radar.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Thunderstorm wind gusts, estimated at 60 MPH, reported at this location.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Damage to sheet steel storage building.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Large tree snapped and damaged deck.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Thunderstorm wind gust.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Ogallala Airport AWOS measured a 61 mph wind gust.
July 2022HailOgallala-A storm chaser reported ping pong ball size hail east of Ogallala.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Wind gusts estimated at 60 MPH resulted in 3 inch diameter limbs down at this location.
August 2021Flash FloodOgallala-Numerous streets flooded in the town of Ogallala.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Ogallala Airport AWOS measured 63 mph wind gusts.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Measured wind gust from a Mesonet site.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Wind speed estimated at 60 to 70 MPH at this location.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Measured at the Ogallala Airport.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Wind gust estimated at 60 MPH at this location.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindOgallala-No significant damage reported from this wind gust.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindOgallala-No significant damage reported from this wind gust.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Trees down from the wind.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Thunderstorm wind gusts measured 64 mph.
June 2015Flash FloodOgallala-A trained spotter reported Highway 61 was half covered with water, with some locations being 6 to 8 inches deep.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Winds estimated to 70 mph.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Wind gust estimated at 60 mph.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindOgallala-Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 MPH reported at KOGA Radio Station.

Every storm recorded in Keith 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
Roscoe7.1 miles16
Martin9.0 miles16
Brule9.2 miles16
Keystone9.4 miles16
Lemoyne11.1 miles16
Broganville12.1 miles16
Megeath14.5 miles16
Belmar15.7 miles16

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 OgallalaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q663854The 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 831832. 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.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.