Thedford, Nebraska
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1948 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Thomas precinct. It lies in ZIP code area 69166. The Survey maps it on the Thedford quadrangle. 208 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,858 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Population over time
2 figuresThedford grew from 188 to 208 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 | 188 | |
| 2020 | 208 | +20 (+11%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 12 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 Thedford quadrangle1:62500
- 1950 USGS Thedford quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS North Platte quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1956 USGS North Platte quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS North Platte quadrangle1:250000
- 1967 USGS North Platte quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Dismal River quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1986 USGS Thedford quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
18 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 18 fires within 5 miles of Thedford between 1997 and 2020, burning about 9,031 acres in total. 2 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 | 5 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2017 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 3 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 21 September 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 2 August 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 July 2020 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 28 July 2007 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 10 July 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 128 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Thedford in 128 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 90 hail, 28 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1999 | Tornado (F2) | Thedford | $50,000 | The tornado, observed by numerous storm chasers, including the VORTEX team, and the general public, touched down in Thomas County 3 miles north northwest of Thedford and was on the ground for 15 miles before lifting in southeast Cherry County 6 miles east southeast of Brownlee. The path was over rangeland destroying 9 windmills, several miles of fences and nemerous trees. This was the most significant of 6 tornadoes produced by the same supercell thunderstorm. |
| July 2000 | Hail | Thedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Thedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Thedford | $30,000 | Hail broke 32 roof panels and 97 windows in greenhouses. |
| May 2023 | Flood | Thedford | $25,000 | Street flooding reported in Thedford. |
| August 2002 | Hail | Thedford | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Thedford | $10,000 | Golf ball sized hail driven by 40 mph wind broke windows in a house. At the same time, hail of unknown size had accumulated to a foot deep on U.S. Highway 83 about 16 miles north of Thedford. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Thedford | $8,000 | The public reported pea to golf ball size hail lasting 30 minutes. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Thedford | $8,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Thedford | $8,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Thedford | $7,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Thedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Thedford | $4,000 | Hail accumulated to 2 to 3 inches deep on Highway 83. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Thedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Thedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Thedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Thedford | $1,000 | no account filed |
| September 2004 | Hail | Thedford | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Thedford / Thomas County Airport AWOS measured a 64 mph wind gust. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Thedford | - | Fire department reported tennis ball size hail north of Thedford. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Thedford | - | Public reported golf ball size hail southwest of Thedford. |
| July 2020 | Tornado (EFU) | Thedford | - | Trained weather spotters and KLNX WSR-88D confirmed multiple landspout tornadoes near Thedford, lasting 10 to 15 minutes. All occurred over open range and resulted in no damage. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Thedford | - | Hail ranged from quarter to ping pong ball size in Thedford. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Thedford Airport AWOS measured 62 mph wind gust. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Public estimated 60 mph wind gusts. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Tree damage with a falling branch breaking a house window. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Thedford | - | Golf ball sized hail and some quarter sized hail fell. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Wind speeds measured from automated weather observing system. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | No information available. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | No information available. |
| September 2018 | Hail | Thedford | - | Report received via social media. |
| September 2018 | Hail | Thedford | - | Pea to quarter sized hail reported at this location. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Thunderstorm wind gust of 60 MPH reported. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Thunderstorm wind gust of 67 MPH measured at the Thedford Airport. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Measured wind gust of 58 MPH measured at the Thedford Airport. |
| July 2015 | Tornado (EF0) | Thedford | - | At 1547 CST, an off duty NWS employee reported a tornado south southwest of Thedford. The tornado briefly touched down in open range land with no damage reported. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Half inch size hail and 6 diameter tree limbs downed across the highway west of Thedford. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Public estimated 60 mph wind gusts. |
| August 2015 | Hail | Thedford | - | Public reported nickel size hail and 50 mph wind gusts. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Thedford Airport AWOS measured a 59 mph wind gust. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Thedford | - | Hail covered the ground. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Thedford | - | Quarter to dime sized hail was occurring 8 miles southwest of Thedford. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Thedford | - | Law enforcement reported golf ball size hail covering the ground. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | A Wind gust of 60 mph measured by the Thomas County airport ASOS. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Pea to half inch diameter size hail accompanied strong winds. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Thedford | - | Thomas county sheriff reported quarter sized hail. |
| June 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Thedford | - | Spotter reported funnel cloud crossing highway 83 at Dismal river. |
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Thedford | - | The supercell thunderstorm produced several funnels prior to tornado development in southwest Thomas County. The tornado touched down 18 miles southwest of Thedford over open range land moving slowly to the southwest and lifted 19 miles southwest of Thedford. No damage was reported with the tornado. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | The automated observing equipment at the Thedford airport reported a wind gust of 61 mph. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | The automated surface observing system at the Thedford airport reported a wind gust of 78 mph with sustained winds of 66 mph. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | The public estimated wind gusts to 60 mph with marble size hail. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Strong thunderstorm outflow winds broke off large tree limbs. |
| May 2005 | Lightning | Thedford | - | Lightning struck and destroyed the 1948 Opheim-Booth building along Highway 2 in Thedford. The building was being used to store a few computers and other merchandise for sale. |
| July 2004 | Flash Flood | Thedford | - | Heavy rain from an intense thunderstorm caused six inches of water to flow over portions of Highway 2 in Thedford. |
| July 2003 | Hail | Thedford | - | Hail covered the ground. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thedford | - | Strong thunderstorm winds blew down signs, roofs, and moved a mobile home off of its foundation. A combine trailer was also overturned. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Thedford | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Thedford | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Thedford | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Thedford | - | 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 Thedford | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2127994 | 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 835692. 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.







