Wolbach, Nebraska
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1899 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Wolbach precinct. It lies in ZIP code area 68882. It stands on West Branch Spring Creek. The Survey maps it on the Wolbach quadrangle. 224 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,867 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresWolbach fell from 283 to 224 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 | 283 | |
| 2020 | 224 | -59 (-21%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 13 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.
- 1899 USGS St. Paul quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Wolbach quadrangle1:24000
- 1955 USGS Broken Bow quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1956 USGS Broken Bow quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS St. Paul quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
10 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 10 fires within 5 miles of Wolbach between 2004 and 2017, burning about 374 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 30 July 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 40 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 14 July 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 1 June 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 March 2017 | Debris and open burning | 80 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 11 March 2011 | Debris and open burning | 250 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 9 February 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 5 November 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
42 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wolbach in 42 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 19 hail, 12 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 4 flash 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | Tornado (EF2) | Wolbach | $400,000 | Through a roughly 10 minute process, during which the parent supercell did not move much, a fourth tornado formed in northern Howard County before crossing into Greeley County. This tornado was rated an EF2 with estimated peak wind speeds of 135 MPH based upon metal power pole damage just west of the Highway 281 and 22 junction near Wolbach. The tornado had previously destroyed a metal building to the southwest, and would go on to destroy a couple of wood framed outbuildings to the northeast of Highway 281. The south edge of the tornado likely passed just north of the Highway 281 and 22 junction. It was in this general area and along the county line that the tornado was at least one-half mile wide. The tornado marched northeast, causing damage to at least one residence, outbuildings, trees, and center irrigation pivots. As the supercell slowed down north of Wolbach, this tornado diminished (damage noted was much less severe and sparse), and the supercell began the process of developing another tornado to the east. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Wolbach | $300,000 | Based on radar estimation and various measured totals from NWS/NeRAIN/CoCoRaHS observers, widespread rainfall of 2-6 inches fell within primarily the southern two-thirds of the county mainly between 7 p.m. CDT on the 21st and 1 a.m. CDT on the 22nd. |
| October 2013 | Heavy Rain | Wolbach | $250,000 | A rainfall total of 8.46 inches occurred. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Wolbach | $80,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | $75,000 | The roof was peeled back from a grocery store in Wolbach. There was a lot of tree damage as well. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Tornado (EF1) | Wolbach | $40,000 | This tornado touched down a few miles northeast of Wolbach and was on the ground for approximately 2 minutes. With an estimated top wind speed of 90 mph, damage from this tornado included a destroyed mobile home and outbuilding and broken tree limbs of 5 to 8 inches in diameter. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | $40,000 | no account filed |
| April 2024 | Tornado (EF2) | Wolbach | $25,000 | This tornado started about four miles northeast of Wolbach and was associated with a parent supercell that had previously produced two other tornadoes. In Greeley County, damage was confined mainly to center irrigation pivots and trees. The tornado moved northeast over open country and crossed the Boone County line along Highway 56. In Boone County, the tornado caused minor damage to a home on a farmstead at the county line along with quite a bit of tree damage in the general area. The tornado moved north and appeared to strengthen some as it flipped and tossed several central irrigation pivots north of Highway 56. Power poles were snapped and debris was lifted into power lines. As the tornado moved north-northeast, the most significant damage was found about two miles southwest of Primrose. A single-family home was extensively damaged, including the three-car garage being totally ripped away along with much of the roof structure. Several outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Extensive tree damage and numerous power poles were snapped in the area. Tree damage was widespread west of Primrose and one large outbuilding was destroyed. In its final few miles, the tornado damaged trees and irrigation pivots in several places. Extensive damage to a livestock facility and several snapped power poles were noted about halfway between Primrose and Petersburg. The tornado likely dissipated in open country as it approached the Beaver Creek southwest of Petersburg. The widest point of the tornado appeared to occur just to the west and southwest of Primrose when the tornado may have been at least 500 yards wide. The EF2 rating and estimated maximum wind speed of 130 MPH was based upon the damage that occurred at a home southwest of Primrose. Note: The dollar estimate of damage applies to Greeley County only. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Wolbach | $25,000 | Quarter to half dollar size hail occurred...report relayed by broadcast media. |
| August 2012 | Hail | Wolbach | $25,000 | Hail up to the size of quarters started falling around 520 pm CDT and continued to fall until about 550 pm CDT. The ground was completely covered with hail and visibility was poor as the hail fell. |
| August 2012 | Hail | Wolbach | $25,000 | Hail up to the size of golf balls fell, resulting in a shattered windshield 3 miles northwest of Wolbach. |
| August 2012 | Hail | Wolbach | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Hail | Wolbach | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Wolbach | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Wolbach | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | $10,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be near 65 MPH resulted in some tree damage in Wolbach, including downed tree limbs around eight inches in diameter. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Wolbach | $10,000 | Heavy rain of over two inches on already saturated ground resulted in water rushing across numerous county roads with considerable flooding northwest of Wolbach. |
| July 2004 | Flash Flood | Wolbach | $10,000 | Runoff from heavy rain in the Wolbach area ran over county roads in the area and caused some minor damage. |
| October 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Wolbach | $10,000 | Tornado crossed from Greeley County into Nance County |
| July 1995 | Hail | Wolbach | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Wolbach | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Wolbach | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | $1,000 | Deputy estimated wind gusts to be near 60 MPH. One downed branch was blocking part of Highway 22. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | - | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | - | A wind gust of 64 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located seven miles north-northeast of Wolbach. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | - | A wind gust of 71 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located seven miles north-northeast of Wolbach. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | - | A wind gust of 67 MPH was measured by a mesonet station located seven miles north-northeast of Wolbach. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | - | Wind gusts were estimated to be near 60 MPH and were accompanied by pea sized hail. |
| October 2013 | Flash Flood | Wolbach | - | Creeks were running full across southeastern Greeley County. Water was running across many county roads. One county road was impassable and had to be closed due to high water. |
| October 2013 | Hail | Wolbach | - | Hail occurred within heavy rain. |
| October 2013 | Hail | Wolbach | - | Quarter size hail occurred within heavy rain. |
| August 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Wolbach | - | A cone-shaped funnel was reported. |
| July 2011 | Heavy Rain | Wolbach | - | Storm total rainfall over a 90 minute period was 3.30 inches. The heavy rainfall resulted in Spring Creek flooding. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Wolbach | - | no account filed |
| April 2017 | Hail | Wolbach | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Wolbach | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Wolbach | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wolbach | - | no account filed |
| September 1998 | Hail | Wolbach | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Hail | Wolbach | - | 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 Wolbach | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q675923 | 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 834838. 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.




