States › Nebraska › Cheyenne County
Cheyenne County, Nebraska
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 1,087 storm events in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, led by hail.
That is 90.9 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Nebraska figure of 83.3, and 1,140.7 per 10,000 residents against 325.9 statewide.
27 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 21 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $14M and crop damage at $24M.
FEMA has designated the county in 10 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds (major disaster, 24 May 2024).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 27 claims since 1978, of which 20 were paid, totalling $76K (about $4K per paid claim). FEMA counts 8 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($12M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Nebraska and the United States
| Measure | Cheyenne County | Nebraska | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 1,087 | 64,002 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 90.9 | 83.3 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 1,140.7 | 325.9 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 27 | 1,590 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 2 | 182 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $14M | $5.1B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 2.8 | 3.1 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $4K | $22K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 0.0 | 23.8 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 671 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 272 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Apr 1999 | Ice Storm | Winter | — | $50K | — | 2 | 3 | Forecast zone |
| 11 Mar 1999 | Winter Weather | Winter | — | $35K | — | — | 6 | Forecast zone |
| 6 Mar 1998 | Winter Storm | Winter | — | $46K | — | — | 4 | Forecast zone |
| 24 Oct 1997 | Blizzard | Winter | — | $30K | $15K | — | 3 | Forecast zone |
| 26 Jun 1999 | Hail | Hail | 2.75 in | $6.0M | $20M | — | — | County |
| 1 Jan 1999 | Winter Weather | Winter | — | $23K | — | — | 2 | Forecast zone |
| 27 Jun 1960 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $250K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 3 Jan 2000 | Winter Storm | Winter | — | $50K | — | — | 1 | Forecast zone |
| 25 Jun 1951 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 27 May 1985 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 25 May 1997 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $2.0M | $500K | — | — | County |
| 6 Apr 2024 | Blizzard | Winter | — | $1.5M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 17 Jul 1995 | Hail | Hail | 0.75 in | — | $600K | — | — | County |
| 17 Jul 1995 | Hail | Hail | 1.00 in | — | $600K | — | — | County |
| 17 Jul 1995 | Hail | Hail | 0.75 in | — | $600K | — | — | County |
| 17 Jul 1995 | Hail | Hail | 1.75 in | — | $600K | — | — | County |
| 13 Jul 1996 | Hail | Hail | 0.50 in | — | $400K | — | — | County |
| 1 Jul 1958 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 21 May 1999 | Hail | Hail | 1.75 in | $150K | $100K | — | — | County |
| 26 Jun 1999 | Hail | Hail | 2.75 in | $250K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2024 | DR-4786 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds | Public assistance |
| 4 Apr 2020 | DR-4521 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3483 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 21 Mar 2019 | DR-4420 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 29 Jun 2018 | DR-4375 | Major disaster | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds | Public assistance |
| 15 Jul 2010 | DR-1924 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 7 Jan 2007 | DR-1674 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2005 | EM-3245 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuees | Public assistance |
| 16 May 2001 | DR-1373 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | Public assistance |
| 1 Nov 1997 | DR-1190 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Snow Storms, Rain, And Strong Winds | Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | $6,788 | $6,788 |
| 2010 | 19 | 18 | $69,222 | $3,846 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1981 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1978 | 1 | 1 | $411 | $411 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $4,140,397 | |
| Drought | $2,461,036 | |
| Hail | $1,683,186 | |
| Tornado | $879,484 | |
| Ice storm | $771,374 | |
| Cold wave | $753,211 | |
| Lightning | $487,953 | |
| Strong wind | $448,063 | |
| Winter weather | $93,669 | |
| Earthquake | $51,509 | |
| Wildfire | $41,048 | |
| Heat wave | $8,645 | |
| Landslide | $32 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Cheyenne County, NE?
NCEI records 488 hail events in Cheyenne County since 1950, in 63 different years; that is about 6.3 recorded events a year. 138 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Cheyenne County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 69 tornadoes in Cheyenne County since 1950, 6 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Cheyenne County?
24 May 2024: Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 10 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Cheyenne County, and how much was paid?
27 NFIP claims since 1978, 20 of them paid, for $76K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Cheyenne County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Very Low" for overall risk, "Very Low" for expected annual loss, "Very Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Cheyenne County compare with the rest of Nebraska?
90.9 recorded events per 100 square miles against 83.3 statewide, and 2.8 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 3.1. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.