States › Nebraska › Seward County
Seward 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.
Seward County, Nebraska, has 611 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them hail.
That is 106.9 events per 100 square miles, above the Nebraska figure of 83.3, and 347.1 per 10,000 residents against 325.9 statewide.
41 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 4 deaths and 37 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $69M and crop damage at $420K.
FEMA has designated the county in 19 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (major disaster, 22 Oct 2025).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 28 claims since 1978, of which 20 were paid, totalling $166K (about $8K per paid claim). FEMA counts 17 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" ($14M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Nebraska and the United States
| Measure | Seward County | Nebraska | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 611 | 64,002 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 106.9 | 83.3 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 347.1 | 325.9 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 41 | 1,590 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 4 | 182 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $69M | $5.1B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 3.1 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $8K | $22K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 35.3 | 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: 346 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 187 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 May 2002 | Dust Storm | Other | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | Forecast zone |
| 25 Apr 1957 | Tornado | Tornado | F4 | $2.5M | — | 1 | 8 | County |
| 7 Dec 2013 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 26 May 2006 | High Wind | Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | 5 | Forecast zone |
| 10 May 1985 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | 4 | County |
| 15 Jun 1992 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $25M | — | — | 1 | County |
| 14 Feb 2010 | Blizzard | Winter | — | — | — | — | 3 | Forecast zone |
| 30 Apr 2018 | Dust Storm | Other | — | — | — | — | 3 | Forecast zone |
| 13 Mar 1990 | Tornado | Tornado | F4 | $25M | — | — | — | County |
| 9 May 1953 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $2.5M | — | — | 2 | County |
| 13 Jun 2001 | Tornado | Tornado | F4 | $1.0M | — | — | 2 | County |
| 15 Jun 1992 | Hail | Hail | 2.50 in | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 15 Jun 1992 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 11 May 2014 | Tornado | Tornado | EF3 | $2.4M | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Oct 1997 | Heavy Snow | Winter | — | $2.0M | $300K | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Aug 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 82 mph | $1.4M | — | — | — | County |
| 23 May 1964 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jun 1967 | Tornado | Tornado | F0 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 16 May 1991 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jun 1996 | Lightning | Lightning | — | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 2025 | DR-4896 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 21 May 2025 | DR-4868 | Major disaster | Winter 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 |
| 25 Jun 2015 | DR-4225 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 17 Jun 2014 | DR-4179 | Major disaster | Tornado | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 21 Apr 2010 | DR-1902 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Ice Jams, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 25 Feb 2010 | DR-1878 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Public assistance |
| 20 Jun 2008 | DR-1770 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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 |
| 23 Jun 2005 | DR-1590 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 25 May 2004 | DR-1517 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Individual assistance |
| 1 Nov 1997 | DR-1190 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Snow Storms, Rain, And Strong Winds | Public assistance |
| 19 Jul 1993 | DR-998 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 2 Apr 1993 | DR-983 | Major disaster | Flood | Ice Jams & Flooding | Public assistance |
| 8 Apr 1976 | DR-500 | Major disaster | Severe Ice Storm | Ice Storms & High Winds | Public assistance |
| 18 Jul 1967 | DR-228 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2019 | 5 | 4 | $48,315 | $12,079 |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | $1,138 | $1,138 |
| 2008 | 2 | 2 | $21,678 | $10,839 |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | $12,100 | $12,100 |
| 1998 | 1 | 1 | $4,431 | $4,431 |
| 1993 | 6 | 3 | $11,847 | $3,949 |
| 1987 | 1 | 1 | $17,978 | $17,978 |
| 1986 | 3 | 3 | $44,760 | $14,920 |
| 1985 | 2 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1983 | 2 | 2 | $1,300 | $650 |
| 1982 | 2 | 2 | $2,149 | $1,075 |
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 | $4,403,472 | |
| Hail | $3,129,009 | |
| Tornado | $2,843,643 | |
| Strong wind | $1,375,904 | |
| Drought | $630,790 | |
| Wildfire | $330,796 | |
| Ice storm | $322,821 | |
| Cold wave | $187,414 | |
| Winter weather | $145,363 | |
| Lightning | $106,769 | |
| Heat wave | $82,463 | |
| Earthquake | $24,771 | |
| Landslide | $52 |
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
- 68434 26
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 Seward County, NE?
NCEI records 218 hail events in Seward County since 1950, in 47 different years; that is about 2.8 recorded events a year. 73 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Seward County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 38 tornadoes in Seward County since 1950, 14 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 1.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Seward County?
22 Oct 2025: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 19 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Seward County, and how much was paid?
28 NFIP claims since 1978, 20 of them paid, for $166K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Seward 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 "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Seward County compare with the rest of Nebraska?
106.9 recorded events per 100 square miles against 83.3 statewide, and 1.6 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.