County Hazards

States › Nebraska

Nebraska

The recorded hazard history of every county in Nebraska: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, and National Flood Insurance Program claims since 1978.

Nebraska has 64,002 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950 across 93 counties, led by hail: 83.3 per 100 square miles against 56.0 nationally.

NCEI attributes 182 deaths and 1,883 injuries to those events, with property damage estimated at $5.1B. By events per 100 square miles the leading counties are Douglas, Sarpy and Dakota.

FEMA lists 88 disaster declarations touching the state since 1953, most recently Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (3 Aug 2026). NFIP policyholders filed 6,069 flood claims since 1978, $98M paid; 5,587 residential policies are in force.

1,590events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026
64,002events since 195083.3 per 100 sq mi (US 56.0)
88disaster declarations since 1953last 3 Aug 2026
6,069NFIP flood claims$98M paid

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. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026; declarations refreshed 29 Sep 2026; claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Compared with the United States

MeasureNebraskaUS
Recorded events since 195064,0021,977,440
Events per 100 square miles83.356.0
Events per 10,000 residents325.959.6
Deaths recorded by NCEI18226,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)$5.1B$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents3.18.1
Average paid NFIP claim$22K$43K
Residential flood policies in force5,5873,139,862

Hazard mix

Hail25,051
Wind17,319
Winter8,064
Drought3,444
Tornado3,400
Flood2,363
Cold2,212
Other1,100
Heat751
Lightning204
Wildfire88
Fog6
HazardEventsShare of USDeaths
■ Hail25,0515.9%—
■ Wind17,3192.5%12
■ Winter8,0642.8%72
■ Drought3,4444.0%—
■ Tornado3,4004.2%56
■ Flood2,3631.3%13
■ Cold2,2124.1%6
■ Other1,1002.4%4
■ Heat7511.3%6
■ Lightning2041.1%5
■ Wildfire880.9%5
■ Fog60.0%3

Events by decade

Hail: 251Tornado: 319Wind: 89
Hail: 476Tornado: 302Wind: 448
Hail: 840Tornado: 405Wind: 827
Hail: 1335Tornado: 377Wind: 1250
Hail: 3522Tornado: 612Flood: 278Wind: 2183Winter: 1152Heat: 32Cold: 439Drought: 35Wildfire: 2Lightning: 78Fog: 2Other: 63
Hail: 8171Tornado: 583Flood: 680Wind: 3330Winter: 2497Heat: 86Cold: 533Drought: 75Wildfire: 1Lightning: 88Fog: 1Other: 199
Hail: 7163Tornado: 445Flood: 1086Wind: 4788Winter: 2885Heat: 398Cold: 700Drought: 1446Wildfire: 34Lightning: 33Fog: 1Other: 728
Hail: 3293Tornado: 357Flood: 319Wind: 4404Winter: 1530Heat: 235Cold: 540Drought: 1888Wildfire: 51Lightning: 5Fog: 2Other: 110
6591950s1,2261960s2,0721970s2,9621980s8,3981990s16,2442000s19,7072010s12,7342020s
Recorded events in Nebraska by decade and hazard group, including events recorded by forecast zone. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtWildfireLightningFogOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Counties by events per 100 square miles

CountyEventsLast 12 moPer 100 sq miPer 10k residentsDominantTornadoesHailDeclarationsNFIP claimsNRI risk
Douglas County1,27252389.721.7Hail23496291,045Relatively High
Sarpy County74326312.138.4Hail1525125848Relatively Moderate
Dakota County51020193.0240.1Winter81001689Very Low
Adams County1,0532186.9339.4Hail564011825Relatively Low
Hall County9742178.3157.2Wind8031917126Relatively Low
Dodge County83428157.6224.8Hail3127721809Relatively Low
Scotts Bluff County1,10522149.4309.1Hail685101052Relatively Low
Clay County8446147.51,388.6Hail52295191Relatively Low
Lancaster County1,22781146.537.8Hail5251016313Relatively Moderate
Washington County56218144.1268.0Wind2316324159Very Low
Cass County78131140.1289.1Hail5225827410Very Low
Thayer County80210139.81,632.4Hail632862425Very Low
Dixon County65729138.01,184.9Hail23177193Very Low
Hamilton County7132131.5759.6Hail632362315Very Low
Madison County75329131.5213.1Wind462191970Relatively Low
Phelps County6953128.8777.7Wind36225149Very Low
Nemaha County52317128.4740.4Hail221572649Very Low
Saline County73734128.4519.3Hail2529521194Very Low
York County7302127.5512.5Hail49260209Relatively Low
Jefferson County71139124.7990.8Hail272952510Very Low
Polk County5245119.51,012.8Hail38140206Very Low
Kearney County6145118.9920.0Wind30178164Very Low
Red Willow County84539117.9795.4Wind402951415Very Low
Merrick County5742117.8748.9Hail251941516Relatively Low
Fillmore County6647115.41,197.3Hail37219253Very Low
Deuel County50611115.02,713.1Hail2521193Very Low
Stanton County48713113.9837.3Wind37115194Very Low
Saunders County84330112.6369.9Hail4628430259Very Low
Furnas County8072112.21,752.8Hail30321163Relatively Low
Thurston County43317110.0654.1Wind171122413Very Low
Platte County73926109.6215.8Hail362392387Relatively Low
Howard County6213109.1950.8Hail452342419Very Low
Buffalo County1,0533108.8209.2Hail833851964Relatively Low
Hitchcock County77130108.62,981.4Hail3436390Very Low
Gosper County4962108.32,719.3Hail18158140Very Low
Valley County6154108.31,512.5Hail25201188Very Low
Colfax County44515108.1423.9Hail3312920171Very Low
Seward County61141106.9347.1Hail382181928Very Low
Nuckolls County6055105.21,490.1Wind47163215Very Low
Otoe County6449104.6404.3Hail312172327Very Low
Johnson County37715100.2709.2Hail22123223Very Low
Burt County49217100.1733.3Wind221092063Very Low
Nance County4422100.11,303.8Hail22133184Very Low
Webster County569599.01,668.1Hail37175163Relatively Low
Dawson County994398.1415.9Hail583671589Relatively Low
Harlan County542397.91,753.5Hail26191140Very Low
Butler County5642396.4667.9Hail371791911Very Low
Sherman County539495.31,818.5Hail29190190Very Low
Franklin County548195.21,887.7Hail31186102Very Low
Wayne County4161993.9425.2Wind2099185Very Low
Gage County7993193.8369.6Hail5528324184Very Low
Richardson County5131393.0661.2Wind251342385Very Low
Keith County9684391.21,169.2Hail5345597Very Low
Cheyenne County1,0872790.91,140.7Hail694881027Very Low
Cuming County5121489.7569.9Wind331252443Relatively Low
Pierce County4861984.8664.6Hail281401712Very Low
Chase County7561884.51,976.0Hail31349120Very Low
Dundy County7742184.24,733.9Hail36348121Very Low
Cedar County6082082.1729.9Hail31200164Very Low
Lincoln County2,0854881.3610.8Hail1061,1172078Relatively Low
Pawnee County3491081.01,369.7Hail22107200Very Low
Logan County4571380.16,652.1Hail16203141Very Low
Greeley County455379.92,097.7Hail24134200Very Low
Garfield County4491078.92,441.5Hail15196140Very Low
Boone County5371678.2997.0Hail291872015Relatively Low
Boyd County4181777.42,336.5Hail111651818Very Low
Antelope County6492375.71,033.6Hail342491315Very Low
Perkins County6622174.92,337.6Hail39332100Very Low
Hayes County5151372.26,109.1Hail19232190Very Low
Frontier County6891570.72,696.7Hail36347160Very Low
Knox County7762570.0923.7Hail463221826Very Low
Kimball County6502268.31,905.0Hail6626480Very Low
Loup County385868.36,374.2Hail21170140Very Low
Box Butte County7231567.2681.8Hail4334392Very Low
Hooker County4701165.26,403.3Hail1520160Very Low
Blaine County461964.910,000.0Hail10224120Very Low
Wheeler County353661.44,440.3Hail15147142Very Low
Thomas County4291160.26,374.4Hail9184100Very Low
Custer County1,5262359.21,458.9Hail1088342011Very Low
Arthur County4111057.59,362.2Hail9182120Very Low
Dawes County7721855.3947.5Hail36302120Very Low
Grant County4181653.87,219.3Hail1519170Very Low
Keya Paha County4121853.35,235.1Hail11181130Very Low
Banner County388952.05,606.9Hail3113280Very Low
Rock County517751.34,090.2Hail18265140Very Low
Brown County6201850.82,132.0Hail38284110Very Low
McPherson County4271349.711,266.5Hail14209100Very Low
Holt County1,0611244.01,055.8Hail80560166Very Low
Morrill County6091042.81,331.4Hail50293170Very Low
Sheridan County1,0102941.41,982.3Hail6255691Very Low
Garden County6722239.43,638.3Hail26314132Very Low
Cherry County1,4963525.12,740.9Hail103942110Very Low
Sioux County370217.93,237.1Hail29243140Very Low

Events are county-recorded plus zone-recorded events whose zone is named for the county. NRI risk is FEMA's National Risk Index overall rating (December 2025).

Counties by flood claims per 100 policies in force

CountyClaims, last 10 yearsPolicies in forceClaims per 100 policiesClaims since 1978Paid
Dodge County29870842.1809$12M
Buffalo County4811940.364$7.2M
Sarpy County22055139.9848$21M
Douglas County25987529.61,045$15M
Dawson County3211029.189$508K
Cass County9240322.8410$8.6M
Platte County2011417.587$1.5M
Saunders County5336414.6259$4.3M
Colfax County3124512.7171$1.8M
Scotts Bluff County31032.952$178K
Lincoln County31222.578$255K
Lancaster County117531.5313$3.0M

Counties with at least 100 residential policies in force. Claims by year of loss in the ten years to 2026, divided by residential policies in force as of 3 Aug 2026; a rough ratio, since policies in force today differ from those in force when the losses occurred.

Federal disaster declarations by year

195319902026
Declarations touching Nebraska by year declared, 1953 to 2026; each disaster number counted once.
Incident typeDeclarations
Severe Storm39
Flood20
Fire10
Tornado6
Biological6
Snowstorm2
Severe Ice Storm2
Winter Storm1
Hurricane1
Drought1

Most recent declarations (each disaster number once, with the number of counties designated):

DeclaredNumberTypeIncidentTitleCounties
3 Aug 2026DR-4928Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding8
30 Jun 2026DR-4920Major disasterFireWildfires5
10 Jun 2026FM-5637Fire management assistanceFireSouth Fork Fire2
13 Mar 2026FM-5623Fire management assistanceFireMorrill-Cottonwood Fire7
22 Oct 2025DR-4896Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding12
21 May 2025DR-4868Major disasterWinter StormSevere Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds28
21 Oct 2024DR-4838Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding5
24 Sep 2024DR-4822Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding17
20 Aug 2024DR-4808Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding19
24 May 2024DR-4786Major disasterSevere StormSevere Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds8
3 May 2024DR-4778Major disasterTornadoSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes6
9 Apr 2023FM-5462Fire management assistanceFireWaconda-Beaver Lake Fire Complex1
27 Jul 2022DR-4662Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms And Straight-Line Winds20
23 Apr 2022FM-5436Fire management assistanceFireRoad 702 Fire3
23 Feb 2022DR-4641Major disasterSevere StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes25

Flood insurance claims by year

197820022026
NFIP claims in Nebraska by year of loss, 1978 to 2026.

6,069 claims, 4,495 paid, $98M in total; 430 repetitive-loss and 41 severe repetitive-loss properties. ZIP codes in Nebraska with flood claims (133).

Year by year

Each year's events, declarations and claims: 2026 · 2025 · 2024 · 2023 · 2022 · 2021 · 2020 · 2019 · 2018 · 2017 · 2016 · 2015 · 2014 · 2013 · 2012 · 2011 · 2010 · 2009 · 2008 · 2007 · 2006 · 2005 · 2004 · 2003 · 2002 · 2001 · 2000 · 1999 · 1998 · 1997 · and earlier years back to 1950

Questions and answers

Which Nebraska counties have the most recorded tornadoes?

Custer (108), Lincoln (106) and Cherry (103), by NCEI count since 1950. Larger counties record more events; the state table also ranks by events per 100 square miles.

Which Nebraska counties have the most flood insurance claims?

Douglas (1,045), Sarpy (848) and Dodge (809) since 1978, in the OpenFEMA NFIP claims file.

How many federal disaster declarations has Nebraska had?

88 declarations since 1953 (major disaster, emergency and fire management assistance declarations combined), 4 of them in 2026 so far.

How does Nebraska compare with the national rate?

83.3 recorded events per 100 square miles against 56.0 nationally; 3.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 8.1.

Provenance

NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 refreshed 29 Sep 2026; OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026); FEMA National Risk Index December 2025; US Census Bureau 2021 population and area. Built 30 Sep 2026. Methodology.