2 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Cherry County, Nebraska. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding from slow-moving summer thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Cherry County, Nebraska. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 14 flash flood events compared to 3 general flood events.
Severe weather patterns along stationary fronts frequently trigger these incidents. For example, on June 12, 2025, slow-tracking thunderstorms produced flash flooding in Valentine alongside golf ball-sized hail and high winds. Earlier, on July 10, 2020, supercells moving through the area generated wind gusts up to 100 miles per hour, tennis ball-sized hail, damaged crops, and flooded buildings. Additional flash flooding occurred on June 10, 2023, driven by a stationary frontal boundary and surface trough.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties vulnerable to intense, localized storm runoff and sudden heavy rainfall, particularly near low-lying areas and urban drainage zones where flash flooding develops rapidly.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5 NOAA storm reports from Cherry County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
11 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 5, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 22, 2008 |
| Big Rock Fire | Jul 16, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuees | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
17 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 12, 2025 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jul 10, 2020 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2020 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 22, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2014 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 12, 2025. Severe thunderstorms developed along a stationary front, situated along the South Dakota and Nebraska Border during the early evening hours of June 12th. This activity tracked slowly to the south-southeast producing flash flooding in Valentine, along with golf ball sized hail and thunderstorm wind gusts up to 67 MPH. This activity gradually moved south, merging with a second line of storms which developed over the…
Flash Flood · Jun 10, 2023. A stationary frontal boundary and surface trough draped across the area brought a few thunderstorms with a couple of severe thunderstorms to the area.
Flood · Jul 10, 2020. Two primary supercells moved southeast from Cherry County and vicinity toward Custer County during the late morning and afternoon. An additional round of storms consisting of a linear system and a supercell moved through north central Nebraska later in the evening. Wind gusts were estimated up to 100 mph and hail to tennis ball size, while multiple reports of damaged crops and flooded buildings were received durin…
Flash Flood · Jul 10, 2020. Two primary supercells moved southeast from Cherry County and vicinity toward Custer County during the late morning and afternoon. An additional round of storms consisting of a linear system and a supercell moved through north central Nebraska later in the evening. Wind gusts were estimated up to 100 mph and hail to tennis ball size, while multiple reports of damaged crops and flooded buildings were received durin…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Cherry County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.