27 flood insurance claims·$76,422 paid·1 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 Cheyenne 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 severe thunderstorms dominates the flood history of Cheyenne County, Nebraska. According to NOAA Storm Events Database records from the past 30 years, the county experienced 49 flash flood events compared to only 3 general flood events.
A notable example occurred in June 2024, when multiple rounds of training thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall ranging from 3 to 5 inches in a short period of time. This resulted in flash flooding along several county roads as creeks and streams overflowed their banks and ditches rapidly filled.
Federal Emergency Management Agency claim records highlight varying impacts across flood zones. Zone A recorded 19 claims with an average payout of $3,192 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Zone X recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $10,872 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN logged 4 claims averaging $411 with an average recorded water depth of 0 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED logged 1 claim with a $0 average payout and 0 inches of average water depth. Residents with properties located in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to local flood risks given the historical distribution of insurance claims and the frequency of intense summer flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Cheyenne County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
20 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 4 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2010, with 19 claims and $69,222 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
15 NOAA storm reports from Cheyenne County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1997, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 6, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 13, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 19, 2006 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuees | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Severe Snow Storms, Rain, And Strong Winds | Oct 24, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
52 since 1996: 49 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2014 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 27, 2024. Storms developed over the Nebraska panhandle during the afternoon with hail and strong winds eventually forming into a convective line that propagated into central Nebraska. Additional storms with strong winds moved east out of Wyoming into western Nebraska bringing another round of strong winds into the evening.
Flash Flood · Jun 14, 2024. Multiple rounds of training thunderstorms produced an extended period of torrential rainfall across Cheyenne and Morrill counties from the mid to late afternoon into the early evening hours on 6/14. Numerous reports were received of rainfall amounts ranging from 3 to 5 inches in a short period of time, resulting in flash flooding of several county roads due to creeks and streams flowing out of their banks and ditc…
Flash Flood · Aug 25, 2023. Very heavy rain fell across Cheyenne County the morning of 25 August, leading to flash flooding in and around Sidney Nebraska. Widespread rainfall was ongoing with remnants of Tropical Storm Harold moving through the area.
Flash Flood · Jul 8, 2023. Severe storms producing large hail and flash flooding occurred in the Nebraska Panhandle on 8 July 2023.
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 Cheyenne 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.