11 flood insurance claims·$83,436 paid·3 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 Custer 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 thunderstorms dominates the flood profile of Custer County, accounting for 44 out of 60 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 16 general flood events.
Severe weather events illustrate this hazard pattern. On June 7, 2024, thunderstorms producing a tornado, large hail, and wind gusts developed over the central Sandhills and impacted western Custer County. Earlier, on October 12, 2023, storms driven by a warm front dropped an all-time daily record of 5.45 inches of rainfall in Broken Bow within two to three hours, causing localized flooding in and around the city. An additional flash flood event occurred on June 2, 2025, when slow-tracking thunderstorms produced heavy rain across northern Custer County.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating that property owners outside designated high-risk areas also face financial loss. Zone A claimants recorded an average payout of $2,368 with an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X claimants recorded an average payout of $37,367 with an average water depth of 1 inch, while unshaded Zone X claimants averaged $3,167 with an average water depth of 0 inches. Residents in both designated flood zones and lower-risk unshaded areas should pay attention to these localized flash flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 1 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 2019, with 6 claims and $13,553 paid, the year of Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, 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.
30 NOAA storm reports from Custer County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | May 12, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 13, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 29, 2017 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 5, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 28, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
60 since 1996: 44 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 2, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2024 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Oct 12, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 12, 2023 | $500,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jul 6, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2020 | $10,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 2, 2025. An approaching cold front and upper level disturbance, initiated thunderstorms over northern Custer County during the late afternoon hours of June 2nd. This activity then developed along a line from northern Lincoln into southeastern Holt County. This activity tracked slowly to the south into southwestern and central Nebraska and continued into the overnight hours. Heavy rain produced flash flooding in northern Cu…
Flash Flood · Jun 7, 2024. Thunderstorms developed over the central Sandhills in the vicinity of a stalled out frontal boundary. This activity quickly became severe with large hail up to golf ball size, severe thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 MPH and a tornado was reported over western Custer County. Severe thunderstorms also tracked across far southwestern Nebraska, impacting Chase and Hayes county. Hail up to 3 inches in diameter was reporte…
Flash Flood · Oct 12, 2023. A warm front was situated over southern Nebraska on the morning of October 12th. Aided by strong mid level winds, thunderstorms developed along this front and lifted quickly north into central Nebraska during the mid to late afternoon hours of October 12th. Heavy rain was reported with these storms. Broken Bow received 5.45 inches of rainfall in 2 to 3 hours which led to flooding in and around Broken Bow. The 5.45…
Flash Flood · Jul 7, 2022. Thunderstorms produced torrential rainfall that led to flash flooding from the evening of July 6 into the morning of July 7 in parts of the panhandle as well as central Nebraska.
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 Custer 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.