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FEMA flood zones · Nebraska

Dawes County, Nebraska Flood Zone Map

2 federal flood & hurricane disasters

6% of Dawes County’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones.

Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Dawes 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.

Federal disasters

11 federal disaster declarations since 1991, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.

DisasterBegan
Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line WindsApr 6, 2024
Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And FloodingMar 9, 2019
Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And FloodingMay 6, 2015
Severe Storms, Winter Storms, Tornadoes And FloodingOct 2, 2013
Region 23 Fire ComplexAug 30, 2012
Severe Storms And FloodingJun 1, 2010
Dawes County Fire ComplexJul 27, 2006
Hurricane Katrina EvacueesAug 29, 2005

Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.

Recorded flood events

8 since 1996: 5 flash floods and 3 river or area floods.

EventDateDamage
FloodAug 19, 2021—
Flash FloodJun 27, 2016—
Flash FloodJun 25, 2015—
FloodJul 22, 2010—
Flash FloodJun 9, 2010$1,000
Flash FloodJun 30, 2004—
FloodJul 8, 1998—
Flash FloodJul 4, 1996—

— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

From the storm reports

Flood · Aug 19, 2021. Heavy rainfall due to training thunderstorms resulted in minor urban flooding through portions of Chadron on the evening of August 18th. Chadron Airport ASOS station reported 1.87 inches of rainfall.

Flash Flood · Jun 27, 2016. Thunderstorms produced large hail, damaging winds and torrential rainfall across much of the northern Nebraska Panhandle. Flash flooding was reported at Chadron in Dawes County.

Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2015. Thunderstorms over the western Nebraska Panhandle produced very heavy rain, strong winds, a weak tornado and numerous reports of large hail.

Flood · Jul 22, 2010. Ample moisture in conjunction with an upper level disturbance moving over the area caused severe thunderstorms to develop. Large hail and severe wind gusts were the only threats.

National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.

The zones you’ll see on the map

Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Dawes County

If a building in Dawes 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.