89 flood insurance claims·$508,479 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 Dawson 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood history of Dawson County, Nebraska. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 14 flash flood events—resulting in 1 death—alongside 7 general flood events. Recent activity includes widespread flooding of low-lying areas, fields, creeks, and rivers from multiple thunderstorm episodes in May 2019, as well as excessive rainfall, flash flooding, and severe winds that moved across western Dawson County during a persistent line of thunderstorms in July 2019.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood claims span multiple zones, with the highest concentration occurring in Zone A, which accumulated 68 claims with an average payout of $6,074 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties in Zone X also experienced claims, totaling 14 claims with an average payout of $12,010 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Additionally, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $15,139 and an average water depth of 3 inches, while Zone X_SHADED recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $3,251 and an average water depth of 0 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and Zone X, where historical claim volumes and payouts indicate consistent flood vulnerability.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Dawson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
75 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 2019, with 31 claims and $237,448 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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Dawson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1978, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Morrill-cottonwood Fire | Mar 12, 2026 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 19, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 28, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 19, 2006 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Nov 27, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 14 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 28, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | $2.0M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2019 | $10,000 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Jul 5, 2018 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2018 | $150,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2016 | — |
| Flood | May 15, 2015 | $75,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 28, 2019. Widespread flooding of low-lying areas, fields, creeks, and rivers continued. A large area of heavy rain fell due to multiple thunderstorm episodes on the nights of the 26th and 27th, and resulted in 3 to 5 inch totals over much of south central Nebraska. The swath of greatest rainfall amounts extended from Alma to Hastings to Columbus. This swath was surrounded by rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches. The highest amo…
Flash Flood · Jul 8, 2019. Excessive rainfall, flash flooding, and severe winds occurred on this Monday afternoon and evening. Widely scattered thunderstorms began forming around 1 PM CST along and west of Highway 183. By 2 PM CST, a persistent line segment of thunderstorms began affecting western Dawson county. Over the following four hours, this southwest-northeast oriented line slowly crept east across Dawson county into western Buffalo…
Flood · Jul 5, 2018. Excessive rainfall occurred over eastern Dawson and western Buffalo counties on this Wednesday night and very early Thursday morning, with flash flooding south of Sumner. During the evening hours, numerous thunderstorms developed from near McCook to North Platte to Broken Bow to Albion. Around 9 PM CST, a separate, small cluster of thunderstorms formed over eastern Dawson county. Repeated cell development kept hea…
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2018. Excessive rainfall occurred over eastern Dawson and western Buffalo counties on this Wednesday night and very early Thursday morning, with flash flooding south of Sumner. During the evening hours, numerous thunderstorms developed from near McCook to North Platte to Broken Bow to Albion. Around 9 PM CST, a separate, small cluster of thunderstorms formed over eastern Dawson county. Repeated cell development kept hea…
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 Dawson 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.