184 flood insurance claims·$1.7M paid·5 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 Gage 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 risk profile in Gage County, complemented by riverine flooding over the last 30 years with 25 recorded flash flood events and 19 general flood events. Recent weather history underscores this threat, such as a stalled boundary in July 2025 that produced rainfall rates of 2.5 to 3.5 inches per hour across central Gage County, covering roads in water west of Beatrice. A cold front in June 2020 similarly generated damaging winds and flash flooding across eastern Nebraska.
NFIP claims data demonstrates that property owners in high-risk coastal and riverine areas require the closest attention, specifically those mapped in Zone A. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of historical claims in the county with 164 filings, resulting in an average payout of $11,655 and an average recorded water depth of 6 inches. While unshaded Zone X properties recorded fewer claims with 6 filings, they experienced the highest severity among groups with an average water depth of 24 inches and an average payout of $47,310, indicating that property owners outside officially designated high-risk zones should also carefully evaluate their exposure.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Gage County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
181 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 6 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 1984, with 77 claims and $1.0M paid.
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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Gage County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1967, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Jun 12, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 6, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Ice Jams, And Flooding | Mar 6, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 22, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Nov 16, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 22, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
44 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jun 19, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2025. On the late morning and afternoon of July 21st, 2025, a stalled boundary over southeast Nebraska triggered multiple thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. The most intense rain fell over central Gage County, where radar estimated rates of 2.5 to 3.5 inches per hour, leading to total rainfall of 3 to 5 inches. Reports from the ground confirmed rainfall totals of 2.5 to 3.6 inches. This caused flash flooding, with emerg…
Flash Flood · Apr 29, 2022. A negatively tilted trough and a strong mid-level jet resulted in a severe weather outbreak across the area. Three tornadoes were observed, 1 near Schuyler and 2 more near Douglas in Otoe County. Severe hail and damaging wind gusts were also reported.
Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2020. A strong storm in Gage County produced damaging winds and flash flooding.
Flood · Jun 19, 2020. A cold front moved across eastern Nebraska and produced damaging winds, flash flooding, and a few hail reports.
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 Gage 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.