15 flood insurance claims·$60,099 paid
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 Red Willow 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 Red Willow County, accounting for 13 out of 18 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 5 general flood events.
Recent events illustrate this localized threat. On September 16, 2025, a nearly stationary thunderstorm over McCook produced prolonged heavy rainfall with rushing water reaching close to a foot deep in low-lying areas. Earlier that summer, on July 29, 2025, training storms over southern Red Willow County caused an estimated six inches of running water to cover Nebraska road 89.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties situated in high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas designated as Zone A face the highest exposure, registering 10 claims with an average payout of $11,403 and an average recorded water depth of seven inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X, Zone X unshaded, and unknown zones recorded a combined five claims with lower average payouts between $226 and $2,262 and average water depths of zero to one inch. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A areas should pay the closest attention to flood risk, as these properties experience significantly higher financial losses and water depths during heavy rain events.
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 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 2007, with 6 claims and $18,037 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.
7 NOAA storm reports from Red Willow County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
14 federal disaster declarations since 1990.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2024 |
| Road 702 Fire | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 29, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight Line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 22, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 19, 2006 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Nov 27, 2005 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuees | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
18 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 29, 2025 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 26, 2023 | $3,500 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 21, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2016 | — |
| Flood | Sep 4, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 29, 2025. During the evening and overnight hours of the 29th, clusters of storms formed in northwestern Kansas before entering southwestern Nebraska. These storms filled into a broken line, and began training over a portion of southern Red Willow county, on the state line. An estimated 6 inches of running water was seen over Nebraska road 89. Also, hail up to pennies was reported.
Flash Flood · Sep 16, 2025. A very strong thunderstorm developed near McCook during the afternoon, remaining nearly stationary for roughly two hours over the town before moving east. During this time the thunderstorm produced hail over three inches in diameter, wind gusts up to 60 MPH, and closed to six inches of rainfall. The prolonged heavy rainfall caused rushing water to be close to a foot deep in the low lying areas of McCook.||Elsewh…
Flood · May 26, 2023. In the afternoon of the 25th, slow moving, high precipitation thunderstorms formed in eastern Colorado and moved northeast. In the evening, severe hail was reported along with heavy rain. Overnight on the 25th, the storms slowed, began to back-build, and cause flooding in southwest Nebraska. Flooding continued until the 28th but the damage it caused took even longer to repair. 6.5 to 9.5 inches of rain was reporte…
Flash Flood · Sep 21, 2023. In the early afternoon hours on the 21st, a boundary began firing severe thunderstorms over Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas. These storms generally moved to the north-northeast as the boundary moved east. In Nebraska, these storms produced wind gusts in excess of 80 mph, 2.5 inch diameter hail, and flash flooding.
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 Red Willow 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.