52 flood insurance claims·$177,715 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 Scotts Bluff 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 Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, accounting for 34 out of 36 recorded flood events over the last 30 years.
Severe weather events illustrate this recurring hazard, including a surge of monsoon moisture that produced flash flooding on July 24, 2025. Another notable event occurred on June 23, 2023, when an intense, long-lived tornadic supercell significantly impacted the area. Historical NFIP claims data indicates that flood impacts extend across multiple zones, with the highest concentration of claims occurring in high-risk Zone A, which recorded 33 claims averaging $6,902 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Additional claims occurred in shaded Zone X, unshaded Zone X, Zone X, and unknown zones, with average payouts ranging from $1,176 to $6,668 and average recorded water depths of 0 to 1 inch.
Property owners and real estate professionals should pay the most attention to homes located within Zone A, which has experienced the highest frequency of insurance claims and greater average water depths, as well as properties situated in areas susceptible to intense summer convective storms and flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
25% of Scotts Bluff County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
44 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 2 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 2011, with 21 claims and $86,435 paid, the year of 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Scotts Bluff County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Nebraska flood stories →
10 federal disaster declarations since 1997, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 19, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Apr 6, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Flooding | Jun 17, 2011 |
| Flooding | May 24, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 5, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuees | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Snow Storms, Rain, And Strong Winds | Oct 24, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
36 since 1996: 34 flash floods and 2 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 24, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 20, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 7, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2021 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 24, 2025. A surge of monsoon moisture brought strong thunderstorms to southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska the afternoon and evening of July 24th. Strong winds, hail, and flash flooding were reported with storms.
Flash Flood · Jun 20, 2024. An intense supercell crossed into western Scotts Bluff County around 3:00 PM MDT on 6/20, quickly transitioning to an intense bow echo which produced widespread destructive straight line winds. These storms produced an EF-1 tornado to the southeast of the town of Morrill, NE, while a notable RFD (Rear Flank Downdraft) produced a broad swath of straight line winds in excess of 80 MPH. These RFD winds resulted in ex…
Flash Flood · Aug 7, 2024. Severe thunderstorms reported in the Nebraska Panhandle the afternoon and early evening of 8 August.
Flash Flood · Jun 23, 2023. The most notable storm of the day was an intense, long-lived, cyclic tornadic supercell which significantly impacted Scotts Bluff and Morrill Counties during the early evening hours. This storm originated in the central Laramie Range of Wyoming approximately 50 miles to the west around 3 to 4 hours prior to reaching western Nebraska, producing several confirmed tornadoes along its path. Environmental conditions ac…
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 Scotts Bluff 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.