Enter any address in York County, Nebraska to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominates York County's flood events. Between 1993 and 2023, NOAA data recorded 16 flash flood events and 3 general flood events. Recent examples include widespread flooding of low-lying areas and rivers following heavy rain in May 2019, and a localized heavy rain and flooding event near York in August 2014, which dropped over 6 inches of rain in a three-hour period.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data shows 9 claims in Zone A, with an average payout of $3,398 and an average water depth of 2.6 feet. Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, particularly those near creeks, rivers, or in low-lying areas, should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
18 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
York County, Nebraska has recorded 19 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 16 flash floods and 3 river or area floods. The county has received 20 federal disaster declarations, 4 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1967–2025)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm And Straight-line Winds | Winter Storm | Mar 18, 2025 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Severe Storm | May 12, 2022 |
| Severe Storms And Straight-line Winds | Severe Storm | Jul 9, 2021 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Mar 9, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 6, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Tornado | May 11, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight Line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 19, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Ice Jams, And Flooding | Flood | Mar 6, 2010 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 27, 2019 | 100.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 10, 2016 | 10.00K |
| Flood | Jun 4, 2015 | 500.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2014 | 15.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 11, 2014 | 200.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2011 | 25.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2011 | 25.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2011 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Aug 26, 2009 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2008 | 50.00K |
Flood — May 27, 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 inc...
Flash Flood — May 10, 2016
Thunderstorms produced mostly hail along with a little wind damage, and excessive rainfall on this Tuesday afternoon and evening. The first thunderstorms began forming just after 3 pm and were part of a broken line of isolated storms that extended from O'neill south to near Kearney, and then southwest into Kansas. A dominant storm developed along the Hall-Howard County line by 4 p.m.. This stor...
Flood — Jun 4, 2015
For the third consecutive night, this time from the evening of Thursday the 4th into the early morning of Friday the 5th, several rounds of thunderstorms rumbled across much of the 24-county South Central Nebraska area. And for the second straight night, the majority of storms concentrated within the southeastern half of the area. Although the first few hours of evening convection yielded sever...
Flash Flood — Aug 25, 2014
This late Monday evening the 25th into early Tuesday morning the 26th featured one of the most noteworthy, albeit very-localized heavy rain and flooding events of summer 2014 within South Central Nebraska, with the greatest concentration of 3+ inch amounts centered directly over and near the city of York. The vast majority of this rain fell during a three-hour period between 1130 pm-230 am CDT,...
Flash Flood — May 11, 2014
Multiple thunderstorms formed along and southeast of a line from Red Cloud to York on this Sunday afternoon. However, most of the severe weather was produced by a single supercell. This was the first and most intense storm of the day and it formed over Webster county around 2:30 p.m. CDT. This storm took full advantage of an extremely favorable environment, quickly becoming severe and producing...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in York County, Nebraska:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in York County, Nebraska that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.