Nebraska floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 93 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,363 floods and flash floods in Nebraska from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 79 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the March 13, 2019 flood: 3 deaths and $570 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 14 records. Nebraska ranks 31st of 52 states and territories by count and 39th of 51 per square mile.
Floods in Nebraska, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 2,3631996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 79average
- Deaths
- 138 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.5Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 2019278 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in Nebraska?
Nebraska averages about 79 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 31st of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2019 (278). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Nebraska records 308 floods and flash floods since 1996, 39th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Nebraska have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Douglas County leads Nebraska: 59 days with a flood since 1996, 180.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Douglas County has the most flood records (94 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in Nebraska?
52% of its floods and flash floods since 1996 fell in May and June. The busiest month is June (701 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 11 · Feb 65 · Mar 196 · Apr 87 · May 520 · Jun 701 · Jul 345 · Aug 279 · Sep 108 · Oct 45 · Nov 0 · Dec 6 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in Nebraska?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-13 | FloodMonroe, Platte County One storm episode: 14 records in 12 places, 2019-03-13 to 2019-03-15; the totals are the episode's. A 971mb bomb cyclone moved out of the central Rockies on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 and helped to create widespread, moderate to major, and in many cases historic, flooding across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. From 4 to 15 inches of snow cover remained across the mid Missouri River valley, and the ground was ... | 3 | 0 | $570M | |
| 2011-06-01 | FloodBlair Airport, Washington County One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A record rain event in May in eastern Montana combined with high water from storms in April and May (and early spring snow melt) and brought high water to the Missouri River chain of reservoirs. The high water levels plus the threat of flood waters due an unusually high snow pack in the Rockies over the upper Missouri ... | 2 | 0 | $5.1M | |
| 2010-06-14 | FloodTilden, Madison County One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. An upper level trough over the western U.S. pushed a cold front into central Nebraska during the overnight hours of June 11th and 12th. This system brought scattered heavy-rain producing thunderstorms to eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. For many areas it was the 3rd day-in-a-row with significant or heavy rain. Many ... | 1 | 1 | $14M | |
| 2019-07-08 | Flash FloodFarnam, Dawson County One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 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, ... | 1 | 1 | $37M | |
| 2015-05-07 | FloodPowell, Jefferson County One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. Very heavy, and in some cases, record rainfall fell across southeast Nebraska on the evening of the 6th and into the early morning hours of the 7th. This led to flooding on several rivers and creeks across southeast Nebraska on the days to follow. In some cases the flooding reached record levels and resulted in ... | 1 | 0 | $263M | |
| 2014-06-20 | Flash FloodPortal, Sarpy County Significant flash flooding occurred in central and eastern Sarpy County due to heavy rainfall. Slow moving thunderstorms deposited over 7 inches of rainfall during the evening and early morning hours of June 20th into the 21st. In addition to street flooding, that led to several road closures, the Papio Creek reached ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-08-07 | Flash FloodOmaha, Douglas County Record setting rainfall caused extensive flooding over the Omaha Nebraska and Council Bluffs Iowa metro area and surrounding counties. Rainfall at Eppley Airfield in Omaha totaled 10.46 inches for the 24 hour period ending at 3 am cst 8/7/99, this was the most rainfall recorded in a 24 hour period in Omaha since 1900. ... | 1 | 0 | $19M | |
| 2019-03-14 | Flash FloodMonowi, Boyd County One storm episode: 15 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. Historical flooding occurred in north central Nebraska as rivers, creeks and other streams rose due to the combination of snow, rain, and rapid snow melt on top of frozen ground. The greatest flooding occurred along the Niobrara, Keya Paha, Elkhorn and Loup Rivers; Ponca, Long Pine, Victoria and Cedar creeks; and one ... | 1 | 0 | $30M | |
| 2004-07-22 | Flash FloodOmaha, Douglas County Heavy rainfall in the Omaha metropolitan area caused areas of flash flooding, especially near the Saddle Creek and Center Streets area, near the intersections of 96th and Q Streets, 17th and Ames Avenue and 108th and Q streets. It was near that last location where a 29-year-old male apparently drowned after his car ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2002-07-06 | Flash FloodSouth Portion, Keith County A tropical-like system moved into Southwest Nebraska Friday night and Saturday. Thunderstorms formed along a stationary front and persisted over the same area . Total rainfall was from 8 to 11 inches. Flood waters began to inundate hotels and businesses along Interstate 80 in Ogallala at 7 AM MST. One bridge and ... | 1 | 0 | $1.3M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in Nebraska
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-13 | FloodMonroe, Platte County One storm episode: 14 records in 12 places, 2019-03-13 to 2019-03-15; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 0 | $570M | |
| 2015-05-07 | FloodPowell, Jefferson County One storm episode: 6 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $263M | |
| 2005-05-11 | Flash FloodCountywide, Adams County One storm episode: 13 records in 13 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $96M | |
| 2019-03-13 | Flash FloodBelgrade, Nance County One storm episode: 15 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $57M | |
| 2019-07-08 | Flash FloodFarnam, Dawson County One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 1 | $37M | |
| 2019-03-14 | Flash FloodMonowi, Boyd County One storm episode: 15 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $30M | |
| 2024-06-21 | Flash FloodBoelus, Howard County One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $22M | |
| 2000-07-04 | FloodAdams County · forecast zone Adams One storm episode: 9 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $21M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in Nebraska?
Nebraska's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Nebraska | United States | Nebraska's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 278 | 20,986 | 1.3% |
| 2000s | 680 | 54,913 | 1.2% |
| 2010s | 1,086 | 68,322 | 1.6% |
| 2020-26 | 319 | 43,563 | 0.7% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in Nebraska
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | Flash FloodGering, Scotts Bluff County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2026-06-26 | Flash FloodBridgeport, Morrill County | 0 | 0 | $2K | |
| 2026-06-26 | Flash FloodBridgeport, Morrill County | 0 | 0 | $2K | |
| 2026-06-24 | FloodNorth Platte, Lincoln County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-23 | Flash FloodPalisade Rich Airport, Hitchcock County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-11 | Flash FloodPalmyra, Otoe County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-11 | Flash FloodDenton, Lancaster County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-07 | Flash FloodPotter, Cheyenne County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2026-06-05 | FloodSalem, Richardson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-05 | Flash FloodRulo, Richardson County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-05 | Flash FloodMurray, Cass County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-05 | Flash FloodDe Witt, Saline County | 0 | 0 | $10K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in Nebraska
FEMA has declared 47 disasters in Nebraska for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 46 were major disasters, the latest on August 3, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | DR-4928 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 8 |
| 2025-10-22 | DR-4896 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 12 |
| 2024-10-21 | DR-4838 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 5 |
| 2024-09-24 | DR-4822 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 17 |
| 2024-08-20 | DR-4808 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 19 |
| 2019-06-17 | DR-4446 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 2019-03-21 | DR-4420 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 89 |
| 2018-08-27 | DR-4387 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 11 |
| 2015-06-25 | DR-4225 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 28 |
| 2014-07-28 | DR-4185 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 12 |
| 2014-07-24 | DR-4183 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 12 |
| 2014-06-17 | DR-4179 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 6 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Douglas County: the county's whole recordThe Nebraska county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in NebraskaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Nebraska25,051 records
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Nebraska13,616 records
- Winter storms in Nebraska8,064 records