Box Butte County, Nebraska: hazard risk
FEMA rates Box Butte County's overall risk Very Low (score 21.0 of 100, higher than 20% of rated U.S. counties); 1 of its 13 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by drought. Its storm record holds 723 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | 96.6 | $3.9M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 80.3 | $1.0M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 68.3 | $137K |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 53.3 | $298K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | 51.5 | $102K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 48.3 | $998K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 31.1 | $611K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | 20.0 | $204K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 61.3 | $103K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 32.6 | $108K |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | 10.0 | $21K |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | 5.9 | $955K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 5.0 | $8 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 343 | 0 | $1.4M | 66th of 93 | 688th of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 128 | 0 | $643K | 69th of 93 | 2292nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 91 | 1 | $110K | 75th of 93 | 1935th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 68 | 0 | $120K | 35th of 93 | 729th of 3,080 |
| Tornadoes | 43 | 0 | $9.0M | 59th of 93 | 1331st of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 22 | 0 | – | 65th of 93 | 1155th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 9 | 0 | – | 43rd of 93 | 1519th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 6 | 0 | – | 85th of 93 | 2965th of 3,080 |
| Heat | 2 | 0 | – | 58th of 93 | 2209th of 3,076 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $31K | 51st of 93 | 1954th of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Box Butte County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.