Natural disaster risk in Lancaster County, Nebraska
Nebraska · population 322,200 · FIPS 31109
Overall: relatively moderate risk
Lancaster County has a composite risk score of 90.7 out of 100 — higher than 90% of US counties. It ranks 2 of 93 in Nebraska (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are strong wind, winter weather, hail.
Drought now: No: no drought or dryness
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Lancaster County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 5 weeks in a row.
Drought in Lancaster County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience
| Measure | Rating and score |
|---|---|
| Overall risk Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience. |
Relatively moderate 90.7 |
| Expected annual loss About $115.4 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Relatively moderate 92 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Very low 14.8 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Very high 96.6 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Lancaster County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Strong wind | Very high 99 |
| Winter weather | Very high 97 |
| Hail | Relatively high 98 |
| Tornado | Relatively high 98 |
| Lightning | Relatively high 92 |
| Ice storm | Relatively high 90 |
| Wildfire | Relatively moderate 93 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Cold wave | Relatively moderate 78 |
| Drought | Relatively moderate 69 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 76 |
| Landslide | Very low 59 |
| Earthquake | Very low 40 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | No rating |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Lancaster County
Federal declarations that designated Lancaster County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Lancaster County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4896-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding), declared 22 Oct 2025.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4896-NE | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 22 Oct 2025 | No |
| DR-4868-NE | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 21 May 2025 | No |
| DR-4838-NE | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 21 Oct 2024 | No |
All FEMA declarations in Nebraska, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.
How to read these ratings
- Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
- Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
- Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
- Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
- Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
- Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
- "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).
About this data
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.
Questions
What is the natural disaster risk in Lancaster County, Nebraska?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Lancaster County as relatively moderate, with a score of 90.7 out of 100 (higher than 90% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Lancaster County?
The hazards rated highest for Lancaster County are strong wind (very high), winter weather (very high), hail (relatively high).
What is the flood risk in Lancaster County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Lancaster County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Lancaster County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Lancaster County has been named in 3 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4896-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding), declared 22 Oct 2025.
Is Lancaster County in a drought?
No. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, no part of Lancaster County is in drought or abnormally dry (none of D0 to D4). That has been so for 5 weeks in a row.
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