Natural disaster risk in Thurston County, Nebraska
Nebraska · population 6,766 · FIPS 31173
Overall: very low risk
Thurston County has a composite risk score of 26.4 out of 100 — higher than 26% of US counties. It ranks 36 of 93 in Nebraska (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are drought, hail, wildfire.
Drought now: Yes: D1 Moderate Drought, 18 weeks
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 11.97% of Thurston County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 18 weeks in a row.
Drought in Thurston 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. |
Very low 26.4 |
| Expected annual loss About $6.8 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards. |
Very low 21 |
| Social vulnerability Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover. |
Relatively high 69.5 |
| Community resilience Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover. |
Relatively low 20.7 |
Risk by hazard
FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Thurston County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.
| Hazard | Risk rating and score |
|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Hail | Relatively moderate 85 |
| Wildfire | Relatively low 85 |
| Landslide | Relatively low 75 |
| Heat wave | Relatively low 67 |
| Tornado | Relatively low 51 |
| Strong wind | Relatively low 45 |
| Ice storm | Relatively low 39 |
| Cold wave | Relatively low 34 |
| Inland (riverine) flooding | Very low 18 |
| Winter weather | Very low 17 |
| Lightning | Very low 9 |
| Earthquake | Very low 6 |
| Avalanche | Not applicable |
| Coastal flooding | Not applicable |
| Hurricane | Not applicable |
| Tsunami | Not applicable |
| Volcanic activity | Not applicable |
FEMA disaster declarations for Thurston County
Federal declarations that designated Thurston County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.
Yes. Thurston County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4928-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 3 Aug 2026.
| Declaration | Kind | Incident | Declared | Individual assistance here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4928-NE | Major disaster | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 3 Aug 2026 | No |
| DR-4868-NE | Major disaster | Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds | 21 May 2025 | 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 Thurston County, Nebraska?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Thurston County as very low, with a score of 26.4 out of 100 (higher than 26% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.
What are the biggest natural hazards in Thurston County?
The hazards rated highest for Thurston County are drought (relatively moderate), hail (relatively moderate), wildfire (relatively low).
What is the flood risk in Thurston County?
FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Thurston County as very low. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.
Has Thurston County had a FEMA disaster declaration?
Yes. Thurston County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4928-NE (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 3 Aug 2026.
Is Thurston County in a drought?
Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 11.97% of Thurston County is in D1 Moderate Drought. Some of it has been at D1 or worse for 18 weeks in a row.
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