Nebraska heat wave risk
Douglas County has the highest heat wave risk in Nebraska, scoring 97.5 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded heat wave events across Nebraska have increased 1529% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Douglas County | 97.5 | Relatively High | 8 |
| 2 | Sarpy County | 89.7 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 3 | Lancaster County | 76.4 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 4 | Thurston County | 67.2 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 5 | Dakota County | 60.2 | Relatively Low | 18 |
| 6 | Wayne County | 60 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 7 | Dodge County | 54.8 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 8 | Buffalo County | 54.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 9 | Cass County | 53.3 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 10 | Richardson County | 53.3 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 11 | Nemaha County | 52.6 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 12 | Otoe County | 51.5 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 13 | Lincoln County | 51 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 14 | Adams County | 50.6 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 15 | Gage County | 48.6 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 16 | Dawson County | 47.6 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 17 | Cuming County | 44.6 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 18 | Platte County | 35.8 | Very Low | 7 |
| 19 | Madison County | 33.4 | Very Low | 4 |
| 20 | Cedar County | 32.6 | Very Low | 4 |
| 21 | Jefferson County | 32 | Very Low | 6 |
| 22 | Dixon County | 31.2 | Very Low | 20 |
| 23 | Burt County | 31.1 | Very Low | 6 |
| 24 | Johnson County | 29.5 | Very Low | 6 |
| 25 | Knox County | 28.7 | Very Low | 3 |
| 26 | Custer County | 28.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 27 | Pawnee County | 27.2 | Very Low | 7 |
| 28 | York County | 26.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 29 | Red Willow County | 26.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 30 | Thayer County | 24.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 31 | Phelps County | 23.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 32 | Furnas County | 23.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 33 | Webster County | 23.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 34 | Polk County | 23 | Very Low | 1 |
| 35 | Nuckolls County | 22.8 | Very Low | 1 |
| 36 | Butler County | 22.4 | Very Low | 4 |
| 37 | Hamilton County | 22.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 38 | Antelope County | 21.8 | Very Low | 3 |
| 39 | Kearney County | 21.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 40 | Holt County | 21.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 41 | Boone County | 21.2 | Very Low | 4 |
| 42 | Colfax County | 21 | Very Low | 5 |
| 43 | Saunders County | 20.5 | Very Low | 6 |
| 44 | Scotts Bluff County | 20.4 | Very Low | 3 |
| 45 | Cherry County | 19.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Franklin County | 19.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 47 | Washington County | 18.3 | Very Low | 7 |
| 48 | Saline County | 18 | Very Low | 5 |
| 49 | Seward County | 18 | Very Low | 4 |
| 50 | Harlan County | 17.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 51 | Frontier County | 17.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Hall County | 17.1 | Very Low | 1 |
| 53 | Keith County | 16.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Pierce County | 15.9 | Very Low | 4 |
| 55 | Stanton County | 15.8 | Very Low | 4 |
| 56 | Sherman County | 15.5 | Very Low | 1 |
| 57 | Brown County | 13.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Merrick County | 12.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 59 | Clay County | 12.2 | Very Low | 1 |
| 60 | Nance County | 12.2 | Very Low | 1 |
| 61 | Chase County | 12 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Hitchcock County | 11.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 63 | Fillmore County | 11.2 | Very Low | 1 |
| 64 | Gosper County | 10.2 | Very Low | 1 |
| 65 | Box Butte County | 10 | Very Low | 2 |
| 66 | Dawes County | 9.4 | Very Low | 2 |
| 67 | Keya Paha County | 9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 68 | Valley County | 8.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 69 | Perkins County | 8.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Rock County | 8.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Sheridan County | 7.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 72 | Greeley County | 7.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 73 | Howard County | 7.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 74 | Boyd County | 7.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 75 | Garfield County | 6.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 76 | Hayes County | 6.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Wheeler County | 6.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Cheyenne County | 5.5 | Very Low | 2 |
| 79 | Loup County | 4.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 80 | Morrill County | 4.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 81 | Blaine County | 4.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Logan County | 4.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 83 | Deuel County | 4.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 84 | Dundy County | 4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 85 | Thomas County | 4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 86 | Hooker County | 3.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 87 | Kimball County | 3.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 88 | Garden County | 3.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | Sioux County | 3.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 90 | McPherson County | 3.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 91 | Arthur County | 2.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 92 | Grant County | 2.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 93 | Banner County | 2.6 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Heat Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Nebraska:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest heat wave risk county in Nebraska?
Douglas County, NE has the highest heat wave risk in Nebraska, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 97.5 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes heat wave risk in Nebraska?
Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.