Nebraska lightning risk
Lancaster County has the highest lightning risk in Nebraska, scoring 92.1 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lancaster County | 92.1 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 2 | Adams County | 90 | Relatively High | 1 |
| 3 | Douglas County | 88.7 | Relatively High | 0 |
| 4 | Webster County | 78.1 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 5 | Buffalo County | 72.8 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 6 | Gage County | 72.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 7 | Sarpy County | 70.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 8 | Holt County | 68.3 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 9 | Hall County | 64.9 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 10 | Garden County | 63.6 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 11 | Cheyenne County | 63.2 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 12 | Scotts Bluff County | 61.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 13 | Morrill County | 60.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 14 | Keith County | 58.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 15 | Clay County | 53.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 16 | Box Butte County | 53.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 17 | Kearney County | 52.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 18 | Sheridan County | 49.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 19 | Platte County | 49.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 20 | Dawson County | 49 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 21 | York County | 48.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 22 | Saline County | 48.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 23 | Polk County | 46.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 24 | Lincoln County | 45 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 25 | Madison County | 44.5 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 26 | Nuckolls County | 44.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 27 | Franklin County | 41.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 28 | Deuel County | 39.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 29 | Dodge County | 37.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 30 | Hamilton County | 36.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 31 | Butler County | 36.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 32 | Dawes County | 35.4 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 33 | Red Willow County | 33.7 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 34 | Phelps County | 33 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 35 | Thayer County | 33 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 36 | Knox County | 26.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 37 | Jefferson County | 26.1 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 38 | Dakota County | 25.3 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 39 | Boone County | 24.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 40 | Kimball County | 23.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 41 | Chase County | 22.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 42 | Cass County | 21.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 43 | Cuming County | 21.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 44 | Fillmore County | 21.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 45 | Otoe County | 21.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Furnas County | 21.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 47 | Custer County | 20.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 48 | Harlan County | 19.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 49 | Antelope County | 19.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | Cherry County | 19.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Seward County | 19.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Nance County | 18.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Saunders County | 18.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Richardson County | 17.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 55 | Cedar County | 17.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 56 | Valley County | 17.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 57 | Garfield County | 17 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Nemaha County | 16.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 59 | Gosper County | 13.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 60 | Perkins County | 13.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 61 | Merrick County | 13.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Hitchcock County | 13.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 63 | Pierce County | 12.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 64 | Colfax County | 12.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Frontier County | 11.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 66 | Johnson County | 11.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 67 | Howard County | 10.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 68 | Wayne County | 10.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 69 | Washington County | 9.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Thurston County | 9.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Pawnee County | 9.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 72 | Sherman County | 9.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Stanton County | 8.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 74 | Dixon County | 8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 75 | Greeley County | 7.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 76 | Arthur County | 7.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Brown County | 7.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Burt County | 7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 79 | Boyd County | 6.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 80 | Grant County | 6.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 81 | Dundy County | 6.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Hooker County | 5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 83 | Rock County | 4.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 84 | Sioux County | 3.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 85 | Wheeler County | 3.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 86 | Keya Paha County | 3.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 87 | Hayes County | 3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 88 | Loup County | 1.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 89 | McPherson County | 1.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 90 | Banner County | 1.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 91 | Logan County | 1.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 92 | Blaine County | 1.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 93 | Thomas County | 1 | 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.
Lightning risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Nebraska:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest lightning risk county in Nebraska?
Lancaster County, NE has the highest lightning risk in Nebraska, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 92.1 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes lightning risk in Nebraska?
Lightning risk reflects expected annual losses from cloud-to-ground strikes, which ignite building fires, damage electrical systems, and cause fatalities. Florida consistently leads the US in lightning density. High scores also appear across the Gulf Coast, Southeast, and central Plains, where afternoon convective storms are most frequent in summer months.