Nebraska tornado risk
Douglas County has the highest tornado risk in Nebraska, scoring 99.4 out of 100 — rated "Very High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded tornado events across Nebraska have increased 80% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Douglas County | 99.4 | Very High | 6 |
| 2 | Lancaster County | 98.8 | Relatively High | 12 |
| 3 | Sarpy County | 97.2 | Relatively High | 5 |
| 4 | Platte County | 90.9 | Relatively High | 8 |
| 5 | Hall County | 89.9 | Relatively Moderate | 4 |
| 6 | Dodge County | 84.2 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 7 | Madison County | 83.1 | Relatively Moderate | 10 |
| 8 | Adams County | 79.6 | Relatively Moderate | 11 |
| 9 | Gage County | 78.4 | Relatively Moderate | 8 |
| 10 | Dakota County | 75.6 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 11 | Dawson County | 72.7 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 12 | Buffalo County | 72 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 13 | Cuming County | 71.4 | Relatively Moderate | 9 |
| 14 | Saline County | 69 | Relatively Moderate | 5 |
| 15 | York County | 67 | Relatively Moderate | 2 |
| 16 | Washington County | 66.5 | Relatively Moderate | 7 |
| 17 | Cass County | 63.1 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 18 | Lincoln County | 62.8 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 19 | Scotts Bluff County | 60 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 20 | Seward County | 59.9 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 21 | Saunders County | 59.4 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 22 | Colfax County | 56 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 23 | Clay County | 54.3 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 24 | Knox County | 53.2 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 25 | Boone County | 52 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 26 | Thurston County | 51.7 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 27 | Merrick County | 51.5 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 28 | Hamilton County | 50.7 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 29 | Butler County | 50.6 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 30 | Jefferson County | 50.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 31 | Otoe County | 50.4 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 32 | Custer County | 50.3 | Relatively Low | 16 |
| 33 | Thayer County | 49.3 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 34 | Nemaha County | 49.1 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 35 | Richardson County | 48.8 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 36 | Burt County | 46.6 | Relatively Low | 8 |
| 37 | Phelps County | 45 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 38 | Antelope County | 43.8 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 39 | Wayne County | 43.5 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 40 | Cedar County | 42.8 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 41 | Webster County | 42.5 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 42 | Fillmore County | 41.9 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 43 | Pierce County | 41.6 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 44 | Red Willow County | 41 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 45 | Holt County | 38.9 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 46 | Stanton County | 38.9 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 47 | Nuckolls County | 38.4 | Relatively Low | 7 |
| 48 | Furnas County | 37.2 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 49 | Polk County | 36.8 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 50 | Howard County | 35.9 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 51 | Harlan County | 35.8 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 52 | Kearney County | 35.8 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 53 | Dixon County | 35.6 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 54 | Cheyenne County | 35.4 | Relatively Low | 11 |
| 55 | Nance County | 34.9 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 56 | Franklin County | 32.3 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 57 | Box Butte County | 31.1 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 58 | Valley County | 30.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 59 | Frontier County | 29.2 | Relatively Low | 9 |
| 60 | Johnson County | 28.6 | Relatively Low | 2 |
| 61 | Pawnee County | 28.2 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 62 | Keith County | 27.4 | Relatively Low | 10 |
| 63 | Cherry County | 26.3 | Relatively Low | 16 |
| 64 | Chase County | 25.3 | Very Low | 6 |
| 65 | Morrill County | 25.2 | Very Low | 6 |
| 66 | Sherman County | 25 | Very Low | 5 |
| 67 | Greeley County | 24.7 | Very Low | 3 |
| 68 | Hitchcock County | 24.6 | Very Low | 8 |
| 69 | Kimball County | 23.9 | Very Low | 9 |
| 70 | Sheridan County | 23.1 | Very Low | 10 |
| 71 | Dawes County | 21.6 | Very Low | 3 |
| 72 | Gosper County | 20.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Perkins County | 19.7 | Very Low | 8 |
| 74 | Brown County | 19.3 | Very Low | 7 |
| 75 | Garfield County | 17.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 76 | Deuel County | 17.4 | Very Low | 2 |
| 77 | Wheeler County | 17.2 | Very Low | 4 |
| 78 | Dundy County | 17.1 | Very Low | 10 |
| 79 | Boyd County | 14.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 80 | Garden County | 14.1 | Very Low | 4 |
| 81 | Keya Paha County | 13.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Rock County | 13.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 83 | Hayes County | 13.2 | Very Low | 5 |
| 84 | Hooker County | 11.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 85 | Sioux County | 11.5 | Very Low | 3 |
| 86 | Blaine County | 10.2 | Very Low | 2 |
| 87 | Loup County | 10 | Very Low | 6 |
| 88 | Logan County | 8.4 | Very Low | 2 |
| 89 | Thomas County | 7.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 90 | Banner County | 7.6 | Very Low | 2 |
| 91 | Grant County | 6.4 | Very Low | 1 |
| 92 | Arthur County | 6.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 93 | McPherson County | 5.3 | Very Low | 5 |
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.
Tornado risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Nebraska:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest tornado risk county in Nebraska?
Douglas County, NE has the highest tornado risk in Nebraska, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.4 out of 100 (rated "Very High").
How many counties in Nebraska are rated Very High for tornado risk?
1 of 93 scored Nebraska counties are rated "Very High" for tornado risk by FEMA's National Risk Index.
What causes tornado risk in Nebraska?
Tornado risk concentrates in the central and southern plains ("Tornado Alley") and the Southeast ("Dixie Alley"), where atmospheric conditions favor supercell thunderstorm development. The highest scores often belong to counties with significant mobile home and manufactured housing stock, which carries disproportionate tornado mortality risk.