Natural hazards · Superior

Superior, NE natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in Superior comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is high for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 3 claims here since 1997. 5 federal disasters brought FEMA money into town.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is Superior?

High

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in Superior to be higher than in 74% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding and tornadoes.

Inland flooding25%Tornadoes20%Hail20%Strong wind16%Ice storms6%Lightning6%Everything else8%

By hazard

What Superior faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

25% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 40% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 3 years in the area

Tornadoes

20% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 53 years in the area

Hail

20% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 8 times a year in the area

Strong wind

16% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Recorded about 5 times a year in the area

Ice storms

6% of expected damage

Well above average · higher than 97% of U.S. places

Recorded about once a year in the area

Lightning

6% of expected damage

Well above average · among the top 1% of U.S. places

Lower here

Winter weatherCold wavesHeat wavesWildfireEarthquakesLandslidesDrought

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingHurricanesAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does Superior flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Superior, from FEMA’s records.

3paid claims since 1997

$7Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19972026

Biggest named events

Late spring storms: 1 claim, $3K

of homes in flood zones
are insured

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. Superior isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Nuckolls County.

Disasters that hit Superior

5 federal disasters brought FEMA money here

Disasters the President declared that paid out in Superior itself: aid to households, or repair grants to the City of Superior.

Brought FEMA money into SuperiorDeclared for Nuckolls County only

2025

Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$163K to the City of Superior for repairs

2025

Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds

$23K to the City of Superior for repairs

2019

Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$416K to the City of Superior for repairs

2015

Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding

$11K to the City of Superior for repairs

2010

Severe Storms and Flooding

$110K to the City of Superior for repairs

Nuckolls County has had 19 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often severe storms and floods.

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. Superior is smaller than a census tract, so it shares the figures of the tract around its center.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to Superior’s own flood-insurance community; household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to the City of Superior. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.