Hooker County, NE Environment & Hazard Risk
Very Low natural hazard risk, led by wildfire. 430 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $546K
- Very Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 430
- Most often hail
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- Since 1851
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Very Low
Score 0.3 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively High
Score 72.1 of 100
Community resilience
Very Low
Score 19.3 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $248M · Agriculture value exposed: $30M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $751K
Risk by hazard
- WildfireVery Low$20.5K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 644 years
- DroughtRelatively Low$44.5K/yr expected annual loss, about 58 events a year
- HailVery Low$81.5K/yr expected annual loss, about 5.3 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$176/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- Winter weatherVery Low$14.8K/yr expected annual loss, about 17 events a year
- Cold waveVery Low$92.2K/yr expected annual loss, about 5.9 events a year
- TornadoVery Low$65.2K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 4 years
- LightningVery Low$12.2K/yr expected annual loss, about 42 events a year
- EarthquakeVery Low$3,678/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2,320 years
- Ice stormVery Low$1,229/yr expected annual loss, about once every 19 years
- Heat waveVery Low$2,848/yr expected annual loss, about 1.4 events a year
- Strong windVery Low$15.1K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.7 events a year
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 0
Storm history
Since 1996: 430 events, 0 deaths, $4.2M in damage
- Hail186
- Thunderstorm Wind60
- Drought59
- Winter Storm49
- High Wind24
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill14
- Blizzard11
- Funnel Cloud9
- Tornado9
- Heavy Snow5
Events per year
15 tornadoes on record (EF0 3, EF2 1, F0 8, F1 3).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Drought07/01/2012
Hooker
$1M damage
What happened
Severe drought conditions (D2), which began the month of June, intensified to extreme drought conditions (D3) by the end of the month. Pastures that make up close to 94 percent of the land use in Hooker County (2007 Census USDA) was rated 69% poor or very poor. The lack of rain limited grazing capacity and created increased sales of livestock as the departure from normal precipitation reached below 3 inches. Crop producers began silage of dryland corn. On July 23rd all counties in Nebraska were approved for CRP Emergency Haying and Grazing. The drought continued into August.
- Hail1" hail06/29/2000
Mullen, Hooker County
$950K damage
What happened
Significant damage to grassland in Hooker county and property in the Mullen area as a thunderstorm dropped hail covering the ground several inches deep in some areas.
- Drought06/20/2012
Hooker
$500K damage
What happened
Drought conditions (D2) expanded across western Nebraska toward the end of the month as rainfall deficits increased and above normal temperatures were experienced. The drought's effect on livestock and agricultural grew as the lack of moisture stunted the growth of dry land crops and pastures. The livestock, pasture and range report showed conditions rated 13 percent very poor, 30 poor and 0 excellent. The drought continued into July.
- Flash Flood07/23/1997
Mullen, Hooker County
$500K damage
What happened
Flash flood waters washed out 2 miles of county road.
- Winter Storm10/24/1997
Hooker
$200K damage
- Hail2.5" hail07/23/2009
Mullen, Hooker County
$100K damage
Drinking water
1 community water system serve about 279 people. Violations since 2021.
None of the systems serving this county had a health-based violation in this period.
- Mullen, Village ofServes 279 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 0 toxic release facilities in Hooker County
No Superfund sites or toxic release facilities in Hooker County in our data.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk1 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Hooker County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Hooker County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $546K a year. The highest-rated hazards are wildfire (very low), drought (relatively low), hail (very low).
- What storms are most common in Hooker County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 430 storm events affecting Hooker County, most often hail (186), thunderstorm wind (60), drought (59).
- How many tornadoes have hit Hooker County?
- 15 tornadoes have been recorded in Hooker County since 1950.
- What is the weather like in Hooker County?
- At Mullen, average highs reach 86°F in Jul and lows fall to 15°F in Jan, with 24.2 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.