4 federal flood & hurricane disasters
Share of the whole county outline, rivers and lakes included; parts FEMA hasn’t mapped count as zero.
Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Adair County, Iowa. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.
Flash flooding and river flooding from persistent summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk in Adair County, Iowa. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records document 21 flood events and 19 flash flood events.
Recent history illustrates these patterns. In May 2019, repeated rounds of strong storms brought heavy rainfall, high precipitable water values exceeding 1.5 inches, and flooding driven by a stationary weather boundary. Another significant flash flood event occurred in July 2025 as slow-moving thunderstorms tracked southward through areas along and south of Interstate 80.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties situated near rivers, streams, and low-lying areas susceptible to rapid runoff during heavy convective rainfall.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
35 NOAA storm reports from Adair County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1972, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 6, 2018 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 19, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 23, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 10, 2007 |
| Snow | Feb 28, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
40 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 21 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2025 | $15,000 |
| Flood | May 28, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2014 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2010 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 26, 2009 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2009 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2025. A moist and unstable environment on the southern side of an east-west oriented boundary brought thunderstorms to areas along and south of Interstate 80 in Iowa during the late evening of July 19th, 2025 and morning of July 20th, 2025. Despite 30 to 40 kts of shear, storms generally remained sub-severe as they tracked southward through Iowa. However, upon reaching the southern portions of the state, the storms made…
Flood · May 28, 2019. The hits just kept on rolling, with yet another pair of rounds of strong to severe storms, heavy rainfall, and flooding. Through much of the end of May, the synoptic setup across the region remained relatively unchanged, including this event. Upper level flow continued to be out of the SW, precipitable water values remained in excess of 1.5 inches, and a relatively stationary boundary remained over the area. In ad…
Flash Flood · May 24, 2019. The setup over Iowa was primed for a heavy rainfall event for a few reasons, including persistent SW 500 mb flow, a strong and SW oriented 850 mb jet, strong low level moisture transport, and elevated CAPE around 1000-2000 J/kg. Precipitable water values, given the strong moisture transport into the area, rose into the neighborhood of 1.7 inches throughout the event as well. While effective bulk shear values were…
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2014. A very dynamic weather pattern was in place over the central U.S. on the 3rd. A strong short wave moved out of the Rockies onto the Plains during the day. Thunderstorms formed early in Nebraska and South Dakota. The storms spread and developed southeast into Iowa during the afternoon and evening. The airmass became unstable with CAPE values rising to about 2000 J/kg. Downdraft CAPE rose to to around 1000 J/kg…
National Weather Service narratives, lightly trimmed. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Every colour on the map above is a place on this drawing: where the ground sits relative to the flood FEMA plans for.
If a building in Adair County is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.
Outside those zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums are set for each building, so the only reliable price is a quote: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.