Enter any address in Buena Vista County, Iowa to see its FEMA flood zone
River overflow along area streams and rivers is the dominant flood character in Buena Vista County. Between 2024-06-20 and 2024-06-22, heavy rainfall totaling 5 to 10 inches caused major to record flooding along local waterways, with extensive overland flooding also reported. Earlier, from 2024-05-19 to 2024-05-21, multiple thunderstorm rounds produced 2 to 4 inches of rain, leading to ponding in low-lying areas and inundation of some gravel roads, particularly in northern parts of the county. River levels remained above flood stage into July following the June event.
Residents with properties located near streams and rivers, or in areas prone to overland flooding, should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
12 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Buena Vista County, Iowa has recorded 70 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 17 flash floods and 53 river or area floods. The county has received 22 federal disaster declarations, 7 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2024)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 20, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 6, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Jun 14, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Severe Storm | Apr 9, 2011 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 21, 2024 | 85.00K |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | 2.44M |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2023 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 13, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 13, 2019 | 1.64M |
| Flood | Apr 7, 2019 | 0.00K |
Flood — May 21, 2024
Multiple rounds of thunderstorms during the May 19th through 21st timeframe produced areas of heavy rainfall across the region. As much as 2 to 4 inches of rain fell during the 3 day period. Ponding of water in fields and low lying areas was common with largely saturated soils already in place prior to the additional rainfall. Some gravel roads were also inundated, mainly across northern Buena ...
Flood — Jun 21, 2024
A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22 resulted in widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches across portions of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. As rainfall reached area streams and rivers, major to record flooding was observed, devastating several towns and communities. Extensive overland flooding also resulted in significant impacts a...
Flood — Jul 1, 2024
River levels from the historic June flooding remained above flood stage for some locations into July, although continued a declining trend.
Flash Flood — May 13, 2023
A weakening upper level low pressure area moved into far southeast South Dakota by early evening. Slow moving thunderstorms developed within a very narrow axis which nosed into Buena Vista County, where the environment featured maximized and collocated 0-3km shear and 0-3km CAPE, and resulted in a few brief tornadoes connected with storm development phase. In addition, very efficient thermodyn...
Flood — Apr 10, 2023
Rapid snowmelt from a few day period of well above normal temperatures focused on the 11-13th of April resulted in minor to locally moderate flooding through much of the Big Sioux River Basin. Some areas north of I-90 lost between 2 to 5 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE) from the first to second week of April, but antecedent drought conditions resulted in only a percentage of this water act...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Buena Vista County, Iowa:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Buena Vista County, Iowa that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.