140 flood insurance claims·$1.6M paid·6 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 Cherokee 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.
River flooding and flash flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk in Cherokee County, Iowa, supported by 42 general flood events and 25 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years in the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Recent historic events illustrate this hazard. In August 2025, thunderstorms dropped 1.50 to 3.00 inches of rain in a couple of hours around Cherokee, causing brief flash flooding. A multi-day heavy rainfall event from June 20 to 22, 2024, produced widespread totals between 5 and 10 inches, resulting in major to record river and extensive overland flooding that impacted communities.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows that the vast majority of historical payouts are concentrated in Zone A, which accounts for 127 claims with an average payout of $13,252 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Properties located in Zone A, as well as those in zones with fewer claims such as Zone X (average payout $21,704 with an average water depth of 1 inch), Zone X unshaded (average payout $20,000 with an average water depth of 1 inch), and unknown zones (average water depth of 45 inches across 3 claims), should pay the closest attention to flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
5% of Cherokee County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
134 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 6 inches.
Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.
Average of the depths reported on claims (zero and implausible values left out); FEMA’s record doesn’t say exactly where each depth was measured. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
The worst year was 2013, with 39 claims and $440,665 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding.
Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.
10 NOAA storm reports from Cherokee County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 6, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 14, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Straight-line Winds | Apr 9, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
67 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 42 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 9, 2025 | — |
| Flood | May 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | $1.0M |
| Flood | May 2, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 27, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 9, 2025. Scattered thunderstorms developed along a strong frontal boundary, which moved across northwest Iowa late in the night of August 8 and early morning of August 9. The thunderstorms were within an environment of marginal shear and decent MUCAPE around 1500 J/kg, and high amounts of moisture led to brief excessive rainfall rates. The heaviest rainfall was focused around Cherokee, where from 1.50 to 3.00 inches of rai…
Flood · May 22, 2024. Another wet period during the mid to later part of May drove portions of the upper and middle Little Sioux Basin back above flood stage after only briefly falling below flood stage just a handful of days early.
Flood · Jun 22, 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 and damages. All rive…
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 and damages. All rive…
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 Cherokee 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.