180 flood insurance claims·$1.2M paid·13 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 Clinton 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 summer flash floods dominate Clinton County, driven by both local heavy rainfall and regional river rises along the Mississippi River. Over the past 30 years, NOAA records document 55 flood events, resulting in 1 death, alongside 36 flash flood events. Recent activity includes July 2024, when accumulated June rainfall from Minnesota and Wisconsin combined with local July rains to prolong Mississippi River flooding and delay the river from falling below flood stage. Additionally, severe thunderstorms on July 10, 2025, dropped 2 to 4.50 inches of rain, leading to flash flooding near the Mississippi River.
Property owners in FEMA-designated Zone A should pay the most attention to flood risk, as this zone accounts for the vast majority of local NFIP claims with 123 filed, averaging a payout of $9,621 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Properties in Zone X, Zone X Unshaded, and unknown zones also carry risk, having recorded 57 total claims with average water depths ranging from 2 to 8 inches and average payouts between $6,984 and $14,644.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
10% of Clinton County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
136 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 10 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 2001, with 21 claims and $225,947 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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Clinton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 13 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Aug 10, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 17, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 10, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 23, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2004 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
91 since 1996: 36 flash floods and 55 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 5, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 28, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jun 6, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 30, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 11, 2025. On July 11th, a line of severe thunderstorms moved across eastern Iowa and produced damaging straight-line winds, tornadoes and heavy rain. Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches fell in a few hours across the Quad Cities, on top of heavy rain from the previous night and caused major flash flooding in Davenport. A Considerable Flash Flood warning was issued at 5:26 PM followed by a Flash Flood Emergency at 6:16 PM.
Flash Flood · Jul 10, 2025. During the evening of July 10th, a line of thunderstorms developed and moved across eastern Iowa. These storms produced isolated large hail and damaging wind gusts in Johnson and Clinton Counties. Based on a video, an EF-U tornado occurred in Jackson county. These storms also produced heavy rain, mainly along and north of interstate 80. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4.50 inches were reported across the area. This ra…
Flood · Jul 5, 2024. Rain that fell during the month of June across Minnesota and Wisconsin caused rises on the Mississippi River along the Iowa and Illinois border. Additionally, heavy rain that fell locally in July helped to prolong the crest and delay the river falling below flood stage, especially south of the Wapsipinicon, Rock, and Iowa Rivers.
Flood · Apr 25, 2023. Significant flooding occurred on the mainstem Mississippi largely due to the record snowfall this winter in Minnesota and Wisconsin, frozen ground, rapid snowmelt during the middle of April, and saturated soils. Major flooding was observed at all sites along the Mississippi north of Keokuk Iowa and most sites saw one of their top 10 crests on record.|This flooding had numerous impacts, with many roads, businesses…
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 Clinton 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.