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 Davis 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 from summer thunderstorms slightly dominates the flood risk profile in Davis County, Iowa, accounting for 18 recorded events compared to 15 general flood events over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Historical events illustrate how persistent weather patterns trigger these incidents. For example, a stationary boundary, high precipitable water values, and repeated rounds of strong storms caused heavy rainfall and flooding in May 2019. Preceding rainfall of two to three inches primed the county for additional flash flooding when subsequent storms tracked across southern Iowa in September 2019. Earlier, a cold front moving into the state produced severe weather, damaging winds, and flash flooding in Davis and Monroe counties in June 2015.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists monitoring property vulnerability in the area should pay the closest attention to locations susceptible to rapid runoff from intense convective storms and localized flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
32 NOAA storm reports from Davis County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 20, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 17, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 10, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
33 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 15 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 28, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 28, 2019 | $300,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2015 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 10, 2014 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2014 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2014 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2011 | $250,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 28, 2019. After a moderate to heavy rainfall event providing 2 to 3 inches just prior to this, the pump was primed so to speak for flooding potential. A generally stationary front resided south of the area into Missouri, but upper level and mid level flow strongly suggested storms would track north of the surface boundary and across portions of southern and central Iowa. The initial wave of rain was initiated by a mid-upper…
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 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 · Jun 22, 2015. In the afternoon storms fired up ahead of and along a cold front that was entering Iowa from the northwest. Numerous storms had severe hail, produced damaging winds, and two tornadoes. The first tornado was on the ground for several miles tracking through portions of Marion, Lucas and Monroe Counties. The second tornado formed just west of Albia and struck the town of Albia damaging several homes and 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 Davis 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.