Enter any address in Des Moines County, Iowa to see its FEMA flood zone
River overflow along the Mississippi River is the dominant flood character for Des Moines County. Recent significant flooding events on the Mississippi occurred in April 2023, attributed to factors including record winter snowfall, frozen ground, and rapid snowmelt, leading to major crests on record. Another notable flood event in July 2024 was prolonged by local heavy rainfall.
Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X_SHADED should pay the most attention to flood risk. NFIP claims data shows Zone A has the highest number of claims, with an average payout of $24,445 and an average water depth of 12.9 feet. Zone X_SHADED, while having fewer claims, shows the highest average payout of $62,393 and an average water depth of 15.4 feet, indicating potentially severe impacts.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
28 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Des Moines County, Iowa has recorded 98 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 33 flash floods and 65 river or area floods. The county has received 27 federal disaster declarations, 13 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 |
| Flooding | Flood | Apr 24, 2023 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 20, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 26, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Apr 17, 2013 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 27, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2023 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 3, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 11, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 29, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 27, 2019 | 0.00K |
Flood — Jul 1, 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 27, 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 ma...
Flood — Apr 26, 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 ma...
Flash Flood — May 26, 2022
Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms developed across all of eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and far northeast Missouri on the afternoon of Thursday May 26, 2022. These showers and storms formed in response to an area of low pressure moving across eastern Missouri into central Illinois during the afternoon and evening. This activity slowly rotated around the low, allowing showers and st...
Flash Flood — Sep 3, 2022
Slow moving thunderstorms produced isolated heavy rainfall. Emergency management reported flash flooding with deep stationary water on roads near West Ave. and S. Garfield in Burlington.
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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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.