264 flood insurance claims·$4.3M paid·8 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 Floyd 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 driven by persistent summer rainfall dominates Floyd County, supported by NOAA records showing 41 general flood events compared to 22 flash flood events over the last 30 years.
Recent history illustrates this riverine flood risk. Heavy rain throughout mid-August caused minor to moderate flooding along the Little Cedar and Cedar Rivers in August 2025. This followed above-normal June rainfall and a robust storm event dropping upwards of 5 inches of rain that pushed the Cedar River and other northeast Iowa river basins into flood stage in June 2024. A severe storm complex on August 28, 2021, also brought tornadoes near Marble Rock alongside heavy precipitation. Flash flooding remains a localized threat, accounting for 1 death over the 30-year period.
Property owners and real estate agents should note that historical NFIP claims concentrate heavily in high-risk areas. Zone A properties account for 239 claims with an average payout of $23,534 and an average recorded water depth of 24 inches. However, properties in Zone X are not immune, having recorded 19 claims with an average payout of $19,870 and an average water depth of 19 inches. Residents near rivers and within mapped flood zones should pay the closest attention to flood preparedness.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
2% of Floyd County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
245 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 23 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 2008, with 115 claims and $3.3M 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.
41 NOAA storm reports from Floyd County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jun 16, 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 And Flooding | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Aug 23, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
63 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 41 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Aug 19, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | $172,000 |
| Flood | Aug 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 27, 2021 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 8, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Sep 21, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Apr 15, 2018 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Aug 19, 2025. Heavy rain throughout the middle of August contributed to rises along many area rivers in northeast Iowa. This included minor to moderate flooding along portions of the Little Cedar and Cedar Rivers, as well as the Upper Iowa and Turkey Rivers.
Flood · Jun 22, 2024. Above normal rainfall over the course of June, combined with a robust rainfall event between June 20th and 22nd, led to widespread river flooding across portions of northeast Iowa. Rainfall amounts upwards of 5 inches between the 20th and 22nd allowed the Mississippi River, Cedar River and many other river basins in northeast Iowa to enter flood stage towards the end of June. Flooding along the Mississippi River m…
Flood · Aug 28, 2021. A complex of storms moved across northeast Iowa during the late afternoon and evening of August 27th. These storms produced two tornadoes in the vicinity of Marble Rock (Floyd County). The first tornado was an EF0 west of Marble Rock that only caused some minor crop and structural damage to a farm. The second tornado was rated as an EF1 that passed just to the south of Marble Rock as it moved southeast. Nearly all…
Flash Flood · Aug 27, 2021. A complex of storms moved across northeast Iowa during the late afternoon and evening of August 27th. These storms produced two tornadoes in the vicinity of Marble Rock (Floyd County). The first tornado was an EF0 west of Marble Rock that only caused some minor crop and structural damage to a farm. The second tornado was rated as an EF1 that passed just to the south of Marble Rock as it moved southeast. Nearly all…
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 Floyd 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.