8 flood insurance claims·$31,849 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 Howard 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 and river flooding dominate the flood profile in Howard County, which recorded 20 flash flood events and 14 flood events over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Recent history illustrates these risks. Heavy rains from Tropical Depression Cristobal on June 9, 2020, produced 1 to 3 inches of rain with locally higher totals of 4 to 5 inches, causing flash flooding that closed roads west of Protvin in Howard County. Later, above-normal June rainfall combined with 5 inches of rain between June 20th and 22nd, 2024, led to widespread river flooding across northeast Iowa as river basins entered flood stage.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims occurring in both moderate-to-low risk and high-risk areas. Zone X recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $8,114 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone A recorded 3 claims with an average payout of $3,754 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Property owners located in designated flood zones as well as those near rivers and subject to intense rainfall runoff should pay the closest attention to these risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 5 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 2016, with 3 claims and $19,641 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding and Severe Storms 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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Howard County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1968, 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, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 20, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 21, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
34 since 1996: 20 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | $40,000 |
| Flood | May 14, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2020 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 19, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Sep 12, 2019 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Aug 24, 2016 | $470,000 |
| Flood | Sep 22, 2016 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jun 14, 2016 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · May 14, 2023. Four consecutive days of light to heavy rainfall events during the middle of May resulted in near 1.5 inches and some minor flooding along the more narrow, shallow rivers in northeast Iowa. Initial light to moderate rainfall on May 12th quenched soils from a drier than normal spring, while subsequent storms over the weekend of May 13th-14th resulted in rapid runoff and minor flooding along the Little Cedar and Tur…
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2020. Heavy rains from Tropical Depression Cristobal fell across northeast Iowa on June 9th. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches were common with locally higher totals of 4 to 5 inches. This heavy rain created flash flooding across portions of Fayette, Chickasaw and Howard Counties. Numerous roads were closed because of high water across Fayette County including State Highways 3 and 150. Roads were also closed west of Pro…
Flash Flood · Sep 19, 2019. Thunderstorms with heavy rain moved across northeast Iowa during the early morning hours of September 19th. These storms dropped between 2 and 4 inches of rain that caused some gravel roads to washout across northern Howard County.
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 Howard 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.