1,351 flood insurance claims·$66.1M paid·11 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 Linn 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 severe storms and general flooding shape the flood risks in Linn County, Iowa, with NOAA records documenting 58 flash flood events resulting in one death and 27 general flood events over the last 30 years. Recent flash flooding is exemplified by events from April 2025, which involved severe thunderstorms moving north-northeastward with trailing stratiform rainfall, accompanied by scattered thunderstorm wind damage, broken power poles, and microbursts reaching 80 to 90 mph near West Burlington.
Property owners and real estate professionals should examine FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claim histories across different zones to assess vulnerability. Zone A carries the highest recorded impact, with 861 claims averaging a payout of $71,628 and an average recorded water depth of 51 inches. Properties in Zone X_SHADED also face substantial risk, logging 88 claims with an average payout of $69,772 and an average water depth of 41 inches. Additional claims are documented in Zone X (259 claims, averaging $28,931 and 13 inches of water depth), Zone X_UNSHADED (100 claims, averaging $37,396 and 26 inches of water depth), and Zone UNKNOWN (43 claims, averaging $2,829 and 1 inch of water depth). Homebuyers and residents in Zone A and shaded or unshaded Zone X areas should pay close attention to these historical water depths and claim distributions.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Linn County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,049 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 41 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 639 claims and $60.7M 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.
26 NOAA storm reports from Linn County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 11 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms | Aug 10, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 26, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
85 since 1996: 58 flash floods and 27 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | May 20, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 20, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 10, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · May 20, 2025. A surface low with an attendant warm front moved across eastern Iowa into northwest Illinois. This low system brought widespread showers and thunderstorms to the area. Overall widespread rainfall of 1 to 3 inches fell. This resulted in flash flooding in parts of the cities of Muscatine and Cedar Rapids. There was also a funnel cloud reported in Cedar Rapids.
Flash Flood · Apr 20, 2025. A line of severe thunderstorms lifted north northeastward along the Mississippi River through the Quad Cites with an area of trailing stratiform rainfall behind it. There were scattered reports of thunderstorm wind damage in the counties along the Mississippi River. A microburst occurred near West Burlington that caused damage to a DOT Shet and broke several power poles. An NWS Storm Survey team found damage in t…
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 · Aug 10, 2025. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms tracked across the area early Sunday August 10th, bringing very heavy rain, frequent lightning, and some localized gusty winds. Rainfall rates over 2/hr on top of saturated ground caused flash flooding with water over roadways and creeks overflowing. Late afternoon and evening storms brought more heavy rain and three brief tornadoes in Lee county in Iowa and Clark county in Missour…
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 Linn 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.