Enter any address in Mills County, Iowa to see its FEMA flood zone
River flooding along the Missouri River is a significant flood hazard in Mills County. Recent events include ongoing river flooding in early July 2024, impacting sections of I-29, and historic flooding in March 2019 caused by rapid snowmelt and heavy rainfall.
National Flood Insurance Program data indicates that properties in Zone X_UNSHADED have experienced the deepest water, averaging 12.9 feet, and the highest average claim payouts. Zone X also shows substantial average payouts and water depths. Homeowners in these zones, as well as those in Zone A and Zone X_SHADED, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
17 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Mills County, Iowa has recorded 32 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 6 flash floods and 26 river or area floods. The county has received 20 federal disaster declarations, 7 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 And Tornadoes | Tornado | Apr 26, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 3, 2014 |
| Flooding | Flood | May 25, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 25, 2008 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | May 5, 2007 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2025 | 97.00K |
| Flood | Jun 24, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 29, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 28, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Mar 16, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 3, 2014 | 1.00K |
| Flood | Sep 1, 2011 | 5.00K |
Flash Flood — Aug 10, 2025
A powerful line of thunderstorms, bringing with it a broad swath of damaging winds, swept across eastern Nebraska and western Iowa on the morning of August 10, 2025. This episode of severe weather was responsible for numerous reports of wind gusts exceeding 60 mph, significant structural damage, and tragically, one fatality. The thunderstorms developed as a powerful low-pressure system moved ac...
Flood — Jun 24, 2024
A series of shortwave troughs traversing the northern CONUS brought unsettled weather to the area for the end of June. On the 21st, a stationary front was draped across northeast Nebraska into Iowa. Ahead of one of the aforementioned shortwave troughs, several rounds of strong thunderstorms developed near this frontal zone and moved across northeast Nebraska. At 8 pm on the 21st, radar imagery ...
Flood — Jul 1, 2024
At the beginning of July, river flooding was still ongoing along portions of the Missouri River extending from east-central Nebraska/southwest Iowa to the southern Nebraska border. Most of the length of the river crested at the end of June, so the greatest impacts are addressed in June StormData. However, sections of I-29 and the I-29/I680 junction remained closed through the first week of July...
Flood — May 29, 2019
Flooding continued along the Missouri River through the month of May. Increased flood levels prompted the closure of Interstate 29 once again, from Highway 34 southward to the Missouri Border, and from I680/29 split northward to the I680/80 split. Gavins Point Dam releases were increased from 55,000 cfs to 75,000 cfs by the end of the month.
Flood — May 28, 2019
Flooding continued along the Missouri River through the month of May. Increased flood levels prompted the closure of Interstate 29 once again, from Highway 34 southward to the Missouri Border, and from I680/29 split northward to the I680/80 split. Gavins Point Dam releases were increased from 55,000 cfs to 75,000 cfs by the end of the month.
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 Mills 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 Mills 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.