1 flood insurance claims·$355 paid·7 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 Monroe 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 and standard flooding from severe storms equally dominate the flood history of Monroe County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records document 36 flood events and 34 flash flood events. Recent history highlights the intensity of these systems, such as the repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms in May 2024 that brought widespread totals of 3 to 4 inches with isolated pockets exceeding 6 inches of rain. Another severe event occurred on July 31, 2024, when training storms produced heavy rainfall of 3 to 6 inches following previous days of precipitation.
Federal data reflects a minimal historical footprint for the National Flood Insurance Program in the area, showing a single claim cataloged under Zone UNKNOWN with an average payout of $355 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Because the available historical claims data is limited to this single unknown zone entry, homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should carefully evaluate local drainage patterns, historical storm tracks, and site-specific topography regardless of mapped zone boundaries when assessing property risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
62 NOAA storm reports from Monroe County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 20, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 17, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Dec 10, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
70 since 1996: 34 flash floods and 36 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 2, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 2, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 28, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2016 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jun 25, 2015 | $1.0M |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2024. Storms lined up across central Iowa on the 850 mb moisture gradient early in the morning of July 31, producing up to quarter sized hail and gusts over 50 mph in isolated downbursts. Storms shifted into southeast Iowa through the morning and remained strong, producing hail and strong winds. As storms shifted southeast the orientation shifted to allow for training storms will heavy rain of 3-6 inches in some locatio…
Flood · May 2, 2024. An embedded shortwave within a larger upper level low swung across the area, bringing showers and thunderstorms to southern Iowa through much of the day. Repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms across the area brought 3-4 inches of rain to the area with isolated pockets of over 6 inches of rain reported.
Flash Flood · May 2, 2024. An embedded shortwave within a larger upper level low swung across the area, bringing showers and thunderstorms to southern Iowa through much of the day. Repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms across the area brought 3-4 inches of rain to the area with isolated pockets of over 6 inches of rain reported.
Flood · May 28, 2019. The hits just kept on rolling, with yet another pair of rounds of strong to severe storms, heavy rainfall, and flooding. Through much of the end of May, the synoptic setup across the region remained relatively unchanged, including this event. Upper level flow continued to be out of the SW, precipitable water values remained in excess of 1.5 inches, and a relatively stationary boundary remained over the area. In ad…
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 Monroe 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.