355 flood insurance claims·$5.1M paid·10 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 Muscatine 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.
Flooding in Muscatine County is dominated by standard flood events accompanied by frequent flash flooding driven by severe summer thunderstorms.
Recent NOAA storm records document multiple flash flood events in 2025. On May 20, 2025, widespread rainfall of 1 to 3 inches from a passing low-pressure system resulted in flash flooding in parts of Muscatine. Additional flash flooding occurred on August 10, 2025, when rainfall rates exceeding 2 inches per hour fell on saturated ground, causing water over roadways and overflowing creeks.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties situated in Zone A face the highest concentration of risk, accounting for 278 claims with an average payout of $19,055 and an average recorded water depth of 19 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X, which recorded an average water depth of 24 inches across 22 claims.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Muscatine County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
321 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 18 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 80 claims and $2.4M 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.
28 NOAA storm reports from Muscatine County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 20, 2024 |
| Severe Storms | Aug 10, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 26, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 17, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 23, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
83 since 1996: 31 flash floods and 52 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 20, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jul 4, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2022 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 25, 2025. A thunderstorm complex associated with an MCV lifted northeastward across parts of eastern Iowa. This complex of storms was slow moving and produced heavy rain as it lifted across the area. This lead to flash flooding in Louisa and Muscatine Counties. Trained spotters reported rainfall amounts up to 3.25 inches.
Flash 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 · 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 Muscatine 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.