Enter any address in Palo Alto County, Iowa to see its FEMA flood zone
River flooding, amplified by heavy rainfall, is a significant flood hazard in Palo Alto County, Iowa. Recent events in June and July 2024 illustrate this, with widespread heavy rain causing both flash flooding and prolonged river level rises. These events led to road closures, sandbagging efforts, and damage to homes and businesses.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that while most claims have been in areas designated as Zone X or Zone X_Unshaded, there has been at least one claim in Zone A. These zones represent different levels of flood risk. Residents in areas designated as Zone A, or those located near rivers and streams, should pay particular attention to flood risk information.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
54 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Palo Alto County, Iowa has recorded 63 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 19 flash floods and 44 river or area floods. The county has received 23 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, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jun 16, 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 6, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Jun 14, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Storm | Jan 19, 2010 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | 721.00K |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | May 28, 2019 | 100.00K |
| Flood | Apr 23, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 11, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 22, 2018 | 100.00K |
Flood — Jun 22, 2024
Heavy rain began late on June 21 and continued into the morning of June 22 as storms persisted along a stalled war front over northern Iowa. A widespread 3-4 inches of rain fell in northern Iowa, resulting in a few road closures across the area. This heavy rain also pushed rivers in northwest Iowa even higher, the catalyst for what would be in some cases catastrophic river flooding in the days ...
Flood — Jun 21, 2024
Heavy rain fell over portions of northern Iowa, especially northwestern Iowa and bordering states later on June 20 through early on June 21. This rainfall caused flash flooding in portions of northwest Iowa and also aided in saturating the soil. As another round of heavy rain fell later on June 21 into the night and morning of June 22, this rainfall led to renewed flash flooding. This rainfall ...
Flood — Jul 1, 2024
Significant, and at times record, river flooding in northwest Iowa continued from June into July. Flooding resulted in massive sandbagging efforts, prolonged road closures and damages, and impacts to home and businesses. Continued heavy rain in early July kept some locations in flood through the middle of the month.
Flood — May 28, 2019
Heavy rain led to additional river flooding toward the end of May 2019. Some of the flooding on the Des Moines River at Eddyville was due to planned dam releases from Lake Red Rock combined with heavy rainfall.
Flood — Apr 23, 2019
River levels remained high across much of the state through the latter half of April, so additional rainfall sent a few stations back into flood. The West Fork of the Des Moines River at Humboldt remained in flood through the end of April and into May. Flood periods earlier in the month are listed in separate episodes for both the Emmetsburg and Humboldt areas.
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 Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto 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.