25 flood insurance claims·$605,550 paid·6 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 Plymouth 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 driven by river overflow dominates Plymouth County, with 116 standard flood events compared to 22 flash flood events recorded over the last 30 years by the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Recent history illustrates this river and overland flood risk. A heavy rain event on July 29-30, 2025 caused isolated river flooding through portions of the Floyd River Basin following saturated soils. Earlier, a multi-day heavy rainfall event from June 20-22, 2024 brought widespread rainfall totals between 5 and 10 inches, resulting in major to record flooding along area streams and rivers that devastated several towns and communities alongside extensive overland flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims filed across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 15 claims with an average payout of $37,955 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Zone X accounts for 6 claims with an average payout of $22,340 and an average recorded water depth of 67 inches. Zone X_SHADED recorded 2 claims averaging $443 with an average water depth of 0 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN and Zone X_UNSHADED each recorded 1 claim with $0 average payouts and 0 inches of average water depth. Residents near rivers and streams, as well as property owners located within Zone A and Zone X, should pay the closest attention to flood risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 23 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 2014, with 9 claims and $201,374 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, 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.
34 NOAA storm reports from Plymouth County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 14, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storms And Snowstorm | Dec 23, 2009 |
| Snow | Feb 28, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, And Flooding | Jun 15, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
138 since 1996: 22 flash floods and 116 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jul 31, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | $1.6M |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 12, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 10, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jul 31, 2025. A wet period at the end of the July resulted in saturated soils and increased runoff, allowing for isolated river flooding through portions of the Floyd River Basin. The sharpest rises were observed with a heavy rain on the night of July 29 into the morning of July 30.
Flood · Jun 23, 2024. A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22 resulted in widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches across portions of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. As rainfall reached area streams and rivers, major to record flooding was observed, devastating several towns and communities. Extensive overland flooding also resulted in significant impacts and damages. All rive…
Flood · Jun 22, 2024. A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22 resulted in widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches across portions of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. As rainfall reached area streams and rivers, major to record flooding was observed, devastating several towns and communities. Extensive overland flooding also resulted in significant impacts and damages. All rive…
Flood · Jun 21, 2024. A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22 resulted in widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches across portions of southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. As rainfall reached area streams and rivers, major to record flooding was observed, devastating several towns and communities. Extensive overland flooding also resulted in significant impacts and damages. All rive…
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 Plymouth 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.