2,267 flood insurance claims·$34.3M paid·11 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 Scott 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.
Scott County experiences a flood risk profile dominated by general river floods and flash floods, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 80 flood events and 64 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall from summer thunderstorms frequently triggers rapid inundation, as demonstrated in July and August 2025. Specifically, storms on July 10 and 11, 2025, dropped 2 to 4.5 inches of rain on top of saturated ground, leading to major flash flooding in Davenport with a issued Flash Flood Emergency. Subsequent storms on August 10, 2025, brought rainfall rates exceeding two inches per hour, causing water over roadways and overflowing creeks.
NFIP claims data highlights distinct risks across FEMA zones. Zone A accounts for the highest claim volume with 2,018 claims averaging an $17,701 payout and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Shaded Zone X properties recorded 89 claims averaging a $17,469 payout and an average water depth of 10 inches, while unshaded Zone X recorded 58 claims averaging an $8,597 payout and an average water depth of 3 inches. Notably, standard Zone X properties recorded 80 claims with a higher average payout of $54,705 and an average water depth of 5 inches, and unknown zones recorded 22 claims averaging $5,253 with an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents in Zone A and standard Zone X should pay the closest attention due to the high volume of claims and significant average payout amounts.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Scott County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
2,165 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 11 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 1990, with 379 claims and $5.2M paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
38 NOAA storm reports from Scott County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 11 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Flooding | Apr 24, 2023 |
| Severe Storms | Aug 10, 2020 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2004 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 3, 2002 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
144 since 1996: 64 flash floods and 80 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 11, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 10, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 8, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 5, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 25, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 24, 2023 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Jul 10, 2025. During the evening of July 10th, a line of thunderstorms developed and moved across eastern Iowa. These storms produced isolated large hail and damaging wind gusts in Johnson and Clinton Counties. Based on a video, an EF-U tornado occurred in Jackson county. These storms also produced heavy rain, mainly along and north of interstate 80. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4.50 inches were reported across the area. This ra…
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…
Flash Flood · Jul 8, 2025. During the afternoon of July 8th, scattered showers and thunderstorms developed across eastern Iowa. These storms were slow moving and produced heavy rainfall of 1 to 4 inches of rain northeast Scott County leading to flash flooding.
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 Scott 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.