93 flood insurance claims·$2.7M 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 Webster 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 river flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate the flood risk in Webster County, Iowa. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 102 flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 56 flash flood events. Recent events include heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in May 2024, as well as saturated soils and renewed flash flooding from heavy rains in June 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property damage occurs across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 53 claims with an average payout of $37,770 and an average recorded water depth of 12 inches. Zone X accounts for 18 claims with an average payout of $57,886 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Additionally, Zone UNKNOWN recorded 17 claims averaging $7,630 with an average water depth of 2 inches, and Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 5 claims averaging $2,042 with an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners and real estate professionals should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, where claims record the highest average water depths, as well as properties in Zone X where significant average payouts have occurred.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Webster County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
58 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 7 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 2010, with 19 claims and $1.0M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes.
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.
129 NOAA storm reports from Webster County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
20 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Tornadoes | Dec 15, 2021 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 6, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 17, 2007 |
| Snow | Feb 28, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
158 since 1996: 56 flash floods and 102 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 16, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 24, 2024 | — |
| Flood | May 23, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 30, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flood | May 28, 2019 | $50,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 16, 2025. An omega block pattern set up in mid September and on the 16th Iowa was just west of the ridge axis. This resulted in a hot and humid period and MLCAPE was around 2000-3000 J/kg. The 0-6 km shear was weak under the ridge at under 20 kts. In the deeply unstable environment, pulse thunderstorms were able to develop quickly but the lack of shear prevented better organization and the storms would eventually collapse o…
Flood · Jun 24, 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 made its way into st…
Flood · May 23, 2024. There were several rounds of rainfall over the period starting around May 20 through around May 25. This is when there were two rounds of heavy rainfall along with severe thunderstorms including tornadoes and straight-line winds, detailed in respective severe entries for the month. 60-hour rainfall totals ending May 21 at 7pm were up to 4 to 6 inches over portions of Marshall, Tama, Poweshiek, and Jasper Counties.…
Flood · Jun 22, 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 made its way into st…
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 Webster 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.