2 flood insurance claims·$186 paid·5 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 Winnebago 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 general flooding from summer thunderstorms dominate the flood history of Winnebago County, Iowa. Over the last 30 years, NOAA records show 25 general flood events and 12 flash flood events driven by high moisture levels, unstable airmasses, and slow-moving convective systems.
Severe storms have repeatedly produced intense, rapid rainfall across the county. For example, a heavy rain event occurred in June 2013 when an unstable airmass brought high precipitable water values and strong moisture transport. Another significant flash flood occurred in July 2013, when a large convective complex fed on moisture and produced efficient, heavy rainfall.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate minimal historical claims data for the area, consisting of one claim in an unknown zone with an average payout of $186 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch, and one claim in an unshaded Zone X with a $0 average payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches. Because specific historical claim and flood zone data are limited, property owners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay close attention to local drainage conditions and heavy precipitation forecasts, particularly during convective weather patterns.
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 1 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.
33 NOAA storm reports from Winnebago County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Iowa flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 5 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 6, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 14, 2014 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 25, 2008 |
| Snow | Feb 28, 2007 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Feb 23, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
37 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 25 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2018 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2013 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2013 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | $25,000 |
| Flood | Jun 12, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2008 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 21, 2007 | $25,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 24, 2018. A weak, occluded surface low pressure system was situated northwest of the area with its associated boundaries draped across western and southern Iowa. The environment south of the warm front/pseudo-stationary front was ripe with MUCAPE in excess of 300 J/kg, but devoid of many other supporting variables. Effective shear was borderline at best around 30 kts and DCAPE and hail CAPE were generally mediocre. Lending…
Flash Flood · Jun 21, 2013. A very unstable airmass was in place over Iowa during the predawn hours of the 21st. The elevated CAPE was in the 2000 to 3000 J/kg range. Downdraft CAPE was quite high at 1400 J/kg. There was 500 to 600 J/kg of CAPE available in the -10 to -30 C layer of the atmosphere. Moisture was transported into the area with a 30 kt jet and precipitable water values increased to about 1.75 inches. The freezing level was…
Flash Flood · May 17, 2013. A stationary front that had been over southern Iowa began to lift north as a warm front on the morning of the 17th. The atmosphere had become more unstable during the morning with CAPE increasing to 1000 to 2000 J/kg. Precipitable water values increased to about 1.4 inches by late morning. The atmosphere exhibited very little shear. Thunderstorms developed during the morning and tracked slowly north. The storm…
Flood · Jul 13, 2013. A large convective complex developed to the northwest of Iowa during the night of the 12th into the morning of the 13th. Precipitable water values were very high, in excess of 2.1 inches over Minnesota. Thunderstorms began to turn south into Iowa in the morning and continue to feed into the inflow of moisture. In spite of the precipitable water values being much lower over Iowa, moisture convergence was strong…
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 Winnebago 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.