Enter any address in Wright County, Iowa to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Wright County. Between 1993 and 2023, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 41 flood events and 24 flash flood events, with one reported fatality. Recent events include flash flooding in June 2025 and multiple instances in July 2024, where slow-moving storms produced heavy rainfall.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that while claims are infrequent, they do occur in areas designated as Zone X and Zone X_Unshaded. In Zone X, one claim averaged $2,369 with an average water depth of -7.0 feet. In Zone X_Unshaded, one claim had an average payout of $0 with an average water depth of 0.0 feet.
Residents in areas designated as Zone X and Zone X_Unshaded should be aware of potential flood risks, as indicated by historical NFIP claims.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
59 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Wright County, Iowa has recorded 65 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 24 flash floods and 41 river or area floods. The county has received 24 federal disaster declarations, 8 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, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 20, 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 And Flooding | Flood | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 20, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Jun 14, 2014 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 21, 2018 | 100.00K |
| Flood | Sep 20, 2018 | 25.00K |
| Flood | Sep 5, 2018 | 100.00K |
| Flood | Sep 23, 2016 | 50.00K |
| Flood | Sep 23, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2016 | 10.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2016 | 50.00K |
Flash Flood — Jun 25, 2025
Much of Iowa was within the warm, moist sector with a boundary across far southern Iowa. With afternoon clearing, temperatures warmed into the 90s with dewpoints in the 70s. This resulted in increasingly unstable conditions with MLCAPE of 2000-3000+ J/kg. Despite the instability, weak shear prevented more organized thunderstorm development, reducing the severe threat. Even so, a storm near Clar...
Flash Flood — Jul 7, 2024
Following showers and thunderstorms over Iowa during the morning hours with a passing shortwave, an additional shortwave arriving in the Central Plains with the aid of increased lift and MUCAPE values around 1000 J/kg overhead brought another round of scattered showers and storms into the afternoon and evening hours. These multiple rounds of convection, along with the slow-moving nature of some...
Flood — Mar 15, 2019
Higher than average snowfall through the winter created a wet snowpack across much of Iowa which was still present into early March. A large storm system impacted the region through the middle of March which brought heavy rain and warm temperatures to the state. This system allowed much of the snowpack to melt across the state within a few days to a week. This heavy rain fell on frozen ground a...
Flood — Sep 21, 2018
Heavy rainfall continued across portions of central and northern Iowa through mid to late September. This allowed rivers across the area to go back into flood through the latter portion of the month. The West Fork of the Des Moines River remained in flood at the end of September and will be included in the October StormData event as well. The basins impacted by flooding were the Des Moines, Ced...
Flood — Sep 20, 2018
More heavy rainfall was seen across the area, primarily situated over the northern third of the state, as a surface boundary sat across central Iowa and a shortwave moved through the upper level flow. Overall, conditions remained ripe and very much summer-like as opposed to mid-September including precipitable water values were around and in excess of 1.7 inches, moderate to strong low level mo...
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 Wright 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 Wright 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.