3 flood insurance claims·$11,207 paid·10 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 Beltrami County, Minnesota. 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 from summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Beltrami County, accounting for 13 out of 20 total recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 7 general flood events.
Recent events illustrate this localized heavy rainfall hazard. A stationary storm on June 9, 2023, dropped an estimated 2 to 5 inches of rain over Bemidji, overwhelming city storm drains. Later, slow-moving morning thunderstorms on July 23, 2025, produced heavy rainfall and closed streets in Bemidji, with tree damage debris from a June 20-21 derecho contributing to blocked storm drains and exacerbated street flooding. Similar impacts occurred on July 4, 2025, when heavy rain and derecho debris caused widespread flash flooding in Bemidji.
Historical National Flood Insurance Program claims data shows activity in lower-risk areas, with two claims recorded in Zone X averaging $7,287 with an average water depth of 1 inch, and one claim in Zone X_UNSHADED averaging $3,920 with an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in areas susceptible to localized stormwater accumulation and blocked drainage systems, particularly within urban centers like Bemidji where heavy rainfall events frequently overwhelm infrastructure.
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.
The worst year was 2009, with 1 claims and $7,287 paid, the year of Severe Storms 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Beltrami County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1966, 10 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 15, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jun 11, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding And Tornadoes | Jun 9, 2002 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Mar 23, 2001 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
20 since 1996: 13 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 19, 2014 | $20,000 |
| Flood | Apr 28, 2013 | $5,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2013 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 19, 2011 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Mar 25, 2009 | $5,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2025. Slow morning thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall resulting in flash flooding and closed streets in Bemidji, MN during the morning hours. Tree damage debris from the June 20-21 derecho contributed to blocked storm drains and exacerbated street flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 4, 2025. Severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening on the Independence Day Federal Holiday resulted in damaging wind gusts across northwest and west central Minnesota. Flash flooding also caused widespread impacts to Bemidji, MN as a result of heavy rain and tree damage debris from the June 20-21 derecho blocking streets and storm drains.
Flash Flood · Jun 9, 2023. A storm developed over Bemidji, in Beltrami county Minnesota, and was stationary for a period of time. In this period, 2 - 5 inches of rain was estimated over the area from our radar which overwhelmed the city's storm drains.
Flood · Jun 19, 2014. Several rounds of heavy rainfall across north central Minnesota during the month of June resulted in flooding problems around Waskish, in east central Beltrami County. The Tamarac River rose over its banks and surrounded several houses as well as washed out a few roads. Quite a bit of cropland was also flooded.
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 Beltrami 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.