Enter any address in Blue Earth County, Minnesota to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Blue Earth County. Between 1994 and 2024, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 22 flash flood events and 19 flood events. Recent examples include widespread heavy rainfall and flash flooding across southern Minnesota in late June 2024, with some locations receiving 8 to 10 inches of rain, and another instance of heavy rainfall and flash flooding in Blue Earth County in mid-July 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data shows a mix of flood risk across different zones. Zone X, which includes both shaded and unshaded areas, has seen the highest number of claims. Properties in Zone A and Zone X_UNSHADED may experience deeper water, with average water depths of 0.8 feet and 3.3 feet respectively in claims data. Homeowners in areas designated as Zone A, or those in Zone X_UNSHADED, should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
12 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Blue Earth County, Minnesota has recorded 41 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 22 flash floods and 19 river or area floods. The county has received 24 federal disaster declarations, 13 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 And Flooding | Flood | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Jun 15, 2018 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Jun 11, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Mar 16, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Tornado | Jun 17, 2010 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 18, 2025 | 835.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 17, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Sep 22, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 14, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2014 | 2.30M |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2014 | 0.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 23, 2025
Several clusters of storms moved from central South Dakota into Minnesota during the morning, then more widespread coverage of storms developed and persisted throughout much of the day. The main axis of heavy rainfall was tied to a slow moving boundary that started across central Minnesota in the morning and progressed towards southern Minnesota by the late evening.||While many locations saw he...
Flash Flood — Jul 18, 2025
A slow moving line of storms produced heavy rainfall across portions of southern Minnesota, especially over Blue Earth County. Widespread rain persisted for about 1.5 to 2.5 hours with rainfall rates exceeding 2 inches per hour at times. The rain began just before midnight on the 18th and continued into the 19th.
Flash Flood — Jun 21, 2024
Catastrophic flooding occurred across parts of Minnesota in mid to late June 2024 as a stationary boundary stalled out across the Upper Midwest.||On June 19-21, several rounds of thunderstorms developed and tracked along this boundary, producing widespread 4 to 6 inches of rain across southern Minnesota, with some locations picking up 8 to 10 inches of rain near Mankato Minnesota.||There were d...
Flash Flood — Jun 29, 2020
During the evening of Sunday, June 28th, a complex of thunderstorms that developed across Iowa previously, moved slowly northward across southern Minnesota before stalling in central Minnesota Monday morning. Before the torrential rain began in south central Minnesota, a few of the storms caused minor damage to a home in Sibley County. ||Deep moisture convergence along the axis of thunderstorms...
Flood — Mar 17, 2019
There were many factors that led to a severe Spring flood melt along the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and several of their tributaries during the last two weeks of March. The first factor was above average snowpack, especially over the Minnesota River Valley for mid March. Additionally, the added effect of a cold late Winter kept this snowpack deeper into the early Spring. Once temperatures...
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 Blue Earth County, Minnesota:
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 Blue Earth County, Minnesota 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.