15 flood insurance claims·$234,519 paid·6 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 Clearwater 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 history of Clearwater County, supported by 9 recorded flash flood events compared to 6 general flood events over the last 30 years. NOAA storm records highlight severe weather systems producing flash flooding in August 2020, April 2022, and June 2023, driven by slow-moving thunderstorms and surface low-pressure systems moving across the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property damage occurs across multiple zones. Zone X (unshaded) accounts for 8 claims with an average payout of $32,784 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Standard Zone X records 6 claims with an average payout of $9,349 and an average water depth of 2 inches, while Zone A records 1 claim with an average payout of $33,202 and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within unshaded Zone X and Zone A, where average claim payouts exceed $32,000, as well as areas susceptible to sudden flash flooding from severe seasonal thunderstorms.
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 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 2001, with 4 claims and $104,956 paid, the year of Severe Winter 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Clearwater County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 6 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 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 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 17, 2000 |
| Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms | Mar 21, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
15 since 1996: 9 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2023 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2023 | $500 |
| Flash Flood | Apr 23, 2022 | $20,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 14, 2020 | $2,000 |
| Flood | Apr 28, 2013 | $5,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2013 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Mar 25, 2009 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jun 14, 2007 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 24, 2023. Surface low pressure system tracked across the North Dakota/South Dakota border creating an environment supporting the threat for low top supercells in Southeastern North Dakota into adjacent West Central Minnesota. Several low-top supercells developed and tracked along portions of the Minnesota Red River Valley. Portions of Norman, Polk, Becker, and Mahnomen counties saw multiple tornadoes. Large hail and damagin…
Flash Flood · Apr 23, 2022. Several rounds of severe thunderstorms traversed the region starting on the evening of April 22nd. Initially, large hail was the primary concern, with an increasingly tornadic environment heading into April 23rd. Both hail (up to 1.5 inches) and tornadoes were reported with this system.
Flash Flood · Aug 14, 2020. During the very early morning hours of Friday, August 14th, sporadic slow moving severe thunderstorms formed across portions of west central Minnesota. These resulted in reports of large hail, strong wind gusts, and flash flooding. Prior to sunrise and through Friday morning, additional storms developed back westward into southeast North Dakota, and they continued to fire across west central Minnesota. These storm…
Flood · Apr 28, 2013. Melting snow caused overland flooding across portions of northwest Minnesota. Many rural roads were closed due to high water from the melting snow.
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 Clearwater 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.