181 flood insurance claims·$3.9M 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 Dakota 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 and spring river melt dominate the flood history of Dakota County, MN. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 21 flash flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 10 general flood events. Historic events include a severe spring flood melt along the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and their tributaries in March 2019, driven by above-average snowpack and warming temperatures. Intense summer storms have also caused severe localized impacts, such as a flash flood on August 16, 2016, that produced a mudslide on County Road 61 in the Minnesota River Valley and two feet of water flowing near Apple Valley.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in high-risk Zone A face the highest average impacts, accounting for 96 claims with an average payout of $39,707 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. Properties in moderate-to-low risk zones also experience losses; Zone X recorded 46 claims with an average payout of $20,224 and an average water depth of 9 inches, while Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 28 claims with an average payout of $6,335 and an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and river valley areas, as well as properties susceptible to intense summer flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
24% of Dakota County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
127 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 14 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 21 claims and $609,253 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.
9 NOAA storm reports from Dakota County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 14, 2012 |
| Flooding | Mar 1, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Mar 23, 2001 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 17, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, And Tornadoes | May 15, 1998 |
| Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms | Mar 21, 1997 |
| Flooding And Severe Storms | Mar 14, 1996 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
31 since 1996: 21 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 17, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 17, 2015 | — |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2014 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 1, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | $150,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 warmed, and snow be…
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2017. Several storms moved across southern Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of Wednesday, July 19th. A few of the storms bowed out from south of Redwood Falls to Mankato, and into Owatonna and Northfield. There were numerous reports of downed trees and power lines with some corn fields flattened in southern Brown County near Comfrey.
Flash Flood · Aug 16, 2016. The afternoon of Tuesday, August 16th, a cluster of thunderstorms developed in the southwest suburbs of the Twin Cities near Shakopee and Chanhassen. These storms moved slowly to the east and northeast and produced large hail near downtown Minneapolis and torrential rainfall in the southern part of the cities. County Road 61, in the Minnesota River Valley, had a mud slide due to the intense rainfall with debris fl…
Flash Flood · Sep 17, 2015. A line of thunderstorms developed early Thursday morning, September 17th in eastern Minnesota, near the Twin Cities. These storms produced very heavy rainfall, gusty winds and some hail. The largest hail stone was quarter size near Crystal. Several thunderstorms moved across northern Dakota, southern Ramsey, and parts of western Washington Counties, and produced up to 2-3 inches of rainfall in less than 2 hours. T…
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 Dakota 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.