32 flood insurance claims·$446,485 paid·5 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 Dodge 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 Dodge County, Minnesota, accounting for 17 events compared to 12 general flood events over the last 30 years according to the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Recent history illustrates this pattern. Heavy rainfall events, such as the storms on June 28, 2019, dropped 3 to 7 inches of rain and caused flash flooding across Dodge, Olmsted, and Fillmore counties, putting numerous roads underwater. Widespread river flooding occurred again from June 20 to June 22, 2024, when above-normal June rainfall combined with upwards of 7 inches of rain to push regional river basins into flood stage.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, indicating risk is not confined to designated high-risk areas. Properties in Zone A have recorded 14 claims with an average payout of $22,427 and an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Similarly, properties in unshaded Zone X account for 14 claims with an average payout of $16,910 and an average recorded water depth of 4 inches. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and unshaded Zone X, where historical claim activity is highest.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
52% of Dodge County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
29 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 5 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 2010, with 6 claims and $167,244 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.
22 NOAA storm reports from Dodge County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jun 11, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 18, 2007 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 14, 2004 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Mar 23, 2001 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 17, 2000 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
29 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 12 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 28, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2019 | $145,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2019 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 4, 2018 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 22, 2016 | $2,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2014 | $413,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 22, 2024. Above normal rainfall over the course of June, combined with a robust rainfall event between June 20th and 22nd, led to widespread river flooding across portions of southeast Minnesota. Rainfall amounts upwards of 7 inches between the 20th and 22nd allowed the Mississippi River, Cedar River and many other river basins in southeast Minnesota to enter flood stage towards the end of June. Flooding along the Mississip…
Flood · Jun 28, 2019. Thunderstorms with very heavy rain moved very slowly across southeast Minnesota during the early morning hours of June 28th. These storms dumped between 3 and 7 inches of rain that resulted in flash flooding occurring in Dodge, Olmsted and Fillmore Counties. The Rochester International Airport (Olmsted County) was closed when water covered the runways. Numerous roads were underwater and between 40 and 60 cows were…
Flash Flood · Jun 28, 2019. Thunderstorms with very heavy rain moved very slowly across southeast Minnesota during the early morning hours of June 28th. These storms dumped between 3 and 7 inches of rain that resulted in flash flooding occurring in Dodge, Olmsted and Fillmore Counties. The Rochester International Airport (Olmsted County) was closed when water covered the runways. Numerous roads were underwater and between 40 and 60 cows were…
Flash Flood · Jul 20, 2019. Two rounds of thunderstorms moved across southeast Minnesota during the morning of July 20th. The first round produced at 74 mph wind gust at the Rochester International Airport (Olmsted County). The second round of storms blew down trees from near Austin (Mower County) to the northwest side of Rochester. Around 5,000 customers were without power after the storms passed through Rochester. Another 1,000 customers l…
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 Dodge 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.