3 flood insurance claims·$62,420 paid·8 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 Grant 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.
Grant County experiences a balanced flood profile driven equally by general flooding and flash flooding. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database records 10 flood events and 10 flash flood events.
Spring snowmelt frequently triggers these conditions, as documented in March 2009 and March 2019, when melting winter snowpacks pooled water across low-lying areas and roads. Additionally, above-normal winter snowfall and subsequent temperature swings led to significant April snowmelt flooding, such as the event recorded in April 2011. Severe weather systems have also produced flash flooding, including a severe weather setup that triggered thunderstorms and heavy convection in May 2011.
Federal flood insurance records show that claims have occurred in moderate-to-low risk Zone X. Specifically, Zone X accounts for 3 claims with an average payout of $31,210 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay attention to properties in Zone X, as low-risk designations do not preclude shallow water accumulation and insurance claims.
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 2011, with 1 claims and $59,148 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Grant County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 11, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2011 |
| Flooding | Mar 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2009 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
20 since 1996: 10 flash floods and 10 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 28, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Apr 3, 2011 | — |
| Flood | Mar 22, 2009 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Apr 6, 2009 | $5,000 |
| Flood | Jun 2, 2007 | — |
| Flood | Mar 21, 2006 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2006 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Mar 28, 2019. The winter snow melted first across portions of Grant, Wilkin, and Clay counties. Visible satellite imagery confirmed this fact, showing a distinct snow free north to south band that extended roughly 20 or so miles east of the Red River in these three counties. As the snow melted, it flooded low lying areas and roads. Numerous sections of land pooled with water from the snow melt.
Flash Flood · May 30, 2011. An impressive set up for severe weather occurred on the evening of the 30th. A surface low set up near Fargo with a warm front extending out to its east. Meanwhile, a cold front extended to the south, down into central Nebraska. In the warm sector, temperatures climbed into the low to mid 80s with dew points in the middle 60s. As convection blossomed in the evening, thunderstorms erupted all along the cold front,…
Flood · Apr 3, 2011. The winter of 2010-2011 generally brought above normal amounts of snow to the area, but particularly so for portions of the central and southern Red River Valley. By April 1st, snow water equivalents were estimated to be about four to six inches in these areas with about two to four inches elsewhere. A see-saw pattern of temperatures led to a generally slow April snowmelt. At Fargo, the first six days of April ave…
Flood · Mar 22, 2009. A stretch of warmer weather occurred from March 14th to 17th, which resulted in high temperatures in the 40s and low 50s. The snow depth in Fargo on the 14th was 15 inches with a melted water equivalent of 3.10 inches. By the 17th, the snow depth in Fargo had dropped to 6 inches. This was followed by a couple of cooler days, which temporarily slowed down any additional snowmelt. A second period of warmer weather b…
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 Grant 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.