78 flood insurance claims·$1.0M paid·9 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 Houston 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.
River overflow along the Mississippi and other regional basins dominates the flood profile of Houston County, Minnesota, alongside significant flash flooding threats. NOAA Storm Events data over the last 30 years records 23 floods and 23 flash floods, the latter resulting in 2 deaths.
Recent events illustrate these multi-season hazards. In April 2023, unseasonably warm temperatures combined with multiple rain events to rapidly melt a deeper-than-average snowpack, pushing the local Mississippi River to near-record crests that reached their third to fifth highest on record. Later, widespread river flooding occurred in June 2024 after rainfall amounts upwards of 7 inches fell between the 20th and 22nd, causing basins like the Mississippi and Cedar rivers to enter flood stage with flooding continuing into July.
FEMA National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that residents and property owners in Zone A face the highest risk, accounting for 69 claims with an average payout of $21,650 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Properties in shaded and unshaded Zone X, as well as unknown zones, have experienced far fewer claims with lower average payouts and minimal recorded water depths. Consequently, homeowners and real estate agents near designated Zone A riverine areas should pay the most attention to flood insurance and mitigation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
7% of Houston County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
74 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 10 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 28 claims and $487,697 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.
35 NOAA storm reports from Houston County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 11, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 17, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 6, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Aug 18, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
46 since 1996: 23 flash floods and 23 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 25, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 23, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 17, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Sep 19, 2019 | $1,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 25, 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 23, 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 · Apr 17, 2023. A deeper than average snow pack from northern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin underwent a rapid melt through much of April from unseasonably warm temperatures combined with multiple rain events. This resulted in increased water levels and significant flooding for the entire length of the local Mississippi River, with most sites climbing to their third to fifth highest crests on record. Initial flood warnings wer…
Flood · May 1, 2023. The combination of heavy rain and anomalously warm temperatures melting a deeper than average snowpack during April resulted in moderate to major flooding at sites along the Upper Mississippi River in Minnesota. Initial minor flood stage was reached in mid April with near record crests towards the end of April. Drier conditions during the latter half of April and well below normal rainfall through May allowed the…
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 Houston 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.