247 flood insurance claims·$1.8M paid·18 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 Kittson 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.
Riverine flooding driven by long-duration spring snowmelt dominates Kittson County, supplemented by recurring flash floods. Over the last 30 years, NOAA recorded 37 flood events alongside 16 flash flood events. Recent activity includes significant spring snowmelt flooding that began in late April 2023 and persisted into early May 2023.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims concentrated across multiple zones. Properties categorized under Zone UNKNOWN account for 114 claims with an average payout of $4,436 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Zone A accounts for 112 claims with an average payout of $11,819 and an average recorded water depth of 30 inches. Zone X_UNSHADED has 14 claims averaging $1,962 with an average depth of 3 inches, while Zone X records 6 claims averaging $10,047 with an average depth of 0 inches, and Zone X_SHADED contains 1 claim averaging $9,282 with an average depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located in Zone A, which experiences the highest average water depths and substantial payouts, as well as properties situated in areas with unmapped or unknown flood zones where historical claims are heavily clustered.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
12% of Kittson 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 12 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 1979, with 110 claims and $438,432 paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
14 NOAA storm reports from Kittson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
32 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 18 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Apr 11, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Apr 22, 2022 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 17, 2010 |
| Flooding | Mar 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2009 |
| Flooding | Mar 30, 2006 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
53 since 1996: 16 flash floods and 37 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 20, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Apr 14, 2023 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2023 | — |
| Flood | Jun 9, 2020 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2020 | $25,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 4, 2020 | $50,000 |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2019 | $50,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jun 17, 2016 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 20, 2023. The spring snowmelt flooding began in late April 2023 and persisted into the early portions of May for some locations.
Flood · Apr 14, 2023. Snowmelt flooding along the Minnesota Tributaries began in mid-April, with a few locations persisting into early May.
Flood · May 1, 2023. The spring snowmelt flooding began in late April 2023 and persisted into the early portions of May for some locations.
Flood · Jun 9, 2020. Roughly 3 to 7 inches of rain fell along the North Branch of the Two Rivers River, causing some basement flooding and flooded roads.
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 Kittson 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.