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 Martin 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 in Martin County, Minnesota, accounting for 15 out of 22 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 7 general flood events.
Severe weather events have historically driven these conditions. For instance, heavy rainfall and severe storms moved along the I-90 corridor toward Fairmont in June 2014, producing significant street flooding and erosion. Additionally, severe thunderstorms brought torrential rainfall and widespread storm impacts to the region in June 2013 and August 2025.
Homeowners, journalists, and real estate agents should review local flood data carefully to understand property-specific risks associated with intense summer convective storms and flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4 NOAA storm reports from Martin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Jun 15, 2018 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Jun 11, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 14, 2004 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Jan 3, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
22 since 1996: 15 flash floods and 7 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 16, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Sep 23, 2010 | $915,000 |
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2010 | — |
| Flood | Mar 15, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 7, 2010 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2007 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 17, 2025. Several individual rounds of thunderstorms impacted southern Minnesota from Friday, August 16th through Sunday, August 18th. Heavy rain amounts on the order of 5-10 inches fell over the course of 72 hours, most of which fell from late Saturday into early Sunday, leading to several cases of flooded roadways and damaged buildings. The highest amounts and most widespread impacts were across Waseca County.
Flash Flood · Jun 16, 2014. The afternoon of Monday, June 16th, two major thunderstorm complexes across Nebraska and South Dakota, congealed into one along the Minnesota, Iowa border from Sioux Falls, eastward along I-90 to Fairmont and Albert Lea. Some of the severe storms moved north of I-90 and produced wind and hail as far north as Mankato, Waseca and Owatonna. Wind gusts in excess of 60 to 70 mph were clocked in these areas and produce…
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2013. Two rounds of severe thunderstorms occurred across portions of southern and central Minnesota, between Friday afternoon, June 21st and early Saturday morning, June 22nd. These storms first developed across central South Dakota and moved into west central Minnesota after 4 pm, causing large hail, damaging winds and torrential rainfall. ||These storms weakened briefly in central Minnesota, before re-intensifying acr…
Flood · Sep 23, 2010. A strong storm system, in combination with deep moisture from the remnants of a tropical system, produced a large area of flooding rainfall with amounts as high as 8 and 11 inches in an 18 hour period. ||The main area of precipitation occurred across far southern Minnesota, and portions of west central Wisconsin, between 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 22nd, to 9:00 a.m., Thursday, September 23rd. ||Some of 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 Martin 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.