719 flood insurance claims·$5.3M paid·4 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 Olmsted 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 flooding dominates the flood character of Olmsted County, backed by 38 general flood events compared to 17 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Heavy rainfall from slow-moving storms drives these hazards, as demonstrated in April 2022 when runoff caused minor river flooding on the Whitewater River within Whitewater State Park. More recently, above-normal rainfall combined with over 7 inches of rain between June 20th and 22nd, 2024, to cause widespread river flooding across southeast Minnesota.
NFIP claim records indicate that property owners in high-risk Zone A face the highest frequency of flood events, accumulating 574 claims with an average payout of $9,592 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. However, properties in moderate-to-low risk zones also experience significant impacts. Notably, 39 claims were filed in Zone X with an average payout of $21,015 and an average recorded water depth of 17 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A due to the high volume of historical claims, as well as properties in Zone X where average flood depths and payouts have been substantially higher.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
13% of Olmsted County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
663 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 4 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 1978, with 462 claims and $4.0M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Flooding, Hail & 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.
30 NOAA storm reports from Olmsted County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
15 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 17, 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, Straight Line Winds, And Tornadoes | May 15, 1998 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
55 since 1996: 17 flash floods and 38 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 13, 2022 | — |
| Flood | Jun 28, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2019 | $320,000 |
| Flood | May 27, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 20, 2019 | $15,000 |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2019 | — |
— = 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…
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2024. During the early morning hours on June 22nd, a slow moving line of thunderstorms produced flooding resulting in several road closures. Most notably Interstate 90 was closed in Mower County due to water over the road.
Flood · Apr 13, 2022. Heavy rain fell across portions of southeast Minnesota from April 12th into the 13th. Runoff from this rain caused some minor river flooding to occur on the Whitewater River in Whitewater State Park (Olmsted County).
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…
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 Olmsted 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.