29 flood insurance claims·$162,111 paid·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 Rock 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.
Regular flooding events dominate Rock County, flanked by frequent flash flooding driven by severe weather. Over the past 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database has recorded 50 flood events and 18 flash flood events.
Recent history illustrates these heavy rainfall threats. A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22, 2024, brought widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches across southwest Minnesota, causing major to record river flooding, extensive overland flooding, and a Presidential Disaster Declaration.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that property owners in FEMA Zone A should pay the closest attention, accounting for 25 claims with an average payout of $5,821 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Properties in Zone X have experienced 3 claims with a higher average payout of $17,171 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. An additional claim is recorded under an unknown zone with no payout and 0 inches of average recorded water depth.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Rock County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
25 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 5 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 2014, with 9 claims and $92,491 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides.
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.
19 NOAA storm reports from Rock County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
16 federal disaster declarations since 1969, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 16, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2022 |
| 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 Winter Storm | Apr 9, 2013 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
68 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 50 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jun 21, 2024 | $2.0M |
| Flood | Apr 9, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jul 6, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 27, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 21, 2024. A multi-day significant heavy rainfall event from June 20-22 resulted in widespread rain totals between 5 and 10 inches across southwest Minnesota. As rainfall reached area streams and rivers, major to record flooding was observed, devastating multiple towns and communities. Extensive overland flooding also resulted in significant impacts and damages. All river crest information is preliminary until made official…
Flash Flood · Jun 21, 2024. Clusters of thunderstorms with very high rainfall rates from 2 to 4 inches per hour developed during the overnight hours June 20-21. The primary focus occurred near and just north of Interstate 90. The final 24 hour rainfall totals reached 4 to 8 inches by daybreak across Rock County and nearby areas.
Flood · Apr 9, 2023. Rapid snowmelt from a few day period of well above normal temperatures focused on the 11-13th of April resulted in minor flooding for portions of the Rock River Basin. Some areas north of I-90 lost between 2 to 5 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE) from the first to second week of April, but antecedent drought conditions resulted in only a percentage of this water actually making it into the river system.
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2022. A cluster of thunderstorms developed across eastern Montana and the western Dakotas during the morning hours. These storms organized and turned southeastward, feeding on rich inflow of post-frontal air with up to 3000 J/kg of MLCAPE and over 1000 J/kg of DCAPE. Along with strong storm-relative shear, parameters favored development of a strong cold pool and balanced mesocyclone, which spread southeast with the clus…
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 Rock 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.