Enter any address in Scott County, Minnesota to see its FEMA flood zone
River overflow along the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, along with their tributaries, is a significant flood hazard in Scott County. Recent events include a severe spring melt flood in March 2019, driven by above-average snowpack and late winter cold, which impacted the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. Flash flooding from heavy rainfall also occurs, as seen in August 2017 when thunderstorms produced localized flooding.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data indicates that properties designated as Zone A have experienced the most claims, with an average payout of $12,000 and water depths averaging 1.9 feet. While other zones like X, X_UNSHADED, and X_SHADED have also seen claims, they generally involved lower payouts and less water depth. Homeowners in Zone A, or those located near rivers and tributaries, should pay the most attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
7 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Scott County, Minnesota has recorded 32 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 16 flash floods and 16 river or area floods. The county has received 16 federal disaster declarations, 9 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2020)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Jun 11, 2014 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Mar 16, 2011 |
| Flooding | Flood | Mar 1, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Flood | Mar 23, 2001 |
| Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, And Tornadoes | Tornado | May 15, 1998 |
| Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms | Flood | Mar 21, 1997 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Mar 14, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 16, 2017 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 10, 2016 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 19, 2014 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Jun 18, 2014 | 9.00M |
| Flash Flood | Jul 13, 2013 | 500.00K |
| Flood | Mar 21, 2011 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2010 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2010 | 50.00K |
| Flood | Mar 20, 2010 | 400.00K |
Flood — Mar 14, 2019
There were many factors that led to a severe Spring flood melt along the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and several of their tributaries during the last two weeks of March. The first factor was above average snowpack, especially over the Minnesota River Valley for mid March. Additionally, the added effect of a cold late Winter kept this snowpack deeper into the early Spring. Once temperatures...
Flash Flood — Aug 16, 2017
A band of heavy rain developed along a warm front that lifted north through southern and central Minnesota during the afternoon and early evening of August 16. Small low-topped supercells developed within the band and produced numerous tornadoes. In addition, a large circulation was noted in southwest Minnesota during the late evening, early morning hours. This circulation produced isolated sev...
Flash Flood — Aug 10, 2016
Several waves of thunderstorms moved across central and southern Minnesota, and into west central Wisconsin between the late afternoon of Wednesday, August 10th, through Thursday morning, August 11th. A few of the storms produced large hail and severe wind gusts as several bow echoes formed. However, the main hazard became the extremely heavy rainfall with bouts of rainfall rates as high as 2 t...
Flash Flood — Jun 19, 2014
Several rounds of thunderstorms developed across western and southern Minnesota during the late evening and early morning hours of Thursday, June 19th, and moved eastward through the mid morning hours. Although some of the thunderstorms did produced wind damage near Wintrop, most of the damage was associated with extreme rainfall rates, where flash flooding caused mud slides, road closures, and...
Flood — Jun 18, 2014
Several rounds of thunderstorms began during the week of June 14th, and continued through most of the week with areas of flash flooding. The flash flooding evolved into areal flooding, and then main-stem river flooding which continued through the end of the month. The hardest hit areas were from New Ulm to Mankato, northeast through the length of the Minnesota River, and the Twin Cities Metro a...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Scott County, Minnesota:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Scott County, Minnesota that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.