Enter any address in Stearns County, Minnesota to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Stearns County. Over the last 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 18 flash flood events compared to 6 general flood events. Recent examples include heavy rainfall causing flash flooding in June 2022 and July 2025.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that while Zone A areas have seen the most claims (42), Zone X areas have experienced significantly deeper water on average (5.2 ft). Homeowners in areas designated as Zone X, particularly those with deeper water inundation, should pay close attention to flood risk. Properties located near rivers, such as those impacted by spring melt events like the one in March 2019, also face flood risks.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
9 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Stearns County, Minnesota has recorded 24 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 18 flash floods and 6 river or area floods. The county has received 13 federal disaster declarations, 5 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1965–2022)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 8, 2022 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Jun 20, 2013 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jul 1, 2011 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Hurricane | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Flood | Mar 23, 2001 |
| Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms | Flood | Mar 21, 1997 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Severe Storm | Jan 3, 1997 |
| Drought | Drought | Jun 17, 1976 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 23, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 18, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 6, 2015 | 1.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2015 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2014 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2013 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2011 | 100.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 15, 2011 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 23, 2009 | 100.00K |
Flash Flood — Jul 23, 2025
Several clusters of storms moved from central South Dakota into Minnesota during the morning, then more widespread coverage of storms developed and persisted throughout much of the day. The main axis of heavy rainfall was tied to a slow moving boundary that started across central Minnesota in the morning and progressed towards southern Minnesota by the late evening.||While many locations saw he...
Flash Flood — Jun 23, 2022
During the late afternoon, and early evening of Thursday, June 23rd, a small complex of storms developed in central Minnesota. These storms were developing along an 850mb confluent boundary with an above normal plume of PWATs of 1.25. Due to a high freezing level, a sounding profile suggesting efficient warm-rain processes dominated. With back-building storms across central Minnesota, rainfall...
Flood — Mar 18, 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 — Jun 6, 2015
During the evening of Saturday, June 6th, a front was moving slowly southeast across central and west central Minnesota. A line of showers and thunderstorms was developing along it as it sagged to the east-southeast. Between 9 and 10:30 PM LST, there was one band of very heavy rainfall, with rates of 1-2 inches per hour, that was moving across northern Stearns County. By midnight, almost all of...
Flash Flood — Jul 5, 2015
The evening of Sunday, July 5th, a line of thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary from west central Minnesota, northeast to the arrowhead region. These storms slowly moved southeast across west central and central Minnesota by midnight. By 2 to 3 am CST, numerous thunderstorms began to develop in east central Minnesota, ahead of the main line. ||As additional thunderstorms congealed w...
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 Stearns 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 Stearns 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.