533 flood insurance claims·$5.3M paid·8 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 Washington 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 profile of Washington County, with 8 flash flood events and 5 general flood events recorded over the last 30 years. NOAA storm reports illustrate this hazard, including heavy rainfall and flash flooding that developed during storms in June 2014 and July 2015.
Federal insurance records show claims spanning multiple zones, indicating that flood risks extend beyond high-risk areas. Properties located in FEMA-designated Zone A have accumulated the highest volume of claims at 378, with an average payout of $13,041 and an average recorded water depth of 11 inches. Claims also occurred in moderate-to-low risk areas, including 51 claims in Zone X averaging $10,277 with an average water depth of 6 inches, 50 claims in Zone X_SHADED averaging $15,327 with an average water depth of 10 inches, 28 claims in Zone UNKNOWN averaging $10,777 with an average water depth of 2 inches, and 26 claims in Zone X_UNSHADED averaging $9,685 with an average water depth of 2 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A, where claims and average water depths are highest, while remaining aware that properties in shaded and unshaded Zone X areas also experience damaging inundation from intense summer rainfall.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
17% of Washington County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
454 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 10 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 2001, with 142 claims and $2.3M paid, the year of Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Washington County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Minnesota flood stories →
17 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storm, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 12, 2019 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 16, 2011 |
| Flooding | Mar 1, 2010 |
| Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Aug 29, 2005 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Mar 23, 2001 |
| Mn - Carlos Edge Fire Complex - 10/19/2000 | Oct 19, 2000 |
| Severe Storms, Straight Line Winds, And Tornadoes | May 15, 1998 |
| Severe Flooding, High Winds,severe Storms | Mar 21, 1997 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
13 since 1996: 8 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 23, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 1, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2013 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2010 | — |
| Flood | Oct 4, 2005 | — |
| Flash Flood | Oct 4, 2005 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2003 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 23, 2016. Thunderstorms that developed across Nebraska, South Dakota and western Iowa early Saturday morning, July 23rd, moved northeast into southern and western Minnesota during the morning. Although most of the damage was associated with uprooted trees and occasional severe wind gusts, flash flooding became more apparent during the afternoon along with a few large hail reports. ||Most of the reports of tree damage occurr…
Flash Flood · Jul 6, 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 with the main line, d…
Flash Flood · Jun 1, 2014. Several rounds of strong thunderstorms moved across southern Minnesota, producing torrential rainfall with rates as high as 3 inches per hour. Precipitable water values were 1.6 to 1.7 inches of liquid water, which is equivalent to 150 to 175% above normal for the Upper Midwest for early June. ||Rainfall totals earlier Saturday afternoon were around 2 to 4 inches across the western Suburbs from previous thundersto…
Flash Flood · Jun 21, 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…
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 Washington 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.