Enter any address in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from summer thunderstorms is the dominant flood character in Yellow Medicine County. Between 2000 and 2020, NOAA Storm Events data recorded 15 flash flood events and 10 flood events. For example, on June 7, 2012, up to 6.5 inches of rain fell in less than six hours in eastern Yellow Medicine County, leading to flash flooding. More recently, on June 28, 2025, scattered storms caused flash flooding in the region.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A have experienced the deepest water depths, averaging 15.3 feet, and have the highest average payouts at $19,857. Zone X_SHADED properties also show significant claims, with average payouts of $13,740 and water depths of 4.6 feet. Homeowners in Zone A and Zone X_SHADED should pay particular attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
4 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota has recorded 15 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 5 flash floods and 10 river or area floods. The county has received 24 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 (1965–2022)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 29, 2022 |
| 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, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Severe Storm | Jul 1, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Flood | Mar 16, 2011 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Sep 22, 2010 |
| Flooding | Flood | Mar 1, 2010 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Severe Storm | Mar 16, 2009 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 17, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 18, 2014 | 5.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2012 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 21, 2011 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 16, 2010 | 420.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 23, 2004 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 20, 2002 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2001 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2001 | — |
Flash Flood — Jun 28, 2025
Scattered storms developed near the South Dakota and Minnesota border during the early evening on June 28th, then quickly strengthened into discrete supercells as they progressed into west central Minnesota. These storms produced scattered reports of large hail, thunderstorm wind damage, and three tornadoes. ||As the evening progressed, the supercells merged into clusters and eventually into lo...
Flood — Mar 17, 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 18, 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...
Flash Flood — Jun 7, 2012
Lines of thunderstorms continued to form and train across portions of west central and southwest Minnesota during the early morning hours of Thursday, June 7th. The heaviest rainfall was concentrated in eastern Yellow Medicine County, near Granite Falls and Hanley Falls, where up to 6.5 inches of rain fell in less than 6 hours.
Flood — Mar 21, 2011
Due to a very wet fall, and a deep snow pack by mid March, when temperatures began to rise and melt the snow, area streams, creeks and eventually rivers rose to minor, moderate, and major stage levels. ||During the onset of the snow melt, area streams, creeks and rivers had numerous ice jams that caused flooding across many areas in southern Minnesota. Road closures due to creeks and streams de...
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 Yellow Medicine 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 Yellow Medicine 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.