60 flood insurance claims·$655,710 paid·3 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 Audrain County, Missouri. 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 risk profile in Audrain County, accounting for 34 out of 39 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 5 general flood events. This risk is driven by intense weather systems, such as the mesoscale convective system on July 21, 2025, which produced heavy rainfall and flash flooding that was exacerbated by multiple rounds of rain in eastern Audrain County. Similar severe conditions occurred on July 26, 2022, when training thunderstorms brought high rainfall rates to the region.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that properties located in high-risk Zone A face the most severe impacts, logging 43 claims with an average payout of $21,643 and an average recorded water depth of 15 inches. By comparison, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 12 claims averaging $5,312 with an average water depth of 1 inch, unknown zones recorded 4 claims averaging $5,367 with an average water depth of 2 inches, and Zone X recorded 1 claim with an average payout of $1,678 and an average water depth of 0 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, as these areas experience significantly higher financial losses and greater water depths during flood events compared to unshaded or standard Zone X properties.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
22% of Audrain County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
55 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 11 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 1981, with 14 claims and $48,615 paid.
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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Audrain County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
19 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 24, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And A Tornado | Sep 11, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 34 flash floods and 5 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 21, 2025 | $60,000 |
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2022 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 7, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 21, 2025. During the late evening and early morning hours of July 20th/21st, an MCS moved southeast through east-central Missouri. The front edge of the system produced very efficient and heavy rainfall, causing flash flood conditions quickly. This was exacerbated in portions of eastern Audrain County which received multiple rounds of this heavy rain.
Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2022. During the early morning of Tuesday, July 26th, 2022, a complex of training thunderstorms set up roughly along the I-70 corridor in Missouri and I-64 corridor in Illinois. Several rounds of thunderstorms with rainfall rates exceeding 2in/hr affected this area, including the St. Louis metropolitan area, through the early hours of July 26th and into the morning commute. Upwards of 11 of rain fell over the course of…
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2021. A composite outflow boundary extending from the Kansas City area towards southeast Missouri was a focus for new development from the evening hours of June 25th through June 26th. There were numerous reports of damaging winds and flash flooding with this event, as well as a tornado.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2020. A combination of old outflow boundaries and a cold front moved through the region, triggering widespread showers and storms. Some of the storms became severe with damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding.
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 Audrain 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.