53 flood insurance claims·$2.1M paid·5 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 Barry 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 dominates the flood risk profile in Barry County, accounting for 184 events compared to 84 general flood events over the last 30 years.
Recent weather patterns illustrate this frequent threat. In April 2025, multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms dropped 8 to 12 inches of rain southeast of Springfield, causing significant flash flooding and minor to moderate river flooding across southern Missouri. Later in the year, a September 2025 frontal system dropped 2 to 3 inches of rain, resulting in several instances of flash flooding across McDonald, Barry, and Taney counties.
National Flood Insurance Program records show claims across multiple zones, with the highest claim volume concentrated in Zone A at 35 claims, averaging a payout of $29,537 with an average recorded water depth of 8 inches. Zone X recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $290,712 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $146,597 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 10 claims averaging $8,035 with an average water depth of 1 inch, while Zone X_SHADED recorded 1 claim with a payout of $5,715 and an average water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A and Zone X should pay the closest attention to these flood risks.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
8% of Barry County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
38 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 5 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 2008, with 12 claims and $334,247 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Severe Storms and Flooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes and Severe Storms, Flooding, and A Tornado.
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.
100 NOAA storm reports from Barry County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1974, 5 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 19, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 29, 2023 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Aug 2, 2013 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
268 since 1996: 184 flash floods and 84 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Sep 23, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 20, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 20, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 20, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 19, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 7, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 5, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Sep 23, 2025. A front approached southern Missouri during the afternoon and evening hours of September 23. Several thunderstorms developed and moved across the area. Some storms produced damaging winds in Dallas and Webster counties. Several instances of flash flooding occurred across McDonald, Barry and Taney counties where 2-3 inches of rainfall occurred.
Flash Flood · Sep 20, 2025. A corridor of thunderstorms from Neosho to Cassville to Branson occurred during the evening of September 20th. These thunderstorms moved over the same areas causing damaging winds and flash flooding. Up to 6 inches of rainfall occurred over a 12 hour period across portions of Barry County.
Flood · Apr 20, 2025. A strong storm system moved through the area on Sunday April 20th, 2025. This system brought tornadoes, damaging wind, large hail and heavy rain. The heavy rainfall led to flooding as the area had already received heavy rainfall from storms earlier in the week. Multiple area rivers reached minor to moderate flood stage due to heavy runoff.
Flash Flood · Apr 20, 2025. A strong storm system moved through the area on Sunday April 20th, 2025. This system brought tornadoes, damaging wind, large hail and heavy rain. The heavy rainfall led to flooding as the area had already received heavy rainfall from storms earlier in the week. Multiple area rivers reached minor to moderate flood stage due to heavy runoff.
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 Barry 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.