316 flood insurance claims·$4.5M paid·7 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 Callaway 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 history of Callaway County, Missouri, accounting for 35 of the 44 recorded flood events over the last 30 years alongside 9 broader river floods. Severe weather patterns frequently drive these incidents, such as the August 26, 2019 event when up to 6 inches of rain fell along and south of Interstate 70, producing numerous flash floods. Flash flooding was also triggered by slow-moving thunderstorms on August 3, 2023, which produced widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches with isolated amounts exceeding 6 inches. Broader river flooding also occurs, driven by heavy seasonal precipitation and upstream runoff, as seen in June 2019 when regional rivers rose to near-record levels.
Property owners in mapped high-risk areas should pay the closest attention to these hazards, particularly those in FEMA Zone A. Zone A properties account for the vast majority of the county's National Flood Insurance Program claims with 272 filings, resulting in an average payout of $17,354 and an average recorded water depth of 10 inches. While claims are less frequent in other zones, residents outside standard high-risk areas should also review their exposure, as limited claims in unshaded Zone X recorded an average water depth of 46 inches.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
4% of Callaway County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
283 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 1993, with 109 claims and $2.0M paid, the year of Severe Storms & Flooding.
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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Callaway County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
29 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jun 24, 2021 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2013 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
44 since 1996: 35 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 3, 2019 | $2.0M |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 1, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 3, 2023. Thunderstorms developed over central Missouri during the early evening hours. They moved east/southeast through the overnight hours. Numerous large hail and damaging wind reports were received. During the late evening through overnight hours, widespread heavy rain fell causing flash flooding. There was fairly widespread 1-3 rainfall totals, with isolated 6-8+ in central Missouri and south-central Illinois.
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.
Flash Flood · Aug 26, 2019. Several shortwaves moved through the region with several waves of showers and storms through the evening on August 25th and into the early morning hours on August 26th. Up to 6 inches of rain fell, along and just south of I-70 over portions of east central Missouri. There were numerous reports of flash flooding in this area.
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2019. An MCS dropped southeastward across the forecast area. Very heavy rain fell across the region and with the soil already saturated from previous rains, there were numerous reports of flash flooding in central Missouri.
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 Callaway 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.