106 flood insurance claims·$7.6M paid·6 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 Clark 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 Clark County, Missouri. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 45 flash flood events and 40 general flood events, resulting in one death. Recent events illustrate this pattern: in July 2025, widespread showers and thunderstorms dropped 3 to 4 inches of rain, leading to flash flooding across the county. Similarly, an event in August 2023 brought 4 to 8 inches of rain in less than 6 hours from a slow-moving mesoscale convective vortex, causing a rapid rise on the Fox River near Wayland, stalled vehicles, and water rescues.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that properties located in Zone A face the highest severity and frequency, accounting for 82 claims with an average recorded water depth of 24 inches and an average payout of $93,693. Additional claims occurred in Zone UNKNOWN (18 claims, averaging 10 inches of water and a $36,970 payout), Zone X (4 claims, averaging 13 inches of water and a $22,255 payout), and Zone D (2 claims, averaging 0 inches of water and a $25,519 payout). Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties in Zone A and areas prone to rapid river rises, such as the Fox River near Wayland.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Clark County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
82 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 21 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 30 claims and $1.1M 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.
32 NOAA storm reports from Clark County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
27 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 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.
85 since 1996: 45 flash floods and 40 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 26, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 5, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 28, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 30, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 29, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 27, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 26, 2025. During the morning of July 26th, widespread showers and thunderstorms slowly moved across far northeast Missouri. These showers and storms produced widespread heavy rainfall of 3 to 4 inches leading to flash flooding across Clark County.
Flash Flood · Aug 5, 2023. A significant rain event occurred late Friday into Saturday across northeast Missouri, extreme southeast Iowa, and west central Illinois, which resulted in flash flooding and a rapid rise on the Fox River near Wayland, Missouri. A slow moving mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) tracked over the area and brought very heavy rain in a short amount of time. Rainfall amounts between 4 and 8 inches fell in less than 6 h…
Flash Flood · Aug 4, 2023. A significant rain event occurred late Friday into Saturday across northeast Missouri, extreme southeast Iowa, and west central Illinois, which resulted in flash flooding and a rapid rise on the Fox River near Wayland, Missouri. A slow moving mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) tracked over the area and brought very heavy rain in a short amount of time. Rainfall amounts between 4 and 8 inches fell in less than 6 h…
Flash Flood · Jun 28, 2021. Early on the 28th, showers and thunderstorms developed in an anomalously moist environment, with precipitable water values reaching up to 2 inches. One large storm developed, producing very heavy rainfall in Scotland and Clark Counties, eventually dying off as it continued to move east. This storm dropped upwards to 3 inches or more, which led to flash flooding in mainly rural area. Roads were washed out with seve…
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 Clark 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.