7 flood insurance claims·$66,745 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County, Missouri, supplemented by general river flooding that has resulted in one recorded fatality over the last 30 years according to NOAA data.
Historical NOAA storm narratives illustrate these seasonal threats, such as heavy rains from a severe storm system in May 2015 that produced extreme rain rates and widespread flash flooding across the Kansas City area. Another severe weather event occurred in June 2021, when a line of thunderstorms focused across northern Missouri, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding conditions to the region.
Residents and property owners should pay the most attention based on historical National Flood Insurance Program claims data. Zone A properties face the highest risk, accounting for three claims with an average payout of $15,994 and an average recorded water depth of two inches. Unshaded Zone X properties also recorded claims, averaging $4,417 with an average water depth of one inch, while properties with unknown zones or standard Zone X designations have also experienced claims. Homeowners and real estate agents in these mapped zones, particularly those near waterways or within identified flood hazard areas, should evaluate their specific risk exposure and consider appropriate insurance coverage.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
In flood insurance claims here that reported a flood depth, the average was 2 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 2015, with 2 claims and $23,548 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and 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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Clinton County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 5 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 | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 12, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 8, 2007 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 5, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
21 since 1996: 12 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 26, 2021 | $10,000 · 1 killed |
| Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 26, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 17, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 6, 2015 | — |
| Flood | May 4, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 26, 2021. Late in the afternoon, and through the evening hours on June 24 a cluster of storms over southeast Nebraska congealed into a line of thunderstorms that focused across northern Missouri. Most notably within this line of storms was a cluster of QLCS tornadoes that formed in Grundy County. There may have been other tornadoes associated with circulations that were noted on radar, but emergency management confirmed dam…
Flood · Jun 25, 2021. Late in the afternoon, and through the evening hours on June 24 a cluster of storms over southeast Nebraska congealed into a line of thunderstorms that focused across northern Missouri. Most notably within this line of storms was a cluster of QLCS tornadoes that formed in Grundy County. There may have been other tornadoes associated with circulations that were noted on radar, but emergency management confirmed dam…
Flash Flood · Jun 26, 2015. Widespread wind, hail, and flooding occurred, starting overnight on the 24th into the 25th. While flooding was the biggest problem, mainly in Missouri for the morning of the 25th, severe weather moved in and brought a wide area of severe reports across the area.
Flash Flood · Jun 21, 2015. On the evening of June 20, an MCS was moving southeastward out of Iowa, into northeastern Missouri. Widespread thunderstorms formed on the southern flank of the original MCS causing widespread thunderstorm wind damage and some large hail up to the size of golf balls. As the boundary slid southward through the day on June 21 storms continued to form, bringing more wind damage and hail, this time up to baseball size…
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 Clinton 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.