416 flood insurance claims·$7.6M 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 Cole 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 Cole County, Missouri. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 26 flash flood events resulting in one death, alongside 14 general flood events. Recent history includes a flash flood event on July 30, 2020, when a slow-moving cold front dumped up to 4 inches of rain over a three-hour period along the Missouri River, causing isolated flash flooding. Another significant event occurred on May 1, 2017, when a spring storm system brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain, with totals surpassing nine inches in some locations and leading to historic flooding along Missouri and Mississippi River tributaries.
National Flood Insurance Program claims data indicates that risk spans multiple zones, though the vast majority of claims concentrate in specific areas. Zone A accounts for 346 claims with an average payout of $20,293 and an average recorded water depth of 16 inches. Lower claim volumes occur in Zone X unshaded (29 claims, averaging $17,356 and 13 inches of water depth), Zone X (28 claims, averaging $29,655 and 12 inches of water depth), Zone Unknown (9 claims, averaging $16,054 and 3 inches of water depth), and Zone X shaded (4 claims, averaging $10,827 and 4 inches of water depth). Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the most attention to properties located within Zone A, as well as areas susceptible to rapid accumulation from intense summer storms and river tributary overflow.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
9% of Cole County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
379 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 15 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 96 claims and $2.3M 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.
8 NOAA storm reports from Cole County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
40 since 1996: 26 flash floods and 14 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 30, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2017 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 12, 2016 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 10, 2016 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 · Jul 30, 2020. An area of low pressure centered over south central Illinois dragged a weak cold front slowly south through the forecast area. Widespread convection developed along the Missouri River in central Missouri, dumping up to 4 inches of rain over a three hour period causing isolated flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 19, 2020. A strong cold front moved into the region and stalled out along the I-70 corridor. Numerous showers and storms developed along the boundary. Some of the storms became severe with reports of damaging winds and large hail. Also, a couple of the storms dropped very heavy rainfall causing flash flooding.
Flood · Apr 30, 2017. A strong spring storm system brought multiple rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain to the southeast half of Missouri during the weekend of April 29th-30th. Rainfall totals surpassed nine inches in some locations and this led to flash flooding and historic flooding along some of the tributaries of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Areas along the Meramec River were especially hard hit as new records were set…
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 Cole 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.