9 flood insurance claims·$137,114 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 Cooper 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.
River flooding from severe storms dominates Cooper County, with 125 recorded flood events and 33 flash flood events over the last 30 years, resulting in one flash flood fatality.
NOAA storm narratives document several specific recent events, including heavy rain that caused road closures in central Missouri in June 2020, and severe storm rounds that produced scattered minor flash flooding in May 2020. Additional severe storm and flood events occurred in June 2021 as storm systems moved across the region.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that historical claims and payouts are concentrated in designated high-risk areas. Properties located in Zone A should pay the most attention to flood risk, having recorded 5 claims with an average payout of $22,525 and an average recorded water depth of 5 inches. Properties in unshaded Zone X recorded 2 claims with an average payout of $11,862 and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch. Zone UNKNOWN recorded 1 claim averaging a $765 payout with an average water depth of 1 inch, while Zone X recorded 1 claim with a $0 average payout and an average recorded water depth of 0 inches.
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 4 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 3 claims and $72,000 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.
6 NOAA storm reports from Cooper County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 6 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 30, 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 |
| 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.
158 since 1996: 33 flash floods and 125 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 25, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Jun 9, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 25, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
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 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 · May 25, 2020. Two rounds of severe weather formed on May 25th. The first round produced a weak and brief tornado that was witnessed, but produced no damage. The second round later in the evening mainly produced some scattered minor flash flooding events and strong winds that produced minor damage.
Flood · Jun 9, 2020. A brief tornado formed near I-29 close to the town of Oregon, Missouri. This tornado was filmed, so while video evidence exists, there was no reported damage from this brief tornado. Ongoing moderate to heavy rain caused some roads to be closed in central Missouri through most of the day.
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 Cooper 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.