37 flood insurance claims·$608,571 paid·3 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 Daviess 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 storms dominates Daviess County, with NOAA records showing 34 flood events compared to 25 flash flood events over the last 30 years. Torrential rains from passing storm systems regularly produce flooding across the area. For example, a line of thunderstorms in May 2019 dropped torrential rains that caused areas of flooding following wake low wind damage. Later that year, multiple rounds of thunderstorms in June 2019 and August 2019 produced minor flash flooding alongside gusty winds and hail.
National Flood Insurance Program records highlight the distinct risk disparity between zones. Properties located in Zone A experienced 35 claims with an average payout of $20,458 and an average recorded water depth of 14 inches. Conversely, Zone X recorded only 2 claims, averaging a $7,642 payout and an average recorded water depth of 1 inch.
Homeowners and real estate agents with properties in Zone A should pay the closest attention to flood risk, as these high-risk areas account for the vast majority of historical claims and significantly deeper average floodwaters.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Daviess County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
35 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 12 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 33 claims and $556,882 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 Daviess County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| 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 | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Sep 9, 2014 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 12, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Jun 1, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
59 since 1996: 25 flash floods and 34 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 30, 2021 | — |
| Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 29, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 21, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 29, 2017 | $10,000 |
| Flood | Jul 13, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 30, 2021. Heavy rain caused some minor flash flooding in Daviess County.
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 · Aug 29, 2019. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms produced flash flooding, hail round 1 inch, and gusty winds that caused some minor damage.
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2019. Several rounds of severe storms moved through portions of northern Missouri on June 22, into the late evening hours. These storms produced several areas of strong winds approaching and exceeding 60 mph, and also produced several areas of minor flash flooding.
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 Daviess 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.