5 flood insurance claims·$26,602 paid·2 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 Dent 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 and river flooding equally dominate the flood history of Dent County. Over the last 30 years, the NOAA Storm Events Database recorded 53 flash flood events and 55 general flood events, resulting in two flood-related deaths.
Recent events illustrate these hazards. In April 2025, multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms dropped heavy rainfall across southern Missouri, producing significant flash flooding and minor to moderate river flooding. Later that same month, slow-moving storms produced heavy rainfall across portions of the Ozarks, causing flooding of multiple low water areas.
Residents living in FEMA Zone A should pay the closest attention to these risks. Federal flood insurance data for Dent County shows that properties in Zone A have accounted for National Flood Insurance Program claims with an average payout of $8,867 and an average recorded water depth of 4 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 1979, with 1 claims and $11,417 paid.
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.
38 NOAA storm reports from Dent County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
18 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 2 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Nov 3, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 8, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And A Tornado | Sep 11, 2008 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 17, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
108 since 1996: 53 flash floods and 55 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 19, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 29, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Sep 23, 2024 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 9, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Nov 5, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 19, 2025. Slow moving storms produced heavy rainfall across portions of the Ozarks causing flooding of multiple low water areas. The initial storms that develop the evening of the 18th were able to take advantage at limited shear and instability to produce a brief EF0 tornado and localized wind damage.
Flash Flood · Apr 4, 2025. Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms occurred across southern Missouri between April 4th and April 6th. The highest rainfall amounts occurred southeast of Springfield where pockets of 8-10 inches with localized amounts to 12 inches occurred. Significant flash flooding and minor to moderate river flooding occurred, especially across south central Missouri. Two flood fatalities occurred with this system in W…
Flood · Apr 4, 2025. Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms occurred across southern Missouri between April 4th and April 6th. The highest rainfall amounts occurred southeast of Springfield where pockets of 8-10 inches with localized amounts to 12 inches occurred. Significant flash flooding and minor to moderate river flooding occurred, especially across south central Missouri. Two flood fatalities occurred with this system in W…
Flood · Apr 29, 2024. Another round of thunderstorms produced additional heavy rainfall and flooding. A severe storm moved across northern Stone County producing a brief EF-0 tornado. Additional wind damage occurred across Cedar and Dade counties.
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 Dent 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.