4 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 Douglas 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 from severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall dominate the flood profile of Douglas County. Over the last 30 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded 203 flood events resulting in 1 death, alongside 178 flash flood events resulting in 3 deaths.
Recent history underscores this hazard. Heavy rainfall systems between April 4th and April 6th, 2025, dropped 8 to 10 inches of rain with localized amounts up to 12 inches southeast of Springfield, causing significant flash flooding, minor to moderate river flooding across south-central Missouri, and two flood fatalities in West Plains. Additionally, severe thunderstorms on June 29, 2025, produced localized flash flooding and widespread damaging winds across portions of southern Missouri.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated near rivers, streams, and low-lying areas susceptible to rapid flash flooding during intense spring and summer storm systems.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
152 NOAA storm reports from Douglas County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
25 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 4 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 23, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Mar 30, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Nov 3, 2024 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 3, 2020 |
| 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 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
381 since 1996: 178 flash floods and 203 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 30, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 29, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 19, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 31, 2024 | — |
| Flood | Jan 27, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 30, 2025. Slow moving showers and storms moved over portions of the Ozarks that had received multiple rounds of heavy rainfall over the preceding week. This lead to flooding on several low water crossings and caused some rivers to reach minor flood stage.
Flash Flood · Jun 29, 2025. Thunderstorms occurred during the early morning hours across central Missouri, producing localized flash flooding. A larger complex of thunderstorms with severe winds moved through southwest Missouri during the afternoon and evening hours of June 29th, producing widespread damaging winds from Dade County, southeast into the Springfield metro area and then southeast into Taney County. Widespread power outages and d…
Flash Flood · May 24, 2025. Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms occurred from Friday, May 23 through Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Total Rainfall amounts ranged between 2-5 inches, with localized amounts up to 8.6 inches.
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.
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 Douglas 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.