1,097 flood insurance claims·$30.9M paid·9 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 Franklin 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 severe weather events dominates the flood history of Franklin County, Missouri, accounting for more than twice as many recorded events as standard riverine flooding over the last thirty years, resulting in two fatalities.
Recent NOAA storm data highlights this recurring hazard, including a heavy rainfall event on April 4, 2025, where a stationary front caused numerous roads to become impassable across the region. Another significant flash flood occurred overnight on August 2, 2023, driven by thunderstorms producing widespread heavy rainfall totals of one to three inches and isolated totals exceeding six to eight inches.
Property owners and real estate professionals should pay the most attention to locations within FEMA Zone A, which accounts for the vast majority of National Flood Insurance Program claims in the county. Zone A properties experienced 919 historical claims with an average payout of $34,628 and an average recorded water depth of 18 inches. While less frequent, properties located in Zone X zones also recorded claims, averaging between 12 and 20 inches of water depth depending on the specific designation.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
6% of Franklin County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
977 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 17 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 2015, with 204 claims and $9.7M paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and 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 Franklin County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 9 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | Mar 17, 2008 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 8, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
52 since 1996: 36 flash floods and 16 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 8, 2024 | $10,000 |
| Flash Flood | Aug 2, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 26, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 22, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 17, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2017 | — |
| Flood | May 1, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Apr 4, 2025. A stationary front over southern Missouri along with ample mid-level forcing, moisture, and efficient rain processes resulted in flooding across portions of east-central and southeast Missouri. Numerous roads across the St. Louis metropolitan area were impassable due to the heavy rainfall.
Flash Flood · May 8, 2024. The bi-state region was threatened with severe thunderstorms on May 8th. Numerous supercells produced very large hail most of the day, and a small QLCS produced multiple tornadoes in southeast Missouri.
Flash Flood · Aug 2, 2023. Thunderstorms developed over central Missouri during the early evening hours. They moved east/southeast through the overnight hours. Numerous large hail and damaging wind reports were received. During the late evening through overnight hours, widespread heavy rain fell causing flash flooding. There was fairly widespread 1-3 rainfall totals, with isolated 6-8+ in central Missouri and south-central Illinois.
Flash Flood · Aug 2, 2023. A swath of strong to severe storms with very heavy rainfall rates moved southeast across portions of northern and central Missouri during the early morning hours of August 2nd. There were several reports of 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 Franklin 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.