4 flood insurance claims·$157,554 paid·1 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 Grundy 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the flood risk profile in Grundy County, accounting for 30 out of 39 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 9 standard flood events.
Recent history illustrates this pattern. Widespread flash flooding occurred across northern Missouri during the morning and early afternoon hours of May 28, 2019, driven by storms that moved through the region. Later that year, on June 5, 2019, isolated flash flooding occurred due to heavy rain from slow-moving storms. Additional flash flooding events were recorded on May 14, 2020, and August 4, 2023, as severe storms moved eastward across the state.
Federal insurance claims data shows losses occurring in both high-risk and moderate-to-low risk areas. Properties located in FEMA-designated Zone A recorded an average payout of $27,411 with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Meanwhile, properties in Zone X recorded an average payout of $51,366 with an average recorded water depth of 2 inches. Homeowners, journalists, and real estate agents should note that properties situated in both designated Special Flood Hazard Areas and moderate-risk Zone X areas have experienced damaging water depths, making property-specific elevation and drainage assessments critical for all local real estate.
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 2 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 2019, with 2 claims and $155,599 paid, the year of Severe Storms, Tornadoes, 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.
4 NOAA storm reports from Grundy County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
21 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 1 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Jul 29, 2023 |
| 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 | Sep 9, 2014 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 12, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 8, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
39 since 1996: 30 flash floods and 9 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Aug 4, 2023 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 14, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 28, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 26, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 5, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Oct 8, 2018 | — |
| Flood | Jun 29, 2017 | — |
| Flood | Jul 13, 2017 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Aug 4, 2023. On the afternoon and evening of August 4th, severe storms developed over western Missouri and moved eastward into central Missouri. A supercell produced a 4.5 mile long EF0 tornado in rural Ray County near the community of Millville, with another supercell producing a 1.5 mile long EF0 near Malta Bend in Saline County. A few other wind damage and 60 mph wind gusts reports were received with these storms.
Flash Flood · May 14, 2020. Scattered thunderstorms formed across central Missouri, which produced hail between 1 and 2 inches and occasional gusty winds around 60 top 70 mph.
Flash Flood · May 28, 2019. Widespread severe weather moved through the region on May 28. One supercell produced several tornadoes, including the Lawrence to Linwood, Kansas tornado. This storm then went on to produce an EF-2 tornado in northeastern Clay County and did damage to portions of Kearney, Missouri. Earlier in the day, through the morning and early afternoon hours several storms moved through northern Missouri causing widespread fl…
Flash Flood · May 26, 2019. A couple rounds of strong to severe storms moved through the region, with some minor flash flooding and marginal severe weather.
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 Grundy 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.