1,254 flood insurance claims·$34.3M paid·8 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 Holt 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 summer thunderstorms dominates the event history of Holt County, Missouri. Over a 30-year period, NOAA records indicate 19 flash flood events compared to 6 general flood events. Significant regional weather systems also drive severe river flooding, as demonstrated in March 2019 when melting snow and heavy rain from the Northern Plains compromised a levee near Craig, Missouri, inundating the town under an average of several inches of water for several days. A subsequent flood event in June 2019 kept portions of the Missouri River in major flood stage for several weeks due to consistent heavy precipitation and a heavy snowpack.
NFIP claim data shows that flood risk heavily impacts properties in specific designated areas. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of historical claims with 1,214 filings, averaging a payout of $31,022 and an average recorded water depth of 19 inches. Properties with unknown zone designations recorded 35 claims with an average payout of $16,326 and an average water depth of 12 inches. Zone X properties recorded only 5 claims, averaging a $5,471 payout and an average water depth of 1 inch. Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within Zone A and near major waterways like the Missouri River.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
Less than 1% of Holt County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,214 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 18 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 2011, with 312 claims and $8.0M paid, the year of Severe Winter Storm 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.
5 NOAA storm reports from Holt County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 8 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, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Mar 11, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Sep 9, 2014 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 12, 2010 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
25 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 6 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jun 24, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Mar 20, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flood | Mar 9, 2019 | $100,000 |
| Flood | May 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 1, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Jun 11, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 11, 2015 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jun 24, 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 · Mar 20, 2019. A levee near Craig, MO was compromised and water rushed into the town of Craig. The town was inundated under several inches of water for several days. This incident was part of the larger massive and widespread flooding along the Missouri River due to snow melt and heavy rain in the Northern Plains. Note: The dollar value assigned to this incident is likely inaccurate due to the full extent of the impacts not bein…
Flood · Mar 9, 2019. Several months of heavy snow across the Northern Plains set the stage for a significant and catastrophic flooding event when temperatures warmed and heavy rain fell across Nebraska and the Dakotas. While the more significant damage occurred across eastern Nebraska several counties along the Missouri River and Northern and Central Missouri also saw some significant impacts. Numerous locations along the Missouri Riv…
Flood · May 1, 2019. Heavy late winter and spring precipitation, mixed with a loaded snow pack caused the Missouri River to flood in March. Consistent heavy rains continued the Missouri River flooding into and through May. Some locations along the Missouri River were in major flood for several weeks as heavy rains continued.
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 Holt 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.