2,115 flood insurance claims·$45.7M paid·7 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, Missouri, accounting for 143 recorded events and 10 deaths over the last 30 years alongside 68 general flood events. Recent history underscores this pattern, including heavy rainfall on September 5, 2020 that caused minor flash flooding in the Kansas Metro area, and persistent moderate rain on May 16, 2021 that resulted in isolated flash flooding along Brush Creek near Ward Parkway. Additionally, a three-hour period of intense rainfall on July 1, 2024 dropped three to six inches of rain—with isolated locations reaching up to seven inches—causing flash flooding across the southern two-thirds of the county.
Federal insurance records reflect significant impacts across multiple property zones. Properties located in FEMA Zone A experienced the highest volume with 1,181 claims, averaging a payout of $38,177 and an average recorded water depth of six inches. Meanwhile, properties mapped in Zone X recorded 195 claims with an average payout of $20,774 and an average recorded water depth of seven inches. Unshaded Zone X properties recorded 546 claims with an average payout of $7,991 and an average water depth of four inches, while shaded Zone X properties saw 152 claims averaging $18,640 with an average water depth of three inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties situated within designated Zone A, which has received the vast majority of insurance claims and the highest average payouts. Properties in various Zone X designations also warrant careful attention, as unshaded, shaded, and standard Zone X areas combined account for hundreds of claims and thousands of dollars in average payouts driven by localized flash flooding.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
37% of Jackson County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
1,880 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 5 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 1982, with 442 claims and $3.6M paid, the year of Severe Storms & 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.
60 NOAA storm reports from Jackson County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
26 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 7 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Flooding | Jun 1, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 12, 2010 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storms | Dec 8, 2007 |
| Severe Storms And Flooding | May 5, 2007 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
211 since 1996: 143 flash floods and 68 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 1, 2024 | $5,000 |
| Flash Flood | May 16, 2021 | — |
| Flood | May 28, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 5, 2020 | — |
| Flood | Apr 30, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2019 | — |
| Flood | May 21, 2019 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 21, 2019 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 1, 2024. During the morning and early afternoon hours of July 1st, heavy rainfall yielded flash flooding across much of the southern two thirds of Jackson County. A swath of 3 to 6 of rain with isolated locations up to 7 fell within about a 3 hour time period from about 930 am to 1230 pm.
Flash Flood · May 16, 2021. Weak thunderstorms brought persistent moderate rain to the area, which caused some isolated flash flooding along Brush Creek near Ward Parkway.
Flood · May 28, 2020. On the morning of May 28 there was some minor flash flooding, causing some roads in the area to shut down briefly.
Flash Flood · Sep 5, 2020. On the morning of September 5th heavy rain caused some minor flash flooding in the Kansas Metro area. No damage or injuries were reported.
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 Jackson 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.