Enter any address in Jefferson County, Missouri to see its FEMA flood zone
Flash flooding from heavy rainfall events is the primary flood concern in Jefferson County, MO. Over the last 30 years, NOAA Storm Events data shows 41 flash flood events and 15 flood events, resulting in 6 fatalities. Recent examples include widespread impassable roads due to heavy rainfall in April 2025, and deadly flash flooding in the St. Louis metropolitan area in November 2024.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A, which typically have no Base Flood Elevation (BFE) defined, have experienced the highest number of claims (2967) with an average water depth of 7.7 feet. Properties in Zone X_UNSHADED and Zone X have also seen significant payouts and substantial water depths, averaging over 5 feet and 3.5 feet respectively. Homeowners in these zones, particularly those in Zone A or areas with documented high water depths, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
14 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Jefferson County, Missouri has recorded 56 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 41 flash floods and 15 river or area floods. The county has received 30 federal disaster declarations, 7 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1973–2025)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires | Severe Storm | Mar 14, 2025 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Flood | Apr 28, 2017 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Flood | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Severe Storm | May 8, 2009 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Severe Ice Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | 15.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Nov 4, 2024 | 50.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 28, 2022 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 3, 2022 | 120.00K |
| Flash Flood | Apr 29, 2021 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Jul 25, 2021 | 30.00K |
| Flash Flood | May 24, 2020 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Aug 30, 2019 | 0.00K |
| Flash Flood | Sep 7, 2018 | 0.00K |
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 — Nov 4, 2024
Overnight on Sunday, November 3rd, a shield of rain and thunderstorms moved into the bi-state area. By Monday morning, persistent rainfall resulted in fatal flash flooding in southeast Missouri, with one fatality occurring in Iron County. Later on Monday evening, a QLCS produced two EF-0 tornadoes in east-central Missouri and shifted the axis of heaviest rain to the north. Due to the shift nort...
Flash Flood — Jul 28, 2022
A cluster of showers and thunderstorms, extending from St. Louis metro area to southeastern Missouri, moved eastward through the afternoon and early evening hours. With precipitable water values over 2 inches and warm cloud depths up to 14,000 feet thick, these storms produced very heavy rainfall, up to five inches, in a short period of time, between 2 pm and 7 pm on July 28th. Also, the soil i...
Flash Flood — Aug 3, 2022
During the afternoon hours of August 3rd, numerous thunderstorms developed across parts of eastern Missouri and west-central Illinois, triggered by strong surface heating ahead of a surging outflow boundary. These storms developed within a strongly unstable environment, featuring MLCAPE values ranging from 2500 to as much as 4000 J/kg and largely driven by the very warm and humid boundary layer...
Flash Flood — Apr 29, 2021
Southerly flow as well as intermittent showers and a few thunderstorms raised the dew point into the mid 60s to around 70 across the area. Also, forecast soundings showed a very moist and deep warm layer up to around 12,000 feet. This combined with strong 850mb moisture convergence across southern Missouri and Illinois and precipitable water values in the 99th plus percentile, set the region ...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Jefferson County, Missouri:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Jefferson County, Missouri that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.