26 flood insurance claims·$653,763 paid·3 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 Laclede 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 dominates the flood character of Laclede County, as shown by 109 recorded flash flood events compared to 71 general flood events over the last 30 years. This severe weather risk is highlighted by heavy rainfall systems, such as the storms from April 4th through April 6th, 2025, which brought 8 to 10 inches of rain with localized amounts up to 12 inches southeast of Springfield, causing significant flash flooding, river flooding, and two fatalities in West Plains.
National Flood Insurance Program records indicate that claims have been filed across multiple zones. Zone A accounts for 13 claims with an average payout of $22,263 and an average recorded water depth of 27 inches. Zone X properties recorded 8 claims averaging $46,091 with an average water depth of 33 inches. Additionally, Zone X_UNSHADED recorded 4 claims with an average payout of $38,026 and an average water depth of 18 inches, while Zone UNKNOWN recorded 1 claim averaging $24,745 with an average water depth of 8 inches.
Homeowners, real estate agents, and journalists should pay the closest attention to properties located within designated flood zones such as Zone A, as well as properties in Zone X and unshaded areas where historical claims and significant standing water depths demonstrate ongoing vulnerability to heavy precipitation and overflowing waterways.
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 26 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 10 claims and $304,483 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.
58 NOAA storm reports from Laclede County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
23 federal disaster declarations since 1973, 3 of them floods, coastal storms or hurricanes.
| Disaster | Began |
|---|---|
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 3, 2020 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Apr 29, 2019 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | Dec 23, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds And Flooding | Aug 2, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 8, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
180 since 1996: 109 flash floods and 71 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Apr 19, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 16, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 15, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Jun 6, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flash Flood | Apr 4, 2025 | — |
| Flood | Apr 26, 2024 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Apr 19, 2025. Slow moving storms produced heavy rainfall across portions of the Ozarks causing flooding of multiple low water areas. The initial storms that develop the evening of the 18th were able to take advantage at limited shear and instability to produce a brief EF0 tornado and localized wind damage.
Flood · Jun 16, 2025. A tropical like airmass allow for thunderstorms to produce very heavy rainfall across southern Missouri during the afternoon and evening of June 15th. Several roads were closed due to flooding.
Flash Flood · Jun 15, 2025. A tropical like airmass allow for thunderstorms to produce very heavy rainfall across southern Missouri during the afternoon and evening of June 15th. Several roads were closed due to flooding.
Flood · Jun 6, 2025. A round of showers and thunderstorms occurred during the late night hours of June 5th through the morning hours of June 6th. A line of thunderstorms moved into the area from the southwest and caused damaging winds and a tornado. Additional rainfall on June 7th caused flash flooding occurred due to saturated soils.
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 Laclede 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.