22 flood insurance claims·$214,700 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 Linn 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 Linn County, Missouri, accounting for 18 of the 22 recorded flood events over the last 30 years, alongside 4 general flood events.
Recent history illustrates these recurring weather impacts. In April 2017, widespread moderate to heavy rainfall led to the flooding of numerous roads across northern Missouri, though impacts remained low and roads reopened once waters receded. Later, in May 2019, persistent sub-severe thunderstorms brought wake low winds that downed trees and power lines, followed by torrential rains that caused additional localized flooding.
Property owners located in FEMA-designated Zone A should pay the most attention, as this zone accounts for the majority of the county's historical National Flood Insurance Program claims, totaling 15 claims with an average payout of $11,124 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches. Residents in Zone X have filed 6 claims with an average payout of $8,154 and an average recorded water depth of 20 inches, while 1 claim was recorded in an unknown zone with an average payout of $10,042 and an average recorded water depth of 3 inches.
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 9 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 2008, with 6 claims and $86,014 paid, the year of Severe Storms and Flooding and Severe Storms, Flooding, and A Tornado.
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.
3 NOAA storm reports from Linn County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
22 federal disaster declarations since 1976, 1 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 |
| 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 Winter Storm | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And A Tornado | Sep 11, 2008 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
22 since 1996: 18 flash floods and 4 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Jun 9, 2020 | — |
| Flood | May 21, 2019 | — |
| Flood | Apr 5, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 22, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 19, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Sep 10, 2014 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 12, 2010 | — |
| Flash Flood | Aug 17, 2009 | — |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flood · Jun 9, 2020. A brief tornado formed near I-29 close to the town of Oregon, Missouri. This tornado was filmed, so while video evidence exists, there was no reported damage from this brief tornado. Ongoing moderate to heavy rain caused some roads to be closed in central Missouri through most of the day.
Flood · May 21, 2019. A line of generally sub-severe thunderstorms moved through the region during the early morning hours on May 21. These storms didn't produce any severe winds or hail, but as they moved east wake low winds produced damage consisting of several tree limbs down as well as power lines and power poles. The storms then went on to produce torrential rains which caused areas of flooding.
Flood · Apr 5, 2017. Widespread moderate to heavy rain resulted in numerous roads across northern Missouri to be flooded. Impacts were rather low, as most of these closures were soon resolved once the water receded.
Flash Flood · Jun 22, 2015. On the evening of June 20, an MCS was moving southeastward out of Iowa, into northeastern Missouri. Widespread thunderstorms formed on the southern flank of the original MCS causing widespread thunderstorm wind damage and some large hail up to the size of golf balls. As the boundary slid southward through the day on June 21 storms continued to form, bringing more wind damage and hail, this time up to baseball size…
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 Linn 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.