535 flood insurance claims·$10.9M 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 Marion 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.
Marion County experiences an even distribution of flood risk characterized by a mix of standard riverine floods and sudden flash floods, with the NOAA Storm Events Database recording 19 flood events and 19 flash flood events over the last 30 years. These flash flood events are frequently driven by convective complexes, storm boundaries, and heavy rain training over the region during the summer months, such as the storms recorded in July 2017, June 2020, June 2021, and July 2021.
National Flood Insurance Program records show that flood claims span multiple zones with varying severity. Zone A accounts for the vast majority of claims with 409 filings, averaging a payout of $25,432 and an average recorded water depth of 9 inches. Meanwhile, shaded and unshaded X zones recorded a combined 116 claims with average payouts ranging from $14,392 to $45,423 and average water depths between 3 and 12 inches.
Homeowners and real estate agents in Marion County should pay the closest attention to properties located within high-risk Zone A, which bears the heaviest historical claim volume, as well as properties situated in shaded and unshaded X zones where localized water accumulation still poses a substantial recorded risk.
Summary written from NOAA storm reports and NFIP claims for this county. Not a prediction.
18% of Marion County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.
497 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 8 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 1993, with 141 claims and $6.4M 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.
2 NOAA storm reports from Marion County describe what happened, in the words of the forecasters who covered it. Read the Missouri flood stories →
24 federal disaster declarations since 1965, 3 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 | Dec 22, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, And Flooding | May 15, 2015 |
| Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 29, 2013 |
| Severe Winter Storm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm | Jan 31, 2011 |
| Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Jun 12, 2010 |
| Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | May 8, 2009 |
Weather and water disasters only; most recent first. Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations.
38 since 1996: 19 flash floods and 19 river or area floods.
| Event | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | Jul 31, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 25, 2021 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jun 3, 2020 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 5, 2017 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 27, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | Jul 12, 2015 | — |
| Flash Flood | May 30, 2013 | — |
| Flood | Apr 18, 2013 | $2,000 |
— = no damage estimate in the record. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database.
Flash Flood · Jul 31, 2021. A mesoscale convective complex moved across portions of eastern Missouri and west central/southwest Illinois. There were several reports of flash flooding, as well as a tornado.
Flash Flood · Jun 25, 2021. A composite outflow boundary extending from the Kansas City area towards southeast Missouri was a focus for new development from the evening hours of June 25th through June 26th. There were numerous reports of damaging winds and flash flooding with this event, as well as a tornado.
Flash Flood · Jun 3, 2020. A combination of old outflow boundaries and a cold front moved through the region, triggering widespread showers and storms. Some of the storms became severe with damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding.
Flash Flood · Jul 5, 2017. Storms with heavy rain trained across northeast Missouri during the day and into the evening hours causing flash flooding.
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 Marion 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.